Born in Mumbai, Chintan Pandya became interested in the culinary world at a young age. When of age, he enrolled in one of the most prestigious culinary schools in India, the Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development where he trained under the finest chefs from Oberoi Hotels. His professional career began at a hotel restaurant in Mumbai, where he spent eight years in the kitchen learning traditional Indian cuisine and techniques. During this time, Pandya traveled throughout the sub-continent in order to develop a deeper connection with the way locals ate and became well versed in the bold spices and dishes he came across. Eventually Pandya left India for bigger opportunities.

His culinary career took him to an extremely diverse set of locales including Singapore, Cleveland, Atlanta, and finally New York. It was in New York that Pandya joined the Michelin-starred Junoon for a brief stint before he met restaurateur Roni Mazumdar in 2017 and became the chef at the modern and upscale Rahi, followed by Adda Indian Canteen, and in 2021 Dhamaka, which has been met with much critical acclaim. In 2019, Pandya took Indian cuisine to the next level by partnering with artist Mattia Casalegno in Aerobanquets RMX, a virtual reality experience combining food and fantasy, which took place at the James Beard House.

Pandya was the winner of the 2019 StarChefs New York Rising Star and within a year after Adda opened, the restaurant was on the short list to be nominated for a James Beard Foundation award for “Best New Restaurant” Food & Wine Magazine’s “Top Ten Best New Restaurants 2019“, Eater National’s Best New Restaurants 2019” and Bon Appetit’s “Top 50 Best New Restaurants of 2019”. In 2020, Pandya was looked at as a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Awards “Best Chef in the NY Region”. Finally, in 2022 Pandya won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York State. Today, Pandya continues to push the boundaries of what Indian food means in America. He continues to break new ground on an under-appreciated but phenomenal cuisine.

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