Food Fight

Restaurateur and chef Manu Chandra wants culinary meritocracy to be great again

- Serena Menon

The force behind hot tables like The Fatty Bao, Toast & Tonic and Monkey Bar, chef Manu Chandra has little interest in the spotlight. “I never worked for fame and glory. I am a kitchen person, not Bollywood.” After a stint in the US, where he studied (at the Culinary Institute of America) and apprenticed, Chandra returned to India in 2004 and soon carved a niche for himself at Bengaluru institution Olive Beach as its Chef de Cuisine. In the years since, the 35-year-old has featured on almost every list of the country’s top chefs and earned a loyal following for his inventive, unfailingly delicious food and impeccable service. This June, Chandra brought Bengaluru’s popular restaurant Toast & Tonic to Mumbai’s business district, BKC, and as expected, the reviews have been raving. ELLE caught up with him about the future of Indian dining and why he doesn’t care for ‘celeb chefs’.