Winner will appear in Taste of Home magazine, cook with Carla Hall, and take home $25,000

Quarter-Finalist

Akshay soni

Being a chef is my life’s purpose. Creating dishes and making people happy fuels me. $25k will help grow my small café and my big dreams.

Currently 7

in the Quarter-Finals

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You decide who will appear in Taste of Home magazine, and win $25,000!

Voting for Semi-Finalists ends Thursday the 23rd of July at 7PM PDT

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What is your signature dish?

My signature dish is a reflection of my culinary journey across three cultures. Inspired by my roots in India, refined during culinary training in England, and elevated through professional experience in United States, the dish combines halibut, duck fat confit potatoes, miso chicken consommé, basmati rice risotto, and vibrant mango salsa. It is a balance of tradition, technique, and global influence presented on one plate.

Who is your culinary inspiration?

My greatest culinary inspirations are my grandmother and renowned Indian chef Sanjeev Kapoor. My grandmother welcomed me into her kitchen and taught me to respect every ingredient, use every part of the produce, and never let anything go to waste. Sanjeev Kapoor showed me that being a chef is not just a career, but a lifelong journey of creativity, culture, and endless culinary exploration.

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I won $25,000, the first thing I would do is take my father on a holiday because he has never had the chance to enjoy one. It would be my way of thanking him for always believing in me and supporting my journey. With the remaining money, I would invest in growing and improving my small café in Ashland City, where we proudly make everything fresh and baked daily for our community.

James Beard Foundation

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