Women’s Day: 8 Amazing Indian Women Chefs Who Own And Run Their Restaurants

Kitchen and kitchen work is usually associated with women. However, the kitchens of the hospitality industry have always been the men’s playground. Well, these queens have trashed that misconception out of the stadium, or well, the kitchen! The Indian hospitality industry is blessed with some of the most amazing women chefs in the world. They have not only mastered the art of species but also run the restaurants themselves. So, this International Women’s Day, we are celebrating and giving a shoutout to eight such amazing Indian women chefs who own and run their own restaurants.

8 Indian Women Chefs Who Own And Run Their Restaurants

1. Chef Ritu Dalmia

Celebrity chef and restaurateur Ritu Dalmia has been ruling the fine dining culinary landscape for a while now! Besides her renowned eatery chain Diva, which has outlets in Delhi and Mumbai, she also has an Italian Pizzeria called Motodo in Mumbai’s BKC, a contemporary Indian restaurant in Milan called Cittamani Milano, and Atrangi in Dubai. She opened her first restaurant in Delhi in 2000 and has since been one of the most loved women chefs and restaurateurs in the country.

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2. Chef Garima Arora

Chef Garima Arora became the first Indian woman to win a Michelin star in 2018 and in 2024, she was awarded the second Michelin Star, making her the only Indian women chef with two Michelin stars! She has shared kitchen with legendary chefs like Gordon Ramsay and René Redzepi in Copenhagen and opened her own restaurant, Gaa, in Bangkok in 2017. Recently, she launched her first restaurant BANNG in Gurgaon, a Thai restaurant that celebrates Bangkok’s bold flavours and untamed spirit.

3. Chef Hanisha Singh

Chef Hanisha Singh started her career at the Trident Nariman Point in Mumbai as a kitchen executive. After honing her skills, she headed the kitchen at Smoke House Grill. She even mastered the art of dessert making by world-renowned Chef Andres Lara. In 2019, she opened her first restaurant in Delhi and named it Plats. The restaurant is a contemporary dining place which is not cuisine-specific but technique-driven with seasonal produce and globally inspired flavours.

4. Chef Niyati Rao

Chef Niyati Rao fell in love with cooking as a child. She would spend hours in the kitchen with her mother and travel around to discover new grub with her parents. Before she opened her own restaurants, she worked with restaurants like The Zodiac Grill, Wasabi by Morimoto, A Reverie, and Noma in Copenhagen. In 2021, she opened the doors of Ekaa in Mumbai’s Fort and has been making waves ever since! She also conceptualised and developed bars named Bombay Daak and KMC–Khana Mehfil Charch in Mumbai.

Also Read: 8 Women Chefs Who Are Winning Hearts And Followers With Their Incredible Recipes

5. Chef Nooresha Kably

Bringing authentic Japanese flavours to India, chef Nooresha Kably is a “Japanese cuisine connoisseur” and the brainchild behind the amazing Izumi restaurant in Mumbai and Goa. Before opening the restaurant, she took a 3-month course on sushi-making in Tokyo and ventured around the city to understand exciting Japanese flavours. In 2018, she opened Izumi’s first outlet in Bandra, and as they say, the rest is history!

6. Chef Vanika Choudhary

Championing the farm-to-table movement in India since 2016 with her project Sequel, Chef Vanika Choudhary is an amazing chef and restaurateur. She owns the restaurant Noon in BKC, Mumbai. Noon means ‘salt’ in Kashmiri, and is her Kashmiri roots. The restaurant is known for its ingredient-centric recipes where Chef Vanika draws from her grandmother’s cooking methods, making extensive use of fermentation in her seasonal menus.

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7. Chef Pooja Dhingra

If you love desserts, then you definitely know Chef Pooja Dhingra. She opened India’s first macaron store and is the brainchild behind the famous bakery chain Le15 Patisserie. She is known for whipping up the most drool-worthy macarons and French desserts in India.

8. Chef Seefah Ketchaiyo

Chef Seefah Ketchaiyo was born in Bangkok and worked at many five-star hotels in Thailand and China before she decided to settle in India. In 2016, she started the eponymous restaurant in 2016 as a delivery kitchen and catering service. Later, she opened a 38-seater restaurant on Bandra’s Hill Road. She also runs Asian Burgers by Seefah and recently opened Khao Man Gai in Bandra West.

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Have you been to any of the restaurants by these amazing chefs? Let us know your experience in the comments.

Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/ritudal & Instagram/hanishasingh1