i. Biography
Camellia Panjabi is group director of MW Eat in London, United Kingdom, a role that places her at the center of how Indian dining is presented to an international audience.
Coming Up
Training at University of Cambridge gave Camellia Panjabi a scholarly base that later showed up in the way she approached restaurant standards: measured, exacting, and directed. Since 1990, she has been co-founder of Chutney Mary, and the restaurant’s standing has been shaped by that consistent pressure toward clarity in both cooking and room. The work is not about decoration; it is about holding a line on what the dining experience should be. That same approach carries across a wider group of names. As culinary director of Amaya, Chutney Mary, Masala Zone, and Veeraswamy, Camellia Panjabi has been tied to the identity of each restaurant, keeping them distinct while working from a common standard. The thread is control of the full picture: flavor, presentation, and setting treated as parts of the same brief.
Where They Are Now
Camellia Panjabi is group director of MW Eat in London, United Kingdom. In that role, the work is less about a single venue than about maintaining coherence across a restaurant group. Camellia Panjabi’s position reflects a career built on stewardship, where longevity depends on keeping standards visible and the offer disciplined. The result is a portfolio that remains recognizable because the underlying approach has stayed consistent.
Signature
Those titles show another side of the same work: not only running restaurants, but setting out Indian cooking in a form that can be referenced, studied, and used. 50 Great Curries of India and Vegetables: The Indian Way sit alongside the restaurant portfolio as part of the same practice—one that values structure, precision, and a clear point of view on the cuisine.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Camellia
What is Camellia Panjabi's current role?
As of 2026, Camellia Panjabi is Group Director.
Where did Camellia Panjabi train or study?
Camellia Panjabi trained at University of Cambridge.
What recognition has Camellia Panjabi received?
R200 Restaurant Awards, People of the Year Award (2023).
