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Season six of MasterChef, Fox’s food-focused reality show, is debuting something unusual: a vegetarian.

Hetal Vasavada, a 28-year-old start-up developer, is a meatless eater. And while the show has (rarely) featured other vegetarians, Vasavada is unique in that she’s never even tasted animal flesh.

“Unlike past vegetarian contestants, I have never had any meat or seafood in my life, making it a bit of a challenge for me,” she tells Latest Vegan News. “During my time on the show I looked back to past vegetarian contestants, such as Bri Kozior, on the show for inspiration.”

She has a degree in biochemistry, which helped fuel her love for baking, she told MasterChef.

As far as other people’s reactions to her dietary choices, she says it initially surprised everyone, and a few even doubted she could make it.

“This was mostly due to the fact that I have never eaten meat and that I wouldn’t be able to taste any meat dish during the competition,” she explains. “I wanted to show people that vegetarians do not just eat salads all day, but we cook with spices and unique ingredients to create some dishes where no one would miss the protein.”

“Everyone was extremely supportive and respectful of my dietary choice and culture,” she adds. “The judges and contestants made sure that I was comfortable with what I was doing and never put me in a spot where I would have a moral dilemma.”

Known as Pretty Polymath in the blogging community, the talented cook aced her audition with an apple pastry cup with cardamom whipped cream. The origin of its concept dates back to her childhood.

“In my house, the only ‘dessert’ item my mom would buy was pre-made puff pastry. In addition, my favorite treat was apple pie from a local bakery. I tried to recreate it as a high schooler and worked with the spices I had in my kitchen to cater it to my parent’s taste and viola! My apple pie puff pastry dish was created! I love mixing traditional Indian and American desserts together to make a nice fusion of both.”

A veg contestant on a mainstream TV show is progress. Next up: time for a vegan!

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