“It is an absolute honor to be the recipient of this much coveted award and being recognized for all the hard work and dedication I have put forth in all these years. Indian Culinary Forum is one of the most prestigious platform for our fraternity and I am delighted to have win ‘The Golden Hat’, “said Chef Arvind Rai. He is also a recipient of the National Tourism Award for the year 2015-16.

Chef Awards by the Indian Culinary Forum is an effort to put the country on the international forefront, recognize and honor the chefs and their contribution to the Hospitality industry and society at large.

The chefs, who showcased their culinary skills at the four days of Trade Tests, organised by the Indian Culinary Forum were felicitated at the award ceremony along with top award categories including Lifetime Achievement Award, Golden Hat Chef Award, Silver Hat Chef Award, Pastry Chef of the Year Award, Lady Chef of the Year Award and Food Critic Award, etc.

On the occasion, Chief Guest Ms. Meenakshi Sharma, Director-General, Tourism marked her presence along with renowned names from the hospitality fraternity-like Zorawar Kalra, Vir Sanghvi, and many more.

Padma Shri Sanjeev Kapoor will grace the occasion virtually and talk about Entrepreneurship and chefs in the post-covid times.

 The Chef Awards also honoured the industry veterans in six other sought-after categories. The winners were selected by a panel of an esteemed jury.

The following are the winners of the 17th Annual Chef Awards:

As part of the 17^th Annual Chef Awards, Indian Culinary Forum also organised the 8^th edition of Knowledge Summit, “Exploring New Horizons and Challenges: Experts Perspectives on Opportunities During These Times”. 

The Summit was phased over four sessions. The inaugural session was done virtually by  Anil Bhandari, a hospitality industry veteran and Chairman of the Organising Committee.

The second session was on Entrepreneurship and Chefs in the Post Covid times by Celebrity Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, interviewed by Smitha Menon. 

He advised aspiring entrepreneurs, “Don’t keep waiting for very big opportunities. Start small and build on it. Most chefs think that perfection is a virtue, but I think it can be a big impediment. Because when you say something is perfect, there is a lot of pressure from yourself, friends, family etc. Gone are the days for launching anything big and with perfection. So, test and learn. And that’s the way to scale up. It gives you an opportunity to correct your course quickly. Don’t wait for perfection, because it may be too late.”

The third session of the day was a panel discussion on Skills Required by the Chefs – An Industry Perspective with Varendra S. Dutta, Rajan Bahadur, Sanjeev K Nayar, Mohammad Shoeb, and moderated by Rajiv Gulshan. 

The last session was on Future of Food through Sociological Lens by Vir Sanghvi who was interviewed by Dilip Puri, Founder & CEO at Indian School of Hospitality.

The summit was curated by Indian School of Hospitality and co-ordinated by Dr. Chef Prem Ram, Joint secretary Indian Culinary Forum. Those who could not attend the event, also joined the Summit virtually on Zoom App.

Read More: Food Voyager

By observing the Government’s orders and guidelines, the annual awards have been carefully planned and curated to ensure a coronavirus-safe event.

Over 60 Chefs from starred hotels and stand-alone restaurants are competing against each other in 8 different categories at this culinary platform. The winners of the Trade Test will be awarded by Director General, Tourism, Ms. Meenakshi Sharma, in the presence of noted members & personalities of the gastronomy community at the grand ceremony of Chef Awards 2020, to be held on October 26th, 2020 at Pride Plaza Hotel, Aerocity, New Delhi. 

To make the occasion grander, the 8th annual Chef Summit will also be hosted on the same day where well-known faces of the culinary industry will be seen debating on the topics like, “Exploring New Horizons and Challenges: Experts Perspectives on Opportunities During These Times”. 

It’s a perfect opportunity for veterans to share both wisdom and recipes with the young guns. Eminent names of the industry- Zorawar Kalra, Chef Himanshu Taneja, Chef Rajeev Janveja, and Dewan Gautam Anand, among others, will be participating in a panel discussion moderated by Dean Rajiv Gulshan.

More than a decade and a half ago, the Indian Culinary Forum decided and designed the country’s biggest culinary awards — Chef Awards 2020 — to recognize and celebrate the efforts and achievements of chefs every year. 

The four-day culinary competition will see the participation of over 60 chefs in 8 different categories, i.e. Master Chef of the Year, Master Chef Oriental Cuisine, Master Chef International Cuisine, Master Chef International Confectionary, Master Chef Baker, Master Chef Kebabs, Master Chef North Indian Cuisine, Master Chef Indian Sweets. 

On the first day of the culinary competition, contestants showcased a series of culinary skills, celebrating the preparation and presentation of the food accoutrements in attractive and pleasing forms. Notable and renowned national and international chefs will be the jury members in this year’s competitions, while Chef Sireesh Saxena is the organizing secretary under whom the trade tests will also be supervised.

The ICF members feel a sense of great pride and pleasure having taken the tradition to greater glory with a wider reach. Informing about the event Anil Bhandari, Chairman Organizing Committee, says, “The COVID-19 crisis has inspired unlearning, recalling lessons as well as fresh learning. We have realized that we need to discard the outdated systems and adopt new ones. We also need to re-evaluate our priorities. The new mantra is sanitization, hygiene, and social distancing. Those who adapt to the new normal will succeed.” 

He added, “We even added a new feature of online live cookery demonstrations of immunity building recipes by reputed chefs for 23 consecutive days and also hosted the Chef and Child Charity High Tea in these challenging times of the coronavirus outbreak.”

Chef Davinder Kumar, President Indian Culinary Forum, adds, “This year’s theme is Healthy Food for future-focused on sustainability & environment, which coincides with International Chef Day!” 

Chef Vivek Saggar, General Secretary, of Indian Culinary Forum, says, “The Chef Awards 2020 is not just a competition, it is an opportunity for chefs to learn about the modern techniques and mechanisms that are used in kitchens across the world.”

The Indian Culinary Forum is India’s association of Professional chefs of India. It was formed in New Delhi in 1987 as an exclusive non-profit-making organization, dedicated solely to the advancement of the culinary art of India. The Forum’s objective is to act as a link, a platform, and an instrument for the enhancement and overall development of the national community of chefs.

Read More: Food Voyager