Indian American chef Chintan Pandya won the Best Chef award for New York State at the James Beard Foundation Awards (JBFA) on Tuesday, 14 June.
Pandya owns a restaurant called Dhamaka, an “unapologetic Indian” eatery that is, according to its website, “the other side of India, the forgotten side of India.”
For Best Chef, New York State: Chintan Pandya, Dhamaka in New York City #jbfa
— James Beard Foundation (@beardfoundation) June 14, 2022
It was also nominated for the Best New Restaurant award, which eventually went to an Indigenous restaurant in Minneapolis.
Dhamaka’s Diverse Menu
The menu at Dhamaka includes snacks like Papdi Chaat, Beguni (fried eggplant), and Gurda Kapoora (goat kidney & testicles, red onion, pao).
The grills and the mains include dishes like Himachali Trout, Lasooni Prawn, Paneer Methi, Paplet Fry (Pomfret fish), and Champaran Meat.
‘Believed in My Stupidity’: Pandya’s Special Message of Thanks
At the JBFA, Pandya, while accepting his award, gave special thanks to a gentleman named Ronnie, his business partner.
“The reason he is over here is that I always came up with ideas that were idiotic and stupid. I met this guy five years back, and after a years I realised that he’s a bigger idiot than me because he believes in those ideas. And because he believed… in my stupidity that I’m standing here, so big thanks to him.”
Pandya owns a restaurant called Dhamaka, an “unapologetic Indian” eatery that is, according to its website, “the other side of India, the forgotten side of India.”
It was also nominated for the Best New Restaurant award, which eventually went to an Indigenous restaurant in Minneapolis.
Dhamaka’s Diverse Menu
The menu at Dhamaka includes snacks like Papdi Chaat, Beguni (fried eggplant), and Gurda Kapoora (goat kidney & testicles, red onion, pao).
The grills and the mains include dishes like Himachali Trout, Lasooni Prawn, Paneer Methi, Paplet Fry (Pomfret fish), and Champaran Meat.
Macher Jhol (fish curry),Pork Salad, Paplet Fry.
He even clicked a victory selfie with the whole audience.
Chintan Pandya, 2022 #jbfa Best Chef, New York State winner, presented by @CapitalOne, gives thanks in his own unique way. pic.twitter.com/07mG0Hc9Pi
— James Beard Foundation (@beardfoundation) June 14, 2022
Pandya’s restaurant was ranked number one on “New York’s Top 10 New Restaurants of 2021,” published by The New York Times.
“Every dish comes at you as if it wants to either marry you or kill you,” the article read.
Another NYT article about “the 50 places in America we’re most excited about right now,” praised Dhamaka for its “fresh view of Indian cuisine by making it more citified.”
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