Ethnic Chef Award sponsored by Kavis

Winner - Jitin Joshi Vatika Restaurant

Indian born Jitin Joshi has worked hard to achieve his goals through a sound career progression. He graduated from the Institute of Hotel Management in Ahmedabad and was among just 15 students across India who were picked for the Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development. After two years of rigorous training, he topped the class and won the coveted Ishran Devi gold medal.

Leaving India to find work in London, he first worked at the Michelin starred Capital Hotel under chef Eric Chavot before moving on to One O One in Knightsbridge to work for chef Pascal Proyart where he learnt the secrets of fish cookery. Afterwards he spent some time at Maze Gordon Ramsay as pastry chef and sous chef under chef Jason Atherton.

In 2006 he joined Atul Kochhar’s Michelin starred Benares Restaurant as executive chef, which revived his senses for spices and opened his mind to new ways of cooking and spicing up food. In 2008 he helped create Vatika, the sister restaurant to Benares, and as head chef has brought in his own style of modern European food with an Indian twist. He says knowing about good food and cooking good food are two very different things.

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