Culinary Ambassadors

Sanjukta Dutta is a Junior Ambassador (North East ) for India Food Tourism Org. and food writer/ blogger/ independent restaurant reviewer and a commercial kitchen consultant based out of Guwahati, Assam. She has been writing about food and documenting recipes in her blog, travel journals, newspapers etc. for over 10 years. She is relentlessly working on reviving lost recipes of her region and home state Assam. She is a promoter of the Art of Slow Cooking and is an advocate of the Slow Cooking Movement. She has participated in the World Heritage Cuisine Summit, 2018, held in Amritsar, Punjab, being invited by the IFCA (Indian Federation of Chefs Association). She represented her State Assam and demonstrated her ethnic cuisine along with chefs from over 40 countries.
She has also been part of the highly prestigious delegate of 10 Chefs at the North East Food Show 2019, Shillong, invited by the Government of Meghalaya. She conducts regular culinary workshops and deliver lectures in various hotel management schools and institutions in Guwahati, Assam.

Madhusmita is a partner at Avani Travel Services, an inbound travel company based in Assam. She is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Gwalior, and an MBA in HR & Finance. She served in PSU Oil India Limited as an HR officer for some years before giving in to her passion for tourism and joining her husband Sudarshan full-time in the tourism business. Their venture Avani specializes in organizing experiential & special interest tours on various themes in the Northeast like Tribal heritage, Handicrafts, Textiles, Culinary, Tea, etc. She is currently serving as the Secretary of Northeast India Tour Operators Association(NEITO), a body of MOT-approved tour operators of Northeast India.

Chef Joel Basumatari is India Food Tourism Org’s Chef Ambassador for North East India. He currently manages Saucy Joe’s Food Processing Unit in Dimapur, Nagaland. Founder Slow Food Community Nagaland for Biodiversity and Heritage Preservation. Winner of North East Food Show Chef Wars at Meghalaya, Shillong, 2019 Hospitality Management Graduate from University of West London, London and Diploma from International Institute of Hotel Management, Kolkata. Joel has worked in the food and hospitality industry for many years. Joel has also worked with NESFAS (North East Slow Food Agrobiodiversity Society) and has represented the organization in several international food fests.

He has attended Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2014, 2016, & 2018 a major biennial conference which are held in Torino, Italy. He was a chef de partie at Crowne Plaza London – Heathrow, commis chef at London Marriott Hotel Regents Park, commis chef at The Washington Mayfair Hotel London, and he has also done his industrial training at Oberoi Trident Towers, Mumbai. He has also been a Head judge and mentor in NAGA CHEF cooking competition for seven years (2013-2019), and has judged in ‘Morung Fest’ cooking competition 2013 & 2015, Nagaland, cooking competition at Thuwuni Festival, Pughoboto, Nagaland 2014, 2016 & 2018.

He has also done Northeast food promotion In Kolkata, called Jewels of Northeast at ITC Sonar Eden Pavillion, Kolkata in the year 2015, The North East food festival at The Square, Novotel, Kolkata 2016. He has also been featured in Living Foodz channel alongside Chef Kunal Kapur in Pickle Nation and Bira 91 Hot Stuff Rocky & Mayur.

Chef Joel Basumatari is India Food Tourism Org’s Chef Ambassador for North East India. He currently manages Saucy Joe’s Food Processing Unit in Dimapur, Nagaland. Founder Slow Food Community Nagaland for Biodiversity and Heritage Preservation. Winner of North East Food Show Chef Wars at Meghalaya, Shillong, 2019 Hospitality Management Graduate from University of West London, London and Diploma from International Institute of Hotel Management, Kolkata. Joel has worked in the food and hospitality industry for many years. Joel has also worked with NESFAS (North East Slow Food Agrobiodiversity Society) and has represented the organization in several international food fests.

He has attended Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2014, 2016, & 2018 a major biennial conference which are held in Torino, Italy. He was a chef de partie at Crowne Plaza London – Heathrow, commis chef at London Marriott Hotel Regents Park, commis chef at The Washington Mayfair Hotel London, and he has also done his industrial training at Oberoi Trident Towers, Mumbai. He has also been a Head judge and mentor in NAGA CHEF cooking competition for seven years (2013-2019), and has judged in ‘Morung Fest’ cooking competition 2013 & 2015, Nagaland, cooking competition at Thuwuni Festival, Pughoboto, Nagaland 2014, 2016 & 2018.

He has also done Northeast food promotion In Kolkata, called Jewels of Northeast at ITC Sonar Eden Pavillion, Kolkata in the year 2015, The North East food festival at The Square, Novotel, Kolkata 2016. He has also been featured in Living Foodz channel alongside Chef Kunal Kapur in Pickle Nation and Bira 91 Hot Stuff Rocky & Mayur.

Dr Chef Prem Ram is a Hotel Management culinary educationist with PhD in Tourism and Hospitality services, M. Phil & UGC NET Qualified in Tourism. He is a popular mentor and guide to budding hospitality professionals with vast experience of more than 20 years as a Chef. He is also Joint Secretary of Indian Culinary Forum: an association of Professional chef. He is Associate member of of Association of Hospitality Professionals, member of International Culinary Union, Indian Federation of Culinary Association, World association of Chefs Societies and TIES (The International Environmental Society).

He has been member of jury to various culinary competitions in India as well as international for students as well as professionals chefs like Food hospitality Asia, Culinary Art India, Great Indian Culinary Challenges, World Skills Competition, Junior Master Chef, Chef Awards, Young Chef Challenge, Biryani Competition etc.

He has written various research papers and articles published in various reputed National and International Journals/Magazines. He was also a resource person to many seminars & Workshops. He is also a co-author of the book Textbook of Food & Beverage Management.

He has attended WACS Judging Seminars and also been awarded by various National and international professional bodies for his efforts in culinary Education and in the field of Hospitality Research.

Chef Atul Lahkar is India Food Tourism Org’s Chef Ambassador for Assam. He grew up not just loving food from a tender age, but also critically examining and exploring ingredients and flavors that combine and bind to make a melange of relish. Over the years, Chef Lahkar has become a household name in Ethnic Cuisine of the North East India, Assam in particular. With over 25 years of experience in the industry of travel and cooking, Chef Lahkar is one man army, bringing forth the art of cooking and inspiring younger generation to look up to this profession with pride and respect. With a prominent Restaurant, solely dedicated to authentic Assamese Cuisine and consulting several iconic restaurants around Assam, Chef Atul is one entrepreneur who is also training younger people to start early.

Over coming life’s challenges, Chef Lahkar has been able to make a tremendous mark in field of hospitality and today when we look back, we take immense pride to know a person like him who is a great teacher and humble human being.