Page 24 - Forbes - Asia (April 2019)

Anahita Dhondy, 28
• A S I
CHEF PARTNER, SODABOTTLEOPENERWALA INDIA
A

Earning her diploma at Le Cordon Bleu in London in 2013 was a defining moment
•
for chef and restauranteur Anahita Dhondy. It was there that she realized her calling
was Indian cuisine—and not just any Indian cuisine, but specifically the flavors of
her Parsi heritage. When she returned to India later that year, Dhondy collaborated
• 2 0 1 9 •
with veteran Indian restaurateur A.D. Singh to launch SodaBottleOpenerWala in her
hometown of New Delhi.
“The whole idea is to make sure we keep the Irani culture alive,” says Dhondy, now
chef partner at New Delhi’s SodaBottleOpenerWala, which has since opened branches
in Bangalore, Bombay and Hyderabad. Irani, or Parsi, refers to Zoroastrians who
migrated from Persia (now Iran) to India. “It is art, it’s history—there’s so much that
rides on it in terms of people coming to experience the restaurant and the food.”
Dhondy has another food-related passion: she is part of the Chef’s Manifesto, a
community of chefs around the world who support the UN’s goal of zero hunger.
Dhondy promotes various types of Indian millets in dishes in the restaurant and in
social media. “Whether it’s Parsi cuisine or food sustainability, I enjoy educating
people,” says Dhondy. —Ambika Behal
The Arts
(Art & Style,

Food & Drink)

Abhinav Agrawal, 26 India
Founder, Anahad Foundation
Shantanu Anand, 26;
Nandhi Varma, 26 India
Cofounders, Airplane Poetry
Movement
Georgia Branch, 29 Australia
Cofounder, Trichomia Pty
Victoria Chow, 29 Hong Kong
Cofounder, The Woods
Anahita Dhondy, 28 India
Chef-Partner,
SodaBottleOpenerWala
Gao Ludi, 28 China
Artist
Guo Yirantian, 27 China
Founder, YIRANTIAN
Hyun-min Han, 17 South Korea
Model
Shota Itoi, 26 Japan
Chef
Ju Xiaowen, 29 China
Model, IMG models
Ke Ke, 26 China
Founder, Hangzhou YuanPin
Catering Management
Sang Hyeon Kim, 24 South Korea
Executive Chef, Bread Factory Prabhtej Singh Bhaitia, 27;
Ishwaraj Singh Bhatia, 24 India
Jumpei Komashita, 25 Japan Cofounders, Sona Beverages
Cofounder, Lovegraph
Sun Yitian, 27 China
Percy Lau, 29 Hong Kong Artist
Founder, Percy Lau Studio
Florence Van Dyke, 29
Jae Won “Jay” Lim, 29 New Zealand
South Korea CEO, Chia Sisters
Founder, GOPIZZA
Wen “Sabrina” Yang, 29
Liu Wa, 24 China Hong Kong
Artist COO, NOSH
Sahil Naik, 26 India Shohei Yasuda, 27 Japan
Artist Owner chef, Restaurant Kabi
Dastan Omuraliev, 29 Kyrgyzstan Zhang Zipiao, 25 China
Founder, Ecoproduct Asia Artist
Hae Jung “Michelle” Park, 27 Zhou Jun, 29 China
South Korea Cofounder, PRONOUNCE
Illustrator
Charmaine Poh, 28 Singapore JUDGES
Artist
Michael Xufu Huang, China
Abhay Rangan, 21 India Cofounder, M WOODS Museum
Founder, Goodmylk ABISHEK BALI FOR FORBES ASIA
Nicole Warne, Australia and U.S.
Pongcharn Russell, 28 Thailand Fashion designer and founder
Cofounder Ter’Ra of Gary Pepper Girl
Palak Shah, 27 India Janice Wong, Singapore
Founder, Ekaya Banaras Chef and food entrepreneur

20 | FORBES ASIA APRIL 2019