Vanika Choudhary is at the forefront of modern Indian fine dining. The nomadic chef has gained international recognition, named ‘La Liste Talent of the Year 2024’ & hosting residencies globally including pop-ups at Green Michelin Starred Silo &180 Corner, London, and with Jeong Kwan in Korea & Mumbai. May 2024, Vanika closed her Mumbai restaurant Noon, which celebrated Indigenous ingredients, ancient technique, traditional cooking & fermentation. Her focus now is on research, development, cooking worldwide before her next project.
Vanika’s philosophy centres on traditional cooking methods from her native Jammu & Kashmir, using produce rarely seen in Mumbai. She works with a predominantly female team, social enterprises, farmers’ collectives, and food anthropologists to revolutionise ingredient sourcing in India. Inspired by her grandmother’s pickling & her father’s homegrown produce, Vanika’s fermentation library includes 50 ferments, focusing on koji, miso (with tur dal), and garum (with nolen gur). She has recently spent time living with Chef & Monk Jeong Kwan in Chunjinam hermitage of the Baekyangsa temple, South Korea.
Photo Credit: Kashvi Gidwani