32-year-old Garima Arora, executive chef and founder of Gaa in Bangkok, has won the title of elitTM Vodka Asia’s Best Female Chef 2019. The award will be presented to Arora at the ceremony for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants on the 26th of March in Macao.

50 Best is committed to celebrating role models who demonstrate a progressive vision for gastronomy and speaking about this year’s choice, William Drew, Group Editor of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, said: “This award recognises female chefs whose passion, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit serve to inspire the next generation of cooks. Garima Arora has had a huge impact on the dining scene in Asia in a short period with her brilliant blend of Indian traditions and Thai ingredients.”

A former journalist, Arora graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Paris in 2010 and then worked at Noma in Copenhagen, learning alongside legendary chef René Redzepi. Recalling her two-plus years at Noma, she says the experience forever changed her approach to cooking. “I learnt how to think about food more intelligently. I started looking at cooking more as a cerebral exercise, thinking about what you do, why you do it and understanding your place in a community.”

“This award is a validation of our team’s hard work and commitment to excellence. I am honoured that chefs and respected industry peers voting on this award recognise and appreciate our efforts,” she added.

Previous holders of Asia’s Best Female Chef title include Margarita Forés of the Philippines (2016), May Chow from Hong Kong (2017) and Bongkoch ‘Bee’ Satongun from Thailand (2018).