Thornbury-based chef Romy Gill has been invited by celebrity chef Atul Kochhar to cook alongside him at his London restaurant Benares for a prestigious charity event at the end of this month.
The chef – whose presence as head chef in her restaurant’s kitchen makes her the first ever female Indian chef-owner in the UK – opened her first restaurant, Romy’s Kitchen, in September 2013, with almost every evening fully booked since the opening day.
Romy, along with celebrity chefs Manju Malhi and Monisha Bharadwaj, will be preparing a four course meal alongside Kochhar, who has pledged to donate every penny raised at the event to non-profit risk capital fund Be! Fund.
Be! Fund is the first Indian not-for-profit risk capital fund that invests in young entrepreneurs living in poverty, giving them the chance to start sustainable enterprises that solve local problems, create jobs and generate income.
Tickets for the evening cost £120 per head, and include a four course meal with matching wines and a champagne reception.
Says Romy, “I am thrilled to have been chosen to cook alongside Atul, Manju and Monisha at this prestigious event. Cooking at Benares gives me the chance to take my own brand of healthy, authentic Indian cuisine to a completely new audience, and raise money for a very worthy cause while doing so.”
The Indian Divas Gala Evening takes place on March 25th at Kochhar’s Benares Restaurant in Mayfair, and will conclude a successful month for Romy.
This month, she has been chosen to take part in Bristol’s “Eat Drink Bristol Fashion” event: a 3 week long tipi-based pop up, where a different guest chef will take to the stove each night to cook for 100 guests. Romy’s fine dining Indian evening will sit alongside pop ups from chefs such as Simon Hulstone, Paul Ainsworth and a collaboration between Nathan Outlaw and Valentine Warner in one of Bristol’s hottest food events of the year.
The passionate and determined chef has also this month been shortlisted in the inaugural Bristol and Bath Women in Business Awards as one of five to be shortlisted in the prestigious “Woman Of The Year” category.