Zee Zest Unlimit Awards
Zee Zest Unlimit Awards will recognise Artisans, Creators, Leaders from the world of Indian Lifestyle who embody the ‘Unlimit Mindset'. These are the Tastemakers who are setting new benchmarks in the food, travel and lifestyle space by inspiring innovation, empowering communities and voicing compelling stories.
The jury for Zee Zest Unlimit awards comprises tastemakers who will evaluate the entries based on their deep understanding of the food, travel and lifestyle space. The jury will be providing valuable insights and perspectives on the categories and trends. They are responsible for carefully reviewing the entries and making a fair and unbiased decision to recognise ‘people and institutions’ for their excellence. Our jury has a healthy mix of food and alcobev experts, writers, influencers, chefs, consultants and more.... read more
Shri Bala
Food Historian, Chef
Chartered-accountant-turned-chef, Shri has been cooking ever since she was a child. She has turned her passion into a profession and conducts food promotions at various five-star properties across the country. Today, she is one of the most significant voices and chroniclers of South Indian culinary history.
Vinesh Johny
Pastry Chef, Educator
One of India’s finest pastry chefs, Vinesh pioneered pastry education in India as the co-founder of Lavonne Academy of Baking Science & Pastry Arts, and Lavonne Café. Raised in Bengaluru, he holds a degree in hotel management and has been associated with The Oberoi Group of Hotels and The Starwood Group of Hotels & Resorts.
Diwan Gautam Anand
Distinguished Hotelier
A celebrated hotelier, Gautam Anand has had a career with ITC hotels spanning over 30 years where he headed ITC Maurya and annuitant as EVP. Currently, he is the co-owner of ‘The Amrita Sher Gil Holme and Visitation Centre’, Western Himalayas and is also the Founding Trustee of Cuisine India Foundation.
Srikant Malladi
Head of Programming, Zee Zest
One of the founding team members of Zee Zest, Srikant has more than 20 years of diverse media experience including journalism, films, and television. At Zee Zest, he is in charge of spearheading all the linear content on food, travel, and lifestyle.
Rocky Mohan
Author, Entrepreneur, Angel Investor
Rocky is a food connoisseur who prides himself on the revival of heritage Indian cuisine. He is known not just for his bestselling cookbook but also his family’s legacy, Old Monk rum. He is also the founder of luxury dining app, Gourmet Passport, and platform for home chefs, Chef Pin.
Ranveer Brar
Celebrity Chef, MasterChef India judge
Apart from being a celebrity chef, Ranveer is also a TV show host, author, MasterChef India judge and food film producer. Ranveer was inspired by local kebab vendors as a child in Lucknow, which led to him starting his career at five-star kitchens and later as the head of banquets at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Prime Minister’s residence.
Maria Goretti
TV Presenter, Chef, Author, Actor
Maria is known for her anchoring and cooking skills. With a YouTube channel, a digital food show, an award-winning cookbook author, you can tell that from all the hats she has donned, the chef’s toque is her favourite.
Jaaved Jaaferi
Actor, Comedian, Dancer
Acclaimed movie actor, voice artist, dancer, comedian, Jaaved has acted in around 100 films in principal roles and pioneered talent-based television programming in Asia with the competitive dance reality show, Boogie Woogie. The show ran for 17 years and paved the way for many such dance shows today.
Shipra Khanna
Celebrity Chef, TV Presenter
Shipra is a celebrity chef with TV shows across the globe. An author of eight cookbooks, she has been honoured with the Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award at the British Parliament. Shipra was also appointed as the health and wellbeing ambassador, and cultural ambassador for India by the Ministry of Culture.
Aneesh Bhasin
Entrepreneur, Podcaster
Co-founder of Svami, the non-alcoholic beverage brand, Aneesh is a beverage expert, an ardent culinary explorer and can give one some serious tips on where to eat in Mumbai, to begin with. His podcast, ‘A Niche Thing’ delves into various subcultural topics, from tech to art. He’s also an award-winning professional photographer.
Ashwin Rajagopalan
Content Creator, Writer, Speaker
From travel to tech, Ashwin has over 20 years of experience as a content specialist and journalist. His expertise lies in food and travel content. He’s a specialist in communicating across cultures and boundaries, and has written for several leading publications.
Kunal Kapur
Celebrity Chef, TV Presenter
Kunal was born and raised in New Delhi. He pursued his education in hotel management and went on to work with leading hotel brands, opening multiple successful restaurants and hosting many popular food shows. These include MasterChef India, as well as Zee Zest’s FoodVeda.
Keshav Prakash
Entrepreneur, Beverage expert
Keshav is the founder and director of The Vault, a Mumbai-based spirits importer. He is a BNIC-certified cognac educator and the founder of The Oak League, a Mumbai-based fellowship of world whisky aficionados. Keshav was inducted as a life member of Keepers of The Quaich in 2018 and as a member of The Gin Guild in 2018.
Ajay Chopra
Chefpreneur, F&B Consultant, TV Presenter
Ajay is a chef and food consultant. He’s the managing director of Zion Hospitality which is involved in content, culinary training and mentoring food brands. He is also a host of Zee Zest’s shows, India’s 50 Best Dishes, Papad Pickle Aur Pyala and Pattay Ki Baat.
Rakesh Raghunathan
Chef, Food Historian
A storyteller in his own right, Rakesh is best known for taking people on a journey through his culinary and travel explorations. His interests lie in food history and practices and its interaction with socio-cultural norms. He is also a Zee Zest host for two successful shows—Highway Dreams and 100% South Indian.
Anahita Dhondy Bhandari
Chef, Restaurateur
Anahita fell in love with cooking at the age of 10, and since then has ensured she never strayed from her passion. After getting her Cordon Bleu Grand Diplome in London, she launched the first SodaBottleOpenerWala with veteran restaurateur, AD Singh, in 2013. Since then, she’s strived to popularise Parsi food. Anahita has won several awards and acknowledgements and is a prominent name in sustainable food and culinary scene.
Anoothi Vishal
Author, Columnist
An acclaimed author and one of India’s foremost food columnists, Anoothi writes on food trends, the business of food and beverages, culinary history and food as a soft power for leading publications. She is also a well-known culinary historian and curator. Thanks to her family’s tradition, food has always been a preoccupation for Anoothi but her passion for writing always came first.
Shri Bala
Vinesh Johny
Diwan Gautam Anand
Srikant Malladi
Rocky Mohan
Ranveer Brar
Maria Goretti
Jaaved Jaaferi
Shipra Khanna
Aneesh Bhasin
Ashwin Rajagopalan
Kunal Kapur
Keshav Prakash
Ajay Chopra
Rakesh Raghunathan
Anahita Dhondy Bhandari
Anoothi Vishal
Best Japanese Restaurant
Best Progressive Indian Restaurant
Best Regional Indian Restaurant
Best Vegetarian Restaurant
Best Cafe
Best Sustainable Restaurant
Best Nightclub
Best Cocktail Bar
Best Indian Craft Beer
Best Indian Wine
Best Indian Craft Gin
