‘Gods of Gourmet’ redefines Indian cuisine with a focus on luxury dining experiences

Embark on an opulent culinary journey with ‘Gods of Gourmet,’ showcasing some of India’s finest chefs and their innovative, sustainable creations on Disney+ Hotstar

Indian cuisine has undergone significant transformation. Dishes and flavours from our subcontinent are now considered more than a novelty, as they look beyond the familiar butter chicken, naan breads, chai teas, and street food. However, little is known about the fine-dining landscape in the country, and Gods of Gourmet on Disney+ Hotstar aims to rectify that.

Created by Suchayan Mandal, executive producer, and Sayantani Chakraborty, creative director, this show showcases the culinary prowess of nine skilled chefs who helm popular fine-dining restaurants across the country. “This is the first time we are showcasing the scene of India’s elevated gastronomy on National television, and it is about time that this side of Indian cuisine got the spotlight,” says Sayantani.

“When we look at the Indian food and cooking show line-up, we have ones where recipes are taught or there are contests, or the kind where a blogger goes on a food trail. There was nothing in between — something artsy and luxurious. There is an aspirational value to this show, and that is why Gods of Gourmet had to be made,” adds Suchayan.

The show is inspired by Netflix’s popular docu-series Chef’s Table. Produced by Advaita Innovation Labs, this show covers restaurants Tiamo from Conrad Bangalore, Koishii from The St. Regis Mumbai, Al Di La from Conrad Pune, Riwaz from The Ritz-Carlton Bangalore, The Flying Elephant from Park Hyatt Chennai, Sarvatt from Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad, Thai Soul from Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty, Toya from The Westin Resort & Spa, Himalayas, and Shrot from Hyatt Regency Mansarovar Jaipur.

“Since we are a communication company that already manages many such hotels, we had almost 40 to begin with. When we sat down to decide which restaurants to feature, we wanted to make sure that our picks stood out from the already popular places. The menus needed to tell a story. The backgrounds of the chefs played an important role too. For example, chef Chandan Parmar at Sarvatt had the most inspirational story about how she got a call from the restaurant chain out of the blue although she didn’t have any formal training. We don’t always know the story of the chef who prepares our meal and these are stories worth knowing,” shares Sayantani. 

The show also features the journey of immigrant chefs like Kinyo Klinger Rodas Tristan, the Peruvian chef who mans the Nikkei cuisine restaurant Koishi and Thai chef Kluaywan Junsawat, fondly called chef Goong, who is the chef de cuisine at Thai Soul in Kochi.

“Apart from this, we were able to narrow down based on two crucial criteria — innovation and sustainability,” says Suchayan. “The chefs we picked are playing an important role in understanding the palate and interests of the modern diner while honouring local flavours and produce,” he adds.