Garima Arora becomes first Indian woman to win a Michelin star in Bangkok

Chef Garima Arora has earlier worked with the likes of master chef Gordon Ramsay, René Redzepi and Gaggan Anand.

Mumbai-born chef Garima Arora, the owner of an Indo-Thai restaurant in Bangkok, has become the first Indian woman to win a Michelin star, on November 13. The honourable award is a regulatory authority, which helps the customer to choose the best restaurant for dining.

Thirty-year-old Arora’s restaurant GAA is said to be the only restaurant in Bangkok to be owned by a woman.

In an official statement, Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides, said,

This year’s guide is a reflection of the growing talent in Thailand’s culinary scene with many new restaurants added to the selection, including 13 specialising in Thai food, reinforcing Thailand’s reputation as a go-to destination for gastronomy, reports NDTV.

In the second edition of ‘MICHELIN Guide Bangkok, Phuket and Phang-Nga 2019 selection’, it recognised 27 dining establishments in total. Out of these, only four restaurants, including Chef Arora’s GAA, got two Michelin stars.

Chef Arora had set up GAA in 2017 after working with Master Chef Gordon Ramsay, René Redzepi and Gaggan Anand in the past reports The Indian Express.

Prior to her stint as a chef, Arora worked as a journalist and later studied at Noma School of Dining and joined the Gaggan Restaurant Group in 2015. She says it is her aim to fuse the rich culinary heritage of India and Thailand.