NDTV has played a pivotal role in shaping India’s culinary narrative since its early days of bringing food onto television. Long before food became a lifestyle category, NDTV passionately and credibly showcased the stories of Indian kitchens, street vendors, eateries, homes, and restaurants. From Vinod Dua’s journeys to the NDTV Food Awards 2026 ceremony, the platform has not only covered Indian cuisine but has actively shaped it.
Pioneering Food Content
While others were still contemplating the potential of a food show, NDTV was already on its way. Vinod Dua’s ‘Zaika India Ka’ explored the country’s nooks and crannies, bringing local flavors and forgotten recipes to viewers with a journalist’s eye and a true foodie’s heart. It was an honest, curious, and deeply Indian approach.
Around the same time, ‘Highway on My Plate,’ hosted by Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma, brought Indian roadside eateries into prime-time television. These weren’t cooking shows; they were journeys, discoveries, and love letters to a nation that eats exceptionally well.
The competition format ‘Foodistan’ introduced competitive cooking to Indian screens before ‘MasterChef India’ arrived. ‘Chakh Le India’ went a step further, unearthing hidden gems and regional champions often overlooked by mainstream food media. Each program added a new chapter to the same overarching story: India’s food culture is vast, diverse, and worthy of exploration.
The Era of Celebrity Chefs with Kunal Kapur
A conversation about NDTV Food is incomplete without mentioning Kunal Kapur. His show, ‘My Yellow Table,’ was part of a new wave of food television that highlighted Indian chefs not just as technicians but as storytellers. NDTV enabled a generation to see food as more than just what’s on the plate; it became travel, memory, identity, and discovery.
Kapur, with his easy charm and genuine love for cooking, became one of the most recognizable faces of this transformation. These shows didn’t just document India’s food landscape; they shaped it, encouraging millions of viewers to travel further, taste deeper, and celebrate the incredible diversity of Indian cuisine.
NDTV Food Awards: A Long-Awaited Recognition
In 2010, NDTV took its commitment to food a step further by launching the NDTV Food Awards, one of the country’s oldest and most respected celebrations of culinary excellence. This was a significant milestone at a time when official recognition platforms for India’s restaurant and hospitality sector were scarce.
The awards provided a stage for chefs, restaurateurs, and food professionals. They lent credibility to the industry and offered diners a trusted guide to India’s best culinary destinations.
As India’s food scene evolved over the years from a few iconic restaurants to a vibrant ecosystem of chefs, entrepreneurs, regional champions, global innovators, and investors, NDTV remained at the center of the conversation. The awards grew with the industry, incorporating new categories, highlighting regional cuisines, and recognizing the diverse talent that makes Indian food so exciting.
2026: A Platform Continuing to Grow
The NDTV Food Awards 2026 represent the latest installment, carrying forward a legacy of over two decades. This year’s ceremony was as much a celebration of India’s food culture as an awards event, bringing together some of the industry’s biggest names, from Kunal Kapur and Manish Mehrotra to Doma Wang and Chef Seefah.
What NDTV Food has built over twenty years is not just a media legacy but a movement. For millions of Indians, NDTV Food has not only reported on the country’s food culture; it has helped create, preserve, and inspire its next chapter.
The chefs it has celebrated, the shows it has produced, and the awards it has presented have contributed to a culinary ecosystem that India can truly be proud of.
