Karan Puri 27 Jul, 2026
Top
luxury hospitality brands, celebrated chefs, and mixologists gather at Karma
Lakelands for a high-stakes live culinary battle anchored in innovation and
sustainability.
Karma
Lakelands, the 270-acre eco-golf resort in Gurugram, successfully hosted the
second edition of Chef's Table Showdown 2.0 on 24 July 2026, bringing together
31 chefs and mixologists from 14 leading hospitality brands for a live culinary
competition. Building on the success of its inaugural edition, which showcased
the resort's in-house culinary talent, this year's event expanded into a
large-scale inter-hotel showdown, where participants competed in a test of
creativity, technical skill and innovation.
Hosted at Klub Karma within the resort, the invitational brought together
culinary talent from some of the country's most recognised hospitality brands,
including JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity, Karma Lakelands Golf Resort &
Residences, The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel Delhi, Le Méridien Gurgaon
Delhi NCR, DoubleTree by Hilton Gurgaon New Delhi NCR, Radisson Gurugram Udyog
Vihar, Pullman and Novotel New Delhi Aerocity, Crowne Plaza by IHG New Delhi
Rohini, Holiday Inn Gurgaon NH8, The Suryaa New Delhi, Hilton Gurugram Baani
City Centre, and Holiday Inn New Delhi Aerocity. The competition featured
appetisers, main courses, desserts and beverages, showcasing diverse culinary
styles, techniques and perspectives under one roof.
All raw ingredients for
the competition were provided by Karma Lakelands, featuring premium produce,
seasonal ingredients, farm-inspired elements and ingredients from partner
brands, ensuring every participant competed with the same pantry. To add an unexpected
creative twist, one special mystery ingredient, plum, was revealed only on the
morning of the competition and was mandatory across all entries. Chefs and
mixologists were challenged to incorporate the ingredient into their dishes and
beverages in their own unique way, showcasing their creativity, adaptability
and technical expertise.
Commenting on the second edition, Akash Saigal, General Manager, Karma Lakelands, said, "Hospitality is an industry built on ideas, yet there are not enough opportunities for culinary professionals to come together, compete and learn from one another in a meaningful way. With Chef’s Table Showdown 2.0, our aim is to create that shared platform, one where chefs and mixologists can step outside their everyday environments, challenge their own thinking and experience how the same ingredients can inspire entirely different creative expressions. As the industry continues to evolve, we believe this kind of exchange is essential to pushing standards forward and inspiring the next generation of hospitality talent.”
The competition featured
vegetarian and non-vegetarian creations across appetisers, main courses and a
dessert category, alongside alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Judging
focused on culinary excellence, rewarding dishes and beverages that combined
exceptional flavour, innovation, presentation and conscious use of ingredients.
The competition concluded
with the announcement of seven winners and seven runners up across the
culinary and beverage categories. In addition, four Members' Choice awards were
presented to participants whose creations were voted as audience favourites.
Entries were evaluated by a distinguished jury comprising acclaimed chefs Julia
Carmen Desa, Chef and Co-founder, Dos and Tres, Arjyo Banerjee, Chief Culinary
Officer, Compass Group India and Sadaf Hussain, Consultant Chef and Author, who
assessed each creation for its creativity, craftsmanship, technical execution
and overall culinary excellence.
Beyond the live
competition, the day also featured a panel discussion on The Future of Culinary Excellence moderated
by Tenzing Wang, bringing together Chef Anurag Narsinghani, Director of Culinary, JW Marriott Aerocity, Dr.
Shivani Mehra, Clinical & Certified Nutritionist, Akash Roy Saigal, General
Manager, Karma Lakelands and Chef Susanna Di Cosimo, Founder, Pizzeria Da Susy for
a conversation around the ideas, shifts and perspectives shaping the future of
the hospitality industry.
Chef's Table Showdown 2.0
was supported by a distinguished group of partners and sponsors, including
Xclamation by Pernod Ricard, No Belly, Cashmir Vodka, Medusa, ODK, Ristoris,
Shot in the Dark, Pant Project, King Koil, HAKS India, Feather Touch Crockery, FNS, Tribe
Kombucha, Uniforms Unlimited, the Australian Macadamia Society, Elevans,
Leahmana, Paris, Paris Martban, Pepsi and EVENTZ4U, whose contributions helped
bring the event to life.
