Chef Shazia Khan is a runner up from the celebrated show MasterChef India. As a celebrity Chef on FOODFOOD Channel, Chef Shazia hosts, ‘K for Kids’ which is all about experiencing happy and joyful cooking, where kids learn to cook and appreciate their moms role in the kitchen in a fun way. Shazia is also a member of the board of management, at Delhi Public School Bangalore North. They run many educational institutes in Bangalore and Shazia involves herself in the education business.
Romy Gill MBE is a celebrity and renowned Indian chef, food and travel writer, and broadcaster based in the south-west of England. With a passion for culinary excellence, she first gained recognition as the owner and head chef at Romy’s Kitchen. In 2016, Romy was honored with an MBE in the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honors list. In September 2019, she released her debut cookbook, Zaika – Vegan Recipes from India, which captivated readers with its innovative and flavorful plant-based recipes. Building on this success, Romy’s second book, On The Himalayan Trail, was published to wide acclaim in spring of 2022.
Imtiaz Qureshi is an Indian chef and the master chef at ITC Hotels, known for creating the culinary brand of Bukhara and reviving the Dum Pukht tradition of cuisine. He has served several official banquets hosted by the Prime Minister and the President of India. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honor of the Padma Shri, in 2016, for his contributions to culinary art, thus making him the first chef to receive the honor.
Hemant Bhagwani is an Indo-Canadian chef, sommelier, restaurateur, cookbook author, and entrepreneur based in Toronto. He is a culinary brand and has won several entrepreneur awards as well. Bhagwani owns 37 restaurants in Canada. A few on this list include Mumbai Frankie, elevated Indian street food that now has five outlets across the city and suburbs; Goa, Indian farm-to-table opened in 2018; Good Karma, which has fast casual Indian-inspired salads and smoothies; and a Burmese restaurant called Popa. @goafarmkitchen @popa.toronto @amayarestaurant @bombayfrankie @goanewyork @bargoato @charcoalbiryanicanada
A champion of ethnic cuisine and leading Indian chef, Regi Mathew, is Co-Owner and Culinary Director of Kappa Chakka Kandhari. He began his culinary career with Taj Group of Hotels as a Hotel Operations Management trainee and went on to become the Sous Chef at Paradise Island, Taj West End’s signature Thai Restaurant. In 2000, after eight years at Taj West End, Chef Regi moved to Chennai to work with Mr. M. Mahadevan, founder of Oriental Cuisines. He was recently awarded Chef of the Year by the Times Food Awards, Chennai (2018), which is among several accolades he has received through his career.
Sanjyot Keer is an Indian chef and Internet personality, based in Mumbai, India. He was the food producer for TV competitive cooking show, MasterChef India (season 4), aired on Star Plus. Keer was featured in the list of Forbes India‘s Tycoons of Tomorrow 2018. He is the founder of Your Food Lab (YFL).
Recipient of the ‘Top 10 Chefs in Asia’ honor, Chef Manisha Bhasin has carved a niche for herself in her 30 years with ITC Hotels. She constantly endeavors to keep the originality of the cuisine, while creating new combinations & presentations. She also served as the President of Indian Culinary Forum (ICF) based at New Delhi. Manisha Bhasin started running kitchens based on the principles of sustainability long before sustainability became a buzz word. As Executive Chef she emphasized energy efficiency, recycling and green practices. She advocated the use of local ingredients when other chefs were still looking for imports.
Born in the South to traditional Indian parents, Chef Niven became inspired to cook when he was a child, composing menus for his family, and featuring dishes that he would prepare for them. He always enjoyed satisfying their taste buds as they would savor his creations. As he traveled around the world working in The Cayman Islands, The Florida Keys, and studying in Europe, Chef Niven Patel became influenced by the variety of flavors and the people who were natives of those places. The way in which local ingredients were impacted by their environment drove him to push the envelope in his farm-to-table approach to cooking. Today, Niven Patel has an eclectic portfolio of restaurants, including @gheemiami @erbamiami @mameymiami @ornomiami @alparenorestaurants
Meherwan Irani is a chef and restaurateur changing the perception of Indian food in America through his growing restaurant and spice empire in the South’s most essential culinary cities. He is a leading voice in the industry’s conversation around diversity and cultural exchange. In 2022, Meherwan’s flagship restaurant in Asheville, Chai Pani, was named Outstanding Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation. Meherwan was named by TIME Magazine as one of the “31 People Changing The South” and is a five-time James Beard Foundation Awards semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast.
Lekshmi Nair is a well-known culinary figure from Kerala, India. She gained popularity through her cooking videos and television shows, particularly on the Malayalam-language television channel Kairali TV. Lekshmi Nair is known for her expertise in traditional Kerala cuisine and her ability to simplify complex recipes for her audience. Lekshmi Nair provides cooking lessons and workshops as well as to working as a chef. She is known for her friendly and informative teaching technique, which opens up traditional Kerala cuisine to a larger audience.