In addition to the list of Top 30 Chefs, Food Superstars also bestowed Campo Viejo special awards upon chefs for their outstanding contributions throughout the year. These accolades encompassed categories such as Young Chef award and the Food Legend award. The event unfolded in the scenic setting of W, Goa, on September 21, 2023. Let’s meet the awardees…
Manish Mehrotra: Hall Of Fame 2023
Chef Manish Mehrotra was inducted into the Hall of Fame by (left) Vir Sanghvi, co-founder and chairman, Culinary Culture
Manish Mehrotra, who claimed the #1 spot at last year’s edition of Food Superstars, was inducted into the Hall of Fame. “Manish told me, ‘I want other chefs to come forward, so can you please take me off the list?’ So we created a Hall of Fame which will be for people who have #1 before. We admire them, respect them and look up to them,” said Vir Sanghvi, co-founder and chairman, Culinary Culture. Manish is one of the few chefs in the world who can claim to have invented an entire school of cooking. He has made Indian Accent one of the best Indian restaurants in the world. “Now there are so many chefs who are doing such wonderful things. When I see them, when I work with them, I feel very happy. The future looks good for chefs,” said Manish. For a man who took up cooking because he never wanted to run his father’s petrol pump, Manish’s journey has been quite the ride!
Deepanker Khosla: Sustainable Chef 2023
Deepanker Khosla with his award on stage. ‘FoodSuperstars will always be about the chefs. While we release a list each year, the community we are building is equally important,’ said (far right) Raaj Sanghvi, CEO, Culinary Culture
Deepanker Khosla took home the award for Sustainable Chef 2023 by Campo Viejo. Deepanker’s journey began in Allahabad, where he honed his skills with the ITC Hotels group. However, it was in Bangkok that he achieved success. There, he founded Haoma, an urban farm and zero-waste restaurant. It is known for its innovative ‘Neo-Indian’ cuisine, centred around sustainable, seasonal, local ingredients sourced from farmers, breeders, fisherfolk and the restaurant’s own garden. The celebrated Indian chef in Bangkok got a Michelin star and a Michelin Green Star for sustainable gastronomy on his own steam. In fact, he was doing sustainable food long before it became a ‘thing’.
Sahil Mehta: Pastry Chef 2023
Sahil Mehta, a chef on a mission to raise the quality of French patisserie in local bakeries, receives his award
Sahil Mehta was awarded Pastry Chef 2023 by Veeba. Sahil’s early years in Paris exposed him to French culinary culture. He completed his education at the esteemed L’ecole Internationale de Sevres in Paris, followed by graduation in hotel management from Santos Dumont Paris. After training at Lenotre in 2008, which is often called the Harvard of bakery schools, he upgraded his skills at the Alain Ducasse studio in 2017. A man on a mission to raise the quality of French patisserie in local bakeries, Sahil successfully established bakeries across the country, collaborating with hotels, chefs, and standalone bakeries, working as a consultant. These include L’opera, Choco Diva, Renaissance, Bread et More, Cravity, Honey & Dough, Café Tesu, Fleur De Lis, The Artful Baker, Meette, Bread Talk, Saugaat by Bikanervala and Paris My Love, which is his passion project. He still works as a consultant and is doing a few projects.
Ritu Dalmia: Activist Chef 2023
Birthday girl Ritu danced her way to the stage to receive the award from Vir Sanghvi
The award for Activist Chef 2023 by @nongshimindia went to Ritu Dalmia. In her typical spirited style, Ritu danced her way to the stage, bringing a rare smile to Vir Sanghvi’s face. The cherry on the cake? It was her birthday and a cake was cut to mark the joyous occasion. Among her many accomplishments, she is best known for Diva, the first of a chain of restaurants that changed the way people in Delhi looked at European food. Beyond her culinary success, she publicly embraced her sexuality and successfully challenged anti-gay laws in court.
Mythrayie Iyer: Young Chef 2023
Chef Mythrayie Iyer in the kitchen and in the farm
Chennai-born Mythrayie Iyer walked away with the Young Chef 2023 award by Campo Viejo. She started out as junior sous chef at Avartana, ITC Grand Chola, as part of the opening team. In 2018, she interned for four months at Noma in Copenhagen and a year later joined Bengaluru’s Farmlore as head chef. What is grown on the farm dictates the menu at the 18-seater restaurant. Iyer also emerged as the regional winner of the global San Pellegrino Young Chef competition 2023, and set to head to Milan for the finals. “I believe for everyone who aspires to become a chef and also a reminder everyday for self – skill can always be taught, but attitude is something you must possess. Keep your head down and keep learning,” Iyer told My Kolkata.
Urbano Do Rego: Legend Chef 2023
Chef Urbano Do Rego and Vir Sanghvi
Urbano Do Rego, known as the ‘Godfather of Goan cuisine’, received the Legend Chef 2023 at Food Superstars, earning a standing ovation from the audience. Hailing from Divar, a small island in Goa, Chef Rego not only invented the Goan restaurant menu as we know it today, he also created the standard recipes for Goan dishes that are still used by restaurants. As the executive chef at Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa, he describes his dishes as “Goa on a platter, where each dish spells out the history and culinary journey of the state.” In addition to his culinary dedication, Chef Rego’s commitment to hospitality shines through, even in the face of personal tragedy, as he lost his son, a junior sous chef at Taj Mumbai, in the 26/11 attack.
