The Best Chef Awards 2025, held in Milan on October 1-2, underlined the rise of Indian culinary talent on the world stage. Among the standout names, Himanshu Saini emerged as a frontrunner, while a growing group of chefs from across India earned recognition under the awards’ inclusive “Knife Recognition System.”
Chef Himanshu Saini of Trèsind Studio, Dubai, was awarded 3rd place overall, making him one of the few Indian chefs to reach the top three this year. His achievement reinforces Indian fine dining’s growing global influence and the capacity of chefs who fuse innovation with deep culinary heritage.
- Prateek Sadhu, proprietor of Naar in Kasauli, was named “Best New Entry”, a badge of both acclaim and promise.
- Several others from India earned Two Knives (“World Class”) recognition: Johnson Ebenezer of Farmlore (Bengaluru) and Shantanu Mehrotra of Indian Accent (Delhi).
- Additional chefs awarded One Knife (“Excellent”) include Adwait Anantwar (Inja, New Delhi), Amninder Sandhu (Palaash, Maharashtra), Hussain Shahzad (Papa’s, Mumbai), Niyati Rao (Ekaa, Mumbai), Regi Mathew (Kappa Chakka Kandhari, Chennai), Rijul Gulati (Indian Accent, Mumbai), and Varun Totlani (Masque, Mumbai).
India’s presence at The Best Chef Awards 2025 is no longer marginal. With chefs picking up top-tier placements and recognition across categories, the narrative is clearer: Indian cuisine is no longer seen through the lens of stereotypes. Rather, it’s being appraised for artistry, innovation, sustainability, and precision.
The Knife system (Three Knives / Two Knives / One Knife) amplifies this shift, it rewards consistency, technical skill, and flavour storytelling, not merely popularity or scale. Chefs like Saini and Sadhu, who are recognised under “Three Knives,” are helping reframe Indian fine dining as a domain of global relevance.
