In this article, we introduce you to seven renowned Indian chefs making waves around the world, each recognized with a Michelin star. Among these culinary masters, you’ll find two chefs with three stars, two with two stars, and three with one star each, all celebrated for their exceptional talent and unique contributions to the industry!
Learn about these pioneering talents and their kitchens, where age-old secrets are combined with contemporary techniques for gastronomical delights that will excite your taste buds.
What is the Michelin star?
The Michelin star is a highly-respected recognition culinary award to restaurants and chefs demonstrating outstanding culinary skills and creativity. The Michelin Guide is one of the world’s most recognized and influential restaurant guides. It awards stars to top restaurants based on the quality of ingredients, technique, flavor, presentation, service, and atmosphere. Restaurants with three stars are considered the finest in their respective locations, while those with two or one stars also demonstrate exceptional culinary skills.
Indian Cuisine
Indian cuisine is hot right now. You’ll find many choices if you watch The Food Network as often as possible or check out local restaurants. Many popular dishes combine vegetables and spices in new and exciting ways. Though some dishes use various types of meat, others are perfect for vegetarians. Biryani, butter chicken, korma, chaat, and dosa are some top dishes to try.
Michelin-Starred Restaurants
Earning a Michelin star is one of the top achievements in a chef’s career. Not only do they need to have a mastery of cooking techniques and ingredients, but they also need to offer good value for the money and use quality products. There are just eight Indian restaurants as of 2023 that have a Michelin star. Some of the Indian chefs who earned this accolade look for ways to elevate classic Indian fare, while others focus on making the best classic dishes possible.
Learn how to get a Michelin Star in our blog.
Indian Chefs Around the World
The top Indian chefs in the world today have a strong commitment to their craft. They spend hours trying new recipes and creating menus that delight their diners. While you’ll find hundreds of Indian restaurants in the United States alone, there are millions of Indian chefs working in the world today. Look at the top men and women in this field who earned one of the coveted Michelin stars.
Inspire yourself with our blog post for the top 20 women-led michelin star restaurants in US.
7 Michelin Starred Indian Chefs Across the World
While you need a reservation to enjoy dining at one of the top Indian restaurants with a Michelin star, you’ll find them in cities worldwide. Though some have their own restaurants, others work for major groups and companies. Even if you need to reserve a table in advance, you’ll love all of the dishes they serve. Find out more about some of these chefs and how and why they earned their stars.
1. Vikas Khanna
Whether you live near New York City or plan to visit, stop by Restaurant Junoon. It was owned by Vikas Khanna and received a Michelin star for seven straight years.
Background and journey to success: A Punjab native, Khanna knew he wanted to work as a chef from a young age. He came to the United States in the late 90s and opened his first restaurant in NYC. When the 9/11 attacks happened, he had to shut his doors and return to the drawing board. Khanna gained more experience at the James Beard House before opening Spice Route. Spice Routed gained the attention of Gordon Ramsay, who asked Khanna to help with his show Kitchen Nightmares. He gained more fame after opening Restaurant Junoon in Manhattan in 2010. Khanna gained his first Michelin star in 2011, which led to more in the coming years.
Signature dishes and cooking style: Khanna has a reputation for his cooking style, which he calls instinctive and inventive. He believes in experimenting with ingredients to create dishes that appeal to a wide range of diners. The chef calls Kandhari Paneer his signature dish because of how long he spent working on it. This Indian dish mixes garlic and other spices with paneer.
2. Atul Kochhar
Atul Kochhar is a classic Indian chef who made history as the first in his field to earn a Michelin star. He has experience working in the UK and India, giving him a unique perspective on the world of food.
Background and journey to success: Born in 1969, Kochhar spent his early life in the Indian city of Jamshedpur before working for The Oberoi Group. While working for the hotel company, he also attended The Institute of Hotel Management to study hotel management. Kochhar received his first Michelin star in 2001 for his restaurant Tamarind in London. He spent over 20 years in London before opening a restaurant in Delhi, earning him a second Michelin star.
Signature dishes and cooking style: Though known for a handful of Indian dishes, Kochhar picked Kadhi as his signature dish. Kadhi comes from Northern India and features a slightly spicy yogurt sauce served with onion fritters. Kocchar’s international cooking style combines Indian recipes and ingredients with modern techniques. He admits that even after years of experience in the culinary world, he still has much to learn.
3. Vineet Bhatia
Vineet Bhatia is just one of the many Indian chefs who got his start working for The Oberoi Group. While working for this hotel chain, he honed his culinary skills and became a kitchen powerhouse.
Background and journey to success: While growing up in Mumbai, Bhati dreamed of becoming a pilot and flying through the sky one day. It was in his teenage years that he decided to focus his attention on cooking. After two years of working for The Oberoi Group, he moved to South Kensington and became the head chef at Star of India. He also worked for the Cinnamon Club, which he co-owned, and several other restaurants before opening Zaika. Zaika opened in 1999 and helped him earn a Michelin star just two years later.
Signature dishes and cooking style: Bhati deeply loves the dishes he grew up eating, which he still makes in his restaurant today. Though he had some beloved recipes, his signature dish is Amritsari battered cod. This dish combines his love of his native India with his love of British cooking. He serves battered and fried fish with pea chutney. The holder of several Michelin stars, Bhait has a style that mixes classic Indian dishes with modern ideas.
4. Garima Arora
Garima Arora is the only female Indian chef with a Michelin star. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants also named her the Best Female Chef in Asia in 2019.
Background and journey to success: Unlike other chefs with Michelin stars, Arora didn’t always plan on a culinary career. Born and raised in Mumbai, she studied journalism and worked as a writer for several years. She then attended Le Cordon Bleu and worked with some of the world’s top chefs before opening her restaurant. Gaa opened in 2017 and quickly became a Bangkok landmark. Not only did she earn a Michelin star for her restaurant in 2018, but she also saw her name appear on multiple lists of the top chefs in the world.
Signature dishes and cooking style: Arora spent a lot of time studying classic Indian cooking techniques, which she uses in her restaurant. She believes in using those techniques with local ingredients to create unique dishes not found anywhere else. She considers her signature dish as crab and macadamia milk, which she serves with peppercorn oil on ice.
5. Sriram Aylur
Sriram Aylur has one of the longest runs of chefs to maintain their Michelin stars. He received his in 2008 and maintained the standards to keep it for well over a decade.
Background and journey to success: Born and raised in Palakkad and Mumbai, Sriram Aylur grew up in a cooking family with a father who owned a small local restaurant. Though he planned on attending law school and even studied law, his father encouraged him to focus his passion on cooking. He opened Quilon in 1999 and quickly became a popular restaurant among locals. As the restaurant gained more fame, the Michelin committee took notice and awarded him a star.
Signature dishes and cooking style: Aylur has an innovative style, as he believes in using modern and classic ingredients and techniques together. His signature dishes include Indian favorites such as delicate fish fillets cooked and served in banana leaves and Masala Dosa, which mixes rice and potatoes with ginger and other spices. Aylur constantly works on his menu to add new ingredients and dishes that his diners will love.
6. Srijith Gopinathan
Srijith Gopinathan uses his South Indian background in every dish he cooks. He worked under the guidance of several chefs with Michelin stars before earning one of his own for his work in Taj Campton Place.
Background and journey to success: Born in southern India, Srijith Gopinathan always knew he wanted to become a chef. He attended the Culinary Institute of America and then went to work at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quant’Saisons. This restaurant was owned by Raymond Blanc and gave him firsthand experience in what the Michelin committee looked for in restaurants. After leaving London behind, Gopinathan moved to San Francisco and eventually opened Taj Campton Place. His California restaurant earned one Michelin star for eight years in a row and received two stars in both 2016 and 2017.
Signature dishes and cooking style: Gopinathan is one of the pioneers in the California Indian fusion field. He makes dishes that include California flavors and Indian techniques and recipes. Diners come from around the world to try their dishes. Gopinathan set out to create a menu that would evolve with the seasons, but he quickly learned that diners loved his Poached Lobster with Coastal Curry. It’s always on the menu and is now his signature dish.
7. Alfred Prasad
Alfred Prasad is a chef and restaurant owner known as one of the greatest British chefs ever. He received a Michelin star in 2002, which made him the youngest Indian chef in history to receive a star.
Background and journey to success: Despite the young age at which he earned his first star, Alfred Prasad spent years honing his skills. He caught the attention of culinary trainers while working on a hotel management diploma and immediately began training in Indian kitchens. After moving to the UK in 2011, Prasad became the Director of Cuisine for the Tamarind Group and took over the operations of four of the group’s restaurants. While working for the Tamarind Group, he received a Michelin star, which he retained for the next 13 years.
Signature Dishes and Cooking Style
The cooking style of Prasad elevates classic dishes and brings them to a higher level. He often creates upscale versions of the classic Indian dishes found in British restaurants. Many consider Dal Makhani his signature dish. Often associated with North India, this dish uses garam masala and other spices with kidney beans and a small amount of cream.
Conclusion
Indian cuisine is a global culinary phenomenon that has stood the test of time, and these 7 Michelin-starred Indian chefs have taken it to a whole new level. With their incredible talent and passion for gastronomy, they are helping to redefine what we think of as traditional Indian food.
Their inspiring stories remind us that anything is possible if we just believe and work hard enough. With their flavorsome recipes, they prove that modern Indian cooking can be an unforgettable experience.
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