Mid-Day Anniversary Special | `I felt like I had to relearn cooking`: Chef Alex Sanchez opens up about his culinary journey in Mumbai

Long before he founded Americano and Otra, two of Mumbai’s most beloved dining destinations, Alex Sanchez was the Executive Chef at The Table, where his ingredient-driven approach helped shape the city’s modern dining scene.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Sanchez found his way into the kitchen at just 17, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up to sous chef. With no college degree, he moved across the country to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, graduating with honours and training under culinary heavyweights like David Kinch, Daniel Humm, Michael Mina and Roland Passot.

In 2010 at just 26, he relocated to Mumbai to open The Table, a move that would change both his career and the city’s restaurant landscape. “When I moved to Mumbai, it felt like I had to relearn how to cook completely,” he recalled and added, “Ingredients behaved differently, and guest expectations weren’t what I was used to.” Six months in, something clicked. Diners responded, feedback poured in, and by the end of that first year, Sanchez was named Best Chef in India by Time Out magazine. He said, “It felt surreal. I’ll never forget that moment.”

The challenges of navigating produce quality and consistency in India would eventually fuel a deeper mission. Sanchez explained, “Back home, I was trained to value ingredients and the people behind them,” he says. “In India, I had to build that network from scratch.” Today, Sanchez collaborates with over 50 farmers, cheese makers, ranchers and fishermen nationwide to source ingredients for Otra and Americano.

He had later conceptualised and launched Magazine Street Kitchen, a culinary studio and state-of-the-art kitchen, followed by Mag St. Bread Co., the city’s first wholesale supplier of fine breads and viennoiserie, a category of French-baked goods.

“To be honest, the kind of recognition I received in Mumbai would have been near impossible back home,” said Sanchez. “The city was in the midst of a culinary revolution, and I happened to arrive at the right time. It gave me a platform, a voice, and ultimately, the freedom to cook the way I do now,” he explained.

With a style that’s refined but never fussy, Sanchez’s work reflects a deep respect for produce, people and place, rooted in California and fully grown in Mumbai.

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