Chintan Kiran Pandya
Unapologetic Foods | New York
February 2025
Born in Mumbai, India, Chintan Kiran Pandya immersed himself in hospitality from a young age. He studied hotel management at the Oberoi School of Hotel Management in Delhi and got his professional start at a hotel restaurant in Mumbai. Pandya spent eight years in the kitchen there, learning traditional Indian cuisine and techniques. After a brief stint in Singapore in 2009, Pandya set his sights on the United States and traveled to Cleveland and Atlanta to work as a culinary consultant. Eventually landing in New York, Pandya decided to settle down and accepted the executive chef position at Junoon under Rising Stars alum Vikas Khanna.
Ready to create concepts of his own, Pandya, alongside business partner Roni Mazumdar, established Unapologetic Foods, a hospitality group dedicated to expanding and evolving Americans’ often limited perception of Indian food. In 2017, they opened Rahi in the West Village and, one year later, the duo opened a second restaurant, Adda, in Long Island City. In 2019, Pandya was named a StarChefs Rising Star, and his third concept, Dhamaka, opened soon after. Since then, Unapologetic Foods has expanded to seven concepts—from the fast-casual fried chicken spot, Rowdy Rooster, to Masalawala & Sons, inspired by Mazumdar’s family and Kolkata cooking traditions. Beyond celebrating the vast culinary landscape of India, Pandya has shaped his kitchens into educational environments for his team, bolstering the next generation of chefs and encouraging them to pursue a personal style of cooking that celebrates their own cultures and communities.
2017 StarChefs New York City Rising Stars Award Winner
2025 StarChefs New York City Mentor Chef Award Winner
