With an aim to recognize and reward India’s most talented chefs, the first edition of Culinary Culture’s FoodSuperstars presented by Campo Viejo took place at The Leela Palace, New Delhi. The first of its kind annual ranking saw 30 Top Chefs from across India being celebrated as true heroes of the Indian Food & Beverage industry. The Chefs were commemorated with a trophy as a badge of honor while donning special one-of-a-kind bespoke scarves designed by the iconic Indian designer, Raghavendra Rathore.
Culinary Culture, the foremost culinary platform in the country, was Co-founded by Vir Sanghvi, India’s most respected food critic and Sameer Sain, Co-founder and CEO of the Everstone Group. It was established to transform the perception of India’s culinary culture globally.
The much-awaited list of India’s top 30 chefs was revealed at an invite only event in the presence of prominent chefs and industry stalwarts from across the country such as Vikram Oberoi, Nakul Anand, Sunjae Sharma, Rohit Agarwal, Zorawar Kalra, Priyank Sukhija, Chef David Myers amongst many others. The top 30 chefs awarded the coveted title of FoodSuperstars in its first edition include:
No. 1 – Manish Mehrotra, No. 2 – Regi Matthew, No. 3 – Himanshu Saini, No. 4- Prateek Sadhu, No.5- Saurabh Udinia, No.6 – Ritu Dalmia, No.7- Manu Chandra, No.8- Nooresha Kably, No.9 – Naren Thimmaiah, No.10 – Hussain Shahzad. (full list attached)
Along with the ranking of the Top 30, FoodSuperstars also announced special awards that were bestowed on Chefs for exceptional achievement through the year. These included awards for Social Activism, Sustainable Cooking Practices and an award to a Food Legend, detailed as under.
Special Awards
Pastry Chef by Miele: Pooja Dhingra
Sustainable Chef by Fresh Brew: Manisha Bhasin
People’s Chef by Veeba: Vikas Khanna
Young Chef by Campo Viejo: Dane Fernandes
Chef Activist by Le Cordon Bleu: Asma Khan
Food Legend by Culinary Culture: Floyd Cardoz
Speaking on the occasion, Vir Sanghvi, Chairman, Culinary Culture said: “To be able to finally bring together to celebrate and honor some of India’s most brilliant minds is very heartwarming and something we look forward to do, year after year.”
” It is a pleasure to be associated with FoodSuperstars, honouring the passion and tasteful talent of India’s top chefs with bespoke Raghavendra Rathore Jodhpur accents will be a delightful feast for the senses.” said Raghavendra Rathore.
“Cooking is a good thing, but how far you can part your knowledge to others is most important and that’s the only way to take our Indian cuisine forward. I want this award to inspire the next generation of Indian chefs to go even further.” said Manish Mehrotra after being declared as No.1.
Raaj Sanghvi, CEO, Culinary Culture revealed the company’s upcoming initiatives, “It’s our mission to bring the world’s best to India and next month we will have the greatest chef in the world Massimo Bottura- come to Mumbai and cook at our events in partnership with Masters of Marriott. We will also organize a special session where he will speak to an audience of India’s top chefs”.
At the event in New Delhi, 28 of the 30 chefs were present in attendance and had flown in specially for the evening from cities such as Bengaluru, Goa, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Udaipur and Dimapur. To receive the Special Legend Chef award, Barkha Cardoz, wife of the late Floyd Cardoz flew in specially from New York and was given a standing ovation.
FoodSuperstars followed a detailed selection process with nominations put forward by Culinary Culture’s seasoned community of FoodHunters consisting of over 40 food connoisseurs from across the country. The final list of nominated chefs was then shared with Culinary Culture’s Secret Jury consisting of India’s topmost culinary experts and biggest foodies. The Jury further culled the list to arrive at the TOP 30 and the process was overseen by Vir Sanghvi.
The platform is the only food ranking in India with no form of outside influence or commercial consideration. No restaurant or hotel advertisements were accepted. After a very challenging two years of the pandemic, India’s F&B Industry finally came together to celebrate the perseverance of the industry through this platform.
FoodSuperstars presented by Campo Viejo, will become an annual event to honor Indian chefs and will move around Indian cities for each edition.
About Culinary Culture
Culinary Culture is India’s definitive voice in food. Co-founded by Vir Sanghvi, and Sameer Sain it is a movement that encompasses all aspects of the food space in India. It is the country’s only authoritative, independent rating organization, awarding stars to restaurants and recognizing and rewarding India’s best chefs and street food vendors. It organizes global culinary exchanges, bringing the world’s greatest chefs to cook in India and sends Indian chefs to cook at the best restaurants in the world. Culinary Culture creates engaging culinary content and has a large and dedicated community of followers on social media. In 2020, Culinary Culture organized events in India with Chef Mauro Colagreco of Mirazur in France, the three Michelin starred restaurant, rated as World no.1. Culinary Culture has an academy of FoodHunters, consisting of 40+ of India’s top food experts based around the country. Culinary Culture’s various popular IPs include FoodSuperstars, Culinary Conversations, StreetFoodSuperstars, Culinary X Change and Plate of Love amongst many others.
Instagram: @CulinaryCultureCo
