Vishwesh Bhatt

{{short description|Indian American chef}} {{Infobox chef  | name = Vishwesh Bhatt | image = Vishwesh Bhatt 2022 Texas Book Festival.jpg | caption = Bhatt at the 2022 Texas Book Festival. | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | style = | education = University of Kentucky, Johnson & Wales University | restaurants = Snackbar | prevrests = | television = | awards = 2019 James Beard Foundation Award, Best Chef: South | website = }} '''Vishwesh Bhatt''' is a James Beard Award-winning chef based in Oxford, Mississippi.

==Early life and education==

In 1985, Bhatt immigrated with his family from Gujarat, India to the United States at the age of 17, first settling in Austin, Texas.<ref name=Bobrow/> 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.<ref name=Bobrow/> 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.<ref name=Bobrow/>

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.<ref name="npr">{{cite news |last1=Godoy |first1=Maria |title=Mississippi Masala: How A Native Of India Became A Southern Cooking Star |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/01/28/511884777/mississippi-masala-how-a-native-of-india-became-a-southern-cooking-star |work=NPR |date=January 28, 2017}}</ref><ref name="misstoday">{{cite news |last1=Wright |first1=Aallyah |title='Vish is Vish': Oxford 'Best Chef' is five-time James Beard Award semifinalist |url=https://mississippitoday.org/2018/04/28/vish-is-vish-oxford-best-chef-is-five-time-james-beard-award-semifinalist/ |work=Mississippi Today |date=April 28, 2018}}</ref><ref name="hottytoddy">{{cite news |last1=Daniels |first1=Callie |title=Bhatt Cooks With Love, Earns Beard Nomination as Best Southern Chef |url=https://hottytoddy.com/2014/04/04/bhatt-cooks-with-love-earns-beard-nomination-as-best-southern-chef/ |work=HottyToddy.com |date=April 4, 2014}}</ref>

==Career== After culinary school, Bhatt worked in restaurants in Jackson, Mississippi and Boulder, Colorado before returning to Oxford to work for Currence again in 2001.<ref name="hottytoddy"/> When Currence opened a new restaurant called ''Snackbar'' in 2009, Bhatt was named executive chef.<ref name="Bobrow">{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/chef-vishwesh-bhatt-brings-the-flavors-of-india-to-mississippi-11659112055|author=Emily Bobrow|date=July 29, 2022|title=Chef Vishwesh Bhatt Brings the Flavors of India to Mississippi|work=Wall Street Journal}}</ref><ref name="npr"/> Over time, Bhatt began to incorporate Indian influences into ''Snackbar'''s menu, and his cooking gained recognition.<ref name="misstoday"/> Regional and national publications highlighted Bhatt's signature okra chaat, a combination of southern fried Okra and Indian Chaat masala.<ref name="npr"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Entrekin |first1=Allison |date=November 11, 2017 |title=Mississippi's foodie gem Oxford lures hungry visitors |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2017/11/11/mississippis-foodie-gem-oxford-lures-hungry-visitors/849082001/ |quote=Snackbar chef and James Beard nominee Vishwesh Bhatt showcases his Indian heritage in fusion dishes like okra chaat, made with fried okra and chaat masala.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hayes |first1=Hannah |title=Oxford, Mississippi: A Mini But Mighty Force In Food |url=https://www.southernliving.com/souths-best/food-oxford-ms |work=Southern Living |date=March 2018 |quote=Snackbar chef Vishwesh Bhatt adds fried okra to his Southern-Indian version of chaat, a traditional, tangy snack mix that’s now one of the city’s can’t-miss dishes.}}</ref>

Bhatt was a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in 2011 and then a finalist in 2014.<ref name="hottytoddy"/> 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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thompson |first1=Jake |title=Snackbar's Bhatt wins James Beard Award |url=https://www.oxfordeagle.com/2019/05/07/snackbars-bhatt-wins-first-james-beard-award/ |work=Oxford Eagle |date=May 7, 2019 |quote=This was not the Snackbar’s first time as a nominee, but the sixth time was the charm as Bhatt won his first James Beard Award as the Best Chef in the South category.}}</ref>

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.<ref name=Bobrow/> He won a 2023 James Beard Award for this cookbook, in the U.S. Foodways category.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2023 James Beard Media Award Winners |url=https://www.jamesbeard.org/stories/the-2023-james-beard-media-award-winners |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=www.jamesbeard.org |language=en}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatt, Vishwesh}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Indian emigrants to the United States Category:People from Oxford, Mississippi Category:Johnson & Wales University alumni Category:James Beard Foundation Award winners Category:Chefs from Mississippi