Till now, the list of Indians who had received Michelin stars comprised only men. Garima Arora, who opened an Indo-Thai restaurant in Bangkok last April, joined the likes of Vikas Khanna, Gaggan Anand and Vineet Bhatia to become the first Indian woman to have won a Michelin star on November 14.
A Le Cordon Bleu alumnus and former chef de partie at Copenhagen’s Noma (consistently ranked as one of the world’s best restaurants), Chef Arora has her own restaurant “Gaa” in Thailand’s capital city. She has her roots in Mumbai and studied in Jai Hind College. She was a journalist before chasing her dream to become a celebrated chef. She has even worked with Gordon Ramsey.
Gaa is the one and only restaurant in Bangkok run by a woman to get a Michelin star. This is the second edition of the ‘MICHELIN Guide Bangkok, Phuket and Phang-Nga 2019 Selection’, and it has recognised 27 dining establishments in total, reported The Indian Express.
When asked about her Michelin star, she said, “Our restaurant is only a year-and-a-half old, so it was a very pleasant surprise to get the call from Michelin. It’s a huge stamp of approval for us…” reported Forbes.
In the official statement, Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides, said, “This year’s guide is a reflection of the growing talent in Thailand’s culinary scene with many new restaurants added to the selection, including 13 specialising in Thai food, reinforcing Thailand’s reputation as a go-to destination for gastronomy.”
Michelin Guide
André and Édouard, who owned a tire company called Michelin in Paris during the early 1900s came up with a Michelin guide. The guide had maps, tips on how to change a tire and list of the names of restaurants, lodges and gas stations to encourage people to take more road trips. It had reviews of restaurants and lodges.
They thought that with people knowing about more places to go on road trips, they would buy more vehicles and subsequently, Michelin tires. The concept of Michelin stars emerged in 1926. If you are a Michelin star chef, you are a star. This star determines the fate of chefs around the world. The Michelin guides have often being called biased towards Japanese and French cuisine. Till 2005, the USA was not even allowed to participate in the Michelin guide competition. Now, it happens across the world.
The Logical Indian congratulates Garima for securing her place in the list of Michelin star chefs and giving India another reason to be proud. We hope, like Gaggan Anand, she also goes on to add another star to her name.
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