Manu Chandra

Career Training at the Culinary Institute of America in 2003 gave Manu Chandra a formal base, and the opening team at Mandarin Oriental in New York provided the first professional test of that training. The sequence matters: school, opening service, then the discipline of working in kitchens that demand pace and consistency. From there, the path moved through Mumbai Olive in Mumbai and then to chef partner at Olive Bar and Kitchen Private Limited Group until 2021. That route—from New York to Mumbai and through India’s larger kitchen rhythm—shows a career built on range without losing structure. By the time Manu Chandra became co-founder of LUPA in Bengaluru in 2023, the through-line was already clear: control in service, comfort across formats, and a working vocabulary shaped by years in motion. - co-founder — LUPA, Bengaluru (2023–present) - member of the opening team — Mandarin Oriental, New York - chef — Mumbai Olive, Mumbai - chef partner — Olive Bar and Kitchen Private Limited Group (until 2021) Education: Culinary Institute of America

The Path

The craft here is one of accumulation. Formal training, opening-team experience, chef work, and then chef-partner responsibility each add a different layer of operational discipline. Manu Chandra’s record is less about a single break and more about the steady broadening that comes from moving between cities, roles, and service expectations. Today, that same discipline sits behind LUPA in Bengaluru, where Manu Chandra has been co-founder since 2023. It is a later-stage role, but not a departure: the work continues the same pattern of measured execution and accumulated polish that has defined the rest of the career.

The Work Today

Since 2023, Manu Chandra has been co-founder at LUPA in Bengaluru. The role is the current form of a career that has already passed through formal training, an opening team, chef work, and chef-partner responsibility. It reflects continuity more than reinvention: the same standards, now carried into a new venture.

Signature

Chicken Liver Parfait, Chicken Roulade, Moroccan Harira Lamb, Pear-Blue Cheese Salad, Seared Fillet Mignon, and Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza point to a kitchen language that moves across registers without losing control. The list spans richness, balance, and familiarity, and it shows a chef working comfortably between classical reference and broader contemporary appeal.

In Their Words “Food is evolutionary. There is nothing called authenticity.” “My grandmother always believed that I was born with the ability to cook.”

Acclaim

The Culinary Institute of America in 2003 remains the formal credential in the record, but the stronger measure of recognition is the shape of the career itself. That consistency across roles and cities is the clearest evidence of standing in the trade.

FAQ What is Manu Chandra's current role? As of 2026, Manu Chandra is Co-founder. Where did Manu Chandra train or study? Manu Chandra trained at Culinary Institute of America.