Garima Arora is an Indian

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a k ...

. In November 2018, she became the first Indian woman to win a

Michelin star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...

Early life and career

Arora grew up in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

, and is of Punjabi Arora family. She initially pursued a career in journalism before becoming a chef. In 2008, she left for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. She studied at

Le Cordon Bleu Le Cordon Bleu (French for " The Blue Ribbon") is an international network of hospitality and culinary schools teaching French '' haute cuisine''. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The institut ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

and graduated in 2010. She worked with Chef Gaggan Anand,

Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a to ...

and René Redzepi of

Noma Noma, NoMa, or NOMA may refer to: Places * NoMa, the area North of Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C., US ** NoMa–Gallaudet U station, on Washington Metro * Noma, Florida, US * NOMA, Manchester, a redevelopment in England * Noma Distric ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

before opening her own restaurant, ''Gaa'', in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populatio ...

in April 2017. ''Gaa'' is a three-storey restaurant that celebrates a modern tasting menu using traditional Indian techniques. In November 2018, she and her restaurant were awarded a Michelin star, with Arora being the first female Indian chef to receive the distinction. In March 2019, Restaurant Gaa made its debut on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list at No. 16, claiming the Highest New Entry Award. In February 2019, Arora was named Asia's Best Female Chef for the year by

World's 50 Best Restaurants The World's Best 50 Restaurants is a list produced by UK media company William Reed, which originally appeared in the British magazine ''Restaurant'' in 2002. The list and awards however are no longer directly related to ''Restaurant'' magazine ...

. In June 2019, Restaurant Gaa made its debut on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list at No. 95. In August 2019, Arora launched Food Forward India, an initiative prioritizing the future of Indian food. The inaugural event, which took place in Mumbai on 17 October 2019, brought together Mumbai's brightest minds in the Indian food community to engage in a day filled with talks, food tastings and panel discussions. She is one of the judges in Master chef India. (2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arora, Garima Indian chefs Women chefs Alumni of Le Cordon Bleu 1986 births Living people People from Mumbai