Best known as one of the panel of judges on the award-winning Food Network program, Chopped, Maneet Chauhan’s energy and creativity, combined with polished culinary skills and the courage to follow her passion, have proven to be the right ingredients for success. Recently name to Nation’s Restaurant News 2019 Power List, Maneet is the founding partner and president of Morph Hospitality Group in Nashville, TN. In November 2018, Maneet opened Chaatable in the Sylvan Heights section of Nashville. The eatery has been a passion project for Maneet and husband Vivek Deora and draws inspiration from their childhoods and the regional street food throughout India. The company also owns Chauhan Ale & Masala House, a microbrewery and gastropub with Indian influences; Tansuo, serving contemporary Chinese cuisine; and Mockingbird, a modern diner serving global fare, all of which are located in Nashville. Maneet is also the co-owner of Mantra Artisan Ales in Franklin, TN and a partner in the Steel Barrel Brewery in Murfreesboro, TN. “From the moment I stepped foot in the Music City I’ve had a love affair with the people and the burgeoning culinary scene,” she says.

Premiering in 2019, Maneet hosts her own television program called Festive Cooking with Maneet on TV Asia featuring wholesome ingredients and festive meals spanning the entire regional cuisine of South Asia. Maneet’s first cookbook, Flavors of My World, A Culinary Tour Through 25 Countries, was co-written with Doug Singer ’03 and released on May 1, 2013.

After graduation Maneet headed for Chicago. Maneet was pitted against 40 male chefs for the executive chef position at Rohini Dey’s contemporary Indian and Latin American fusion restaurant Vermillion. She prevailed and was the restaurant’s opening chef. After spending eight years leading the Vermilion kitchens in Chicago and New York, Maneet ventured out on her own and founded Indie Culinaire, a culinary event, consulting, and hospitality company. “My daughter was born in 2011 and that was a real turning point for me,” Maneet says. “I realized I wanted to see what was out in the world, to increase my repertoire, and make it more interesting. That inspired me to start my own company.”