Vishwesh Bhatt is a

James Beard Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awar ...

-winning chef based in

Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, Lafayette County, southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis. A college town, Oxford ...

Early life and education

In 1985, Bhatt immigrated with his family from

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the age of 17, first settling in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. He studied biology and political science at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

and then sought a master’s in public administration at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

. During his time as a student, Bhatt maintained a side-business cooking for friends and colleagues. He also began working at a vegetarian cafe in Oxford. In Mississippi, he became a regular patron at John Currence's ''City Grocery'', and he eventually joined the kitchen staff. This experience led him to pursue a culinary career, and he enrolled in the

North Miami, Florida North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University. Originally the "Town of A ...

culinary school of

Johnson & Wales University Johnson & Wales University (JWU) is a private university with its main campus in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded as a business school in 1914 by Gertrude I. Johnson and Mary T. Wales, JWU enrolled 7,357 students across its cam ...

Career

After culinary school, Bhatt worked in restaurants in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

and

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

before returning to Oxford to work for Currence again in 2001. When Currence opened a new restaurant called ''Snackbar'' in 2009, Bhatt was named executive chef. Over time, Bhatt began to incorporate Indian influences into ''Snackbars menu, and his cooking gained recognition. Regional and national publications highlighted Bhatt's signature okra chaat, a combination of southern fried

Okra Okra (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in some English-speaking countries as lady's fingers, is a flowering plant in the Malvaceae, mallow family native to East Africa. Cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions aro ...

and Indian

Chaat masala Chaat masala, also spelled chat masala, is a powdered spice mix, or Spice mix#Masala, masala, originating from the Indian subcontinent, typically used to add flavor to chaat. It typically consists of amchoor (dried mango powder), cumin, coriander, ...

. Bhatt was a semifinalist for a

in 2011 and then a finalist in 2014. He was a finalist again in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, before winning the James Beard title of ''Best Chef in the South'' in 2019. In August 2022, he released his cookbook, ''I Am From Here'', which focuses on Southern cuisine and declares his status as an authentic Southern chef.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatt, Vishwesh Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Indian emigrants to the United States People from Oxford, Mississippi Johnson & Wales University alumni James Beard Foundation Award winners Chefs from Mississippi