Thomas Zacharias

Chef Zacharias’s culinary journey started at a very young age, in his native Kerala, India, inspired by his grandmother’s home-cooked food. After graduating with high honours from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, he worked at the celebrated three-Michelin-star restaurant Le Bernardin in New York City.

In 2014, he was selected to take on the role of Executive Chef at The Bombay Canteen in his native India. Before getting started, he travelled extensively to all corners of the country to immerse himself in the various elements of home cooking from each of India’s regions.

Under his guidance, The Bombay Canteen received multiple accolades, including being featured in Condé Nast Traveler’s “Where in the World to Eat” list, making the top 5 in the World’s 50 Best Discovery series for Asia, and most recently, being ranked as the No. 1 restaurant in India at the Top Restaurant Awards 2018 by Condé Nast Traveler India. The same publication also bestowed Zacharias with the title of 2018 Chef of the Year.

In April 2022, Zacharias launched The Locavore, a platform focused on driving positive change within the Indian food system through diverse and inclusive storytelling, highlighting food producers who are doing things right, and building local communities of like-minded people through fun events and travel experiences. 

Zacharias’s food philosophy is rooted in his Indian Food Movement, which promotes regional cuisines, and celebrates indigenous, local and seasonal ingredients. In his cooking, he seeks to constantly innovate and expand the boundaries of what “Indian food” is perceived to be, both within his country and beyond.