Indian cuisine and street food continues to rule the hearts and of course stomachs of people world over. And endorsing this is the voting of Chai Pani, an Indian street food outlet in North Carolina’s Ashville as the Most Outstanding Restaurant in the US by the James Beard Foundation Awards.
Chai Pani started in 2009 serves an array of food items including samosas, desi chaat, okra fries, aloo tikki chaat, bhel puri, sweet potato chaat, vada pav, pav bhaji, keema pav, uttapam, paneer tikka roll and crispy masala fish roll among others.
Chai Pani’s Founder, Chief and Chief Chaiwalla, Meherwan Irani 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.”
Chai Pani restaurant (Pic. Courtesy Twitter/@knowledgeflow1)
Chai Pani is a family-run business which has branches in seven locations, including North Carolina and Georgia. Irani has been nominated five times for the Best Chef category in these awards.
Talking about the awards and audience, JBFA’s Vice-President Dawn Padmore said they represent “true diversity”. He added: “Looking at the audience and seeing so many different people, it feels different. It’s about reflecting the true diversity of the industry.”
The JBF Awards were held after two years as it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021.
