Only three months after we got our first Michelin star, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants reached out to say that I had been voted Asia's Best Female Chef and that my restaurant, Gaa was also part of the list.

This was a first for an Indian woman. It was around the same time that the idea for our non-profit initiative, Food Forward India, came about. With all the accolades coming in (being ranked number 16 in Asia and number 95 in the world), I felt I had to make something meaningful out of this achievement rather than focus on the restaurant and myself. It was crucial to route the conversation back to something that I felt passionate about — Indian food.