Vishwesh Bhatt

In 1985, Bhatt immigrated with his family from Gujarat, India to the United States at the age of 17, first settling in Austin, Texas.^[1] He studied biology and political science at the University of Kentucky and then sought a master’s in public administration at the University of Mississippi.^[1] During his time as a student, Bhatt maintained a side-business cooking for friends and colleagues. He also began working at a vegetarian cafe in Oxford.^[1]

In Mississippi, he became a regular patron at John Currence's City Grocery, and he eventually joined the kitchen staff. This experience led him to pursue a culinary career, and he enrolled in the North Miami, Florida culinary school of Johnson & Wales University.^[2][3][4]

After culinary school, Bhatt worked in restaurants in Jackson, Mississippi and Boulder, Colorado before returning to Oxford to work for Currence again in 2001.^[4] When Currence opened a new restaurant called Snackbar in 2009, Bhatt was named executive chef.^[1][2] Over time, Bhatt began to incorporate Indian influences into Snackbar's menu, and his cooking gained recognition.^[3] Regional and national publications highlighted Bhatt's signature okra chaat, a combination of southern fried Okra and Indian Chaat masala.^[2][5][6]

Bhatt was a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in 2011 and then a finalist in 2014.^[4] He was a finalist again in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, before winning the James Beard title of Best Chef in the South in 2019.^[7]

In August 2022, he released his cookbook, I Am From Here, which focuses on Southern cuisine and declares his status as an authentic Southern chef.^[1] He won a 2023 James Beard Award for this cookbook, in the U.S. Foodways category.^[8]