Chef Awards honours India’s culinary artists
The Indian Culinary Forum organised the 16th Annual Chef Awards in the presence of renowned master chefs and veterans of the hospitality industry at Hotel Le Meridien, Delhi on 22 October. Hosted to commemorate the International Chefs Day, Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog was the chief guest of the evening. Also, present on the occasion was one of the most respected and loved chefs of India, Padma Shri Sanjeev Kapoor. Several other industry veterans were also present at the awards. The glittery night witnessed an august gathering of around 400 industry professionals including young chefs and students.
Chef Awards have been conceptualised to bring international acclaim to Indian cuisine and honour the chefs and their contribution to the hospitality industry and society at large. The evening witnessed several veterans as well as promising chefs compete for the coveted awards.
While addressing the attendees, Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog said, «Indian chefs are one of the best in the world. There is a lot of stress on health food, but if we look at traditional Indian cuisine then there is nothing healthier than it. Indian chefs are the best brand ambassadors of the country and will play a pivotal role in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of becoming a 5 trillion economy by 2024.”
As a build-up to the awards, four days’ culinary competitions were held at RIG Institute of Hospitality & Management, Greater Noida and Academy of Pastry Arts, Gurugram among young and promising chefs in ten different categories. Over 100 of culinary artistes showcased their creativity and skills during these competitions. Noted Malaysian Chef Peter Chan was the Chairperson of the jury in this year’s competitions along with renowned national and international chefs, while Chef Sireesh Saxena was the organising secretary.
Speaking on the occasion, Anil Bhandari, a hospitality industry veteran and Chairman of the Organising Committee ICF, said “It’s an overwhelming experience to have successfully organised the Annual Chef Awards for the last one and a half decades. Our idea behind the inception of the Chef Awards was to provide both veteran and upcoming chefs a professional platform where they can exhibit and hone their culinary skills. We are thrilled to see how the valuable experience gained by all the chefs here have helped them maximise their potential and growth in the last many years.”
Some of the winners of the 16th Annual Chef Awards were Chef Ranojit Kundu— Pastry Chef of the Year; Chef Rekha Sharma—lady Chef of the Year; among many others.