Chai Pani, an Indian street food-style restaurant based in Ashville, North Carolina, has been voted the Most Outstanding Restaurant in the US by the James Beard Foundation Awards.
The restaurant, which opened in 2009, serves okra fries, samosas, desi chaat, bhel puri, aloo tikki chaat, sweet potato chaat, pav bhaji, Vada Pav, Crispy masala Fish Roll, Keema Pav, uttapam and paneer tikka roll.
Dawn Padmore, the Vice President of awards, said the awards and audience represent “true diversity”:
“Looking at the audience and seeing so many different people, it feels different. It’s about reflecting the true diversity of the industry.”
Meherwan Irani, Chai Pani Founder, Chef & Chief Chaiwalla, said in a statement on Instagram: “… it’s such an honour to be considered a restaurant that demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations while contributing positively to its broader community.”
Irani has earlier been nominated five times for the Best Chef category in these awards. This family-run business is spread across seven locations, including in Georgia and North Carolina.
Indian-origin Chintan Pandya of Dhamaka – Provincial Indian Cooking was awarded the Best Chef as New York State winner.
JBF Awards were held for the first time in two years after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021.
