Niyati Rao

The Recognition Rao’s cooking begins with an ingredient-first approach that celebrates India’s biodiversity while championing sustainability and local communities. Her own words make the intent plain: "I don’t just want to play with flavours. I want to reinvent the way ingredients are used." That sentence reflects her focus on ingredients and how they are used. The same philosophy runs through another of her current roles, as Head Chef & Partner at Bombay Daak in Mumbai, India.

The Work

Behind It The craft note is specific: an ingredient-first approach that celebrates India’s biodiversity while championing sustainability and local communities. Her language also points to a responsibility to food culture. "I had an epiphany there, that will last me a lifetime. We need to love and respect our own food culture, and create something new and modern from our own heritage." Rao’s stated approach connects ingredients, India’s biodiversity, sustainability, local communities, and the creation of something new and modern from heritage.

The Road Her training began at IHM Mumbai. She worked at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai, India. Her path also included Wasabi by Morimoto. She later worked at Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her current roles are Head Chef & Partner at EKAA and Head Chef & Partner at Bombay Daak, both in Mumbai, India. The through-line is ingredients first, Indian biodiversity in focus, sustainability and local communities kept close to the plate.