Dinesh Chander

Dinesh joined the culinary team at Jaipur in 2002 and opened Jaipur Malahide in 2003, followed by Chakra in 2005 and was instrumental in conceiving the culinary concepts at restaurant Ananda in 2008.

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Working tirelessly with his highly skilled team he put Ananda on the culinary map of Ireland and made it a restaurant with a serious reputation by the summer of 2009. In March 2009 be headed back to India to attend to his family matters. Prior to returning to Ireland in 2017 Dinesh worked in Norway exploring the simplicity of the Nordic cuisine. In March 2017, he returned to Ananda & Chakra. Handing over the reins to Chef Karan at the helm of Ananda he has moved on to focus on Chakra by Jaipur where he is now ready to put Chef Anil to lead the team.

What one can learn from Dinesh is that Indian cuisine is to be celebrated for its richness, its complexity, its age-old tradition and the pleasure it provides on the palate. Subtlety is second nature to Dinesh. He defines his approach as “progressive Indo Hibernian cuisine” – his native country providing him with the most important source of creative inspiration. His understanding comes from a long culinary philosophy that prescribes the use of spices in ways that impart not only their fragrance and heat (as is typical to Indian food).

Dinesh Chander's Restaurants

Jaipur Malahide

Chakra

Ananda

"The more the team and I travel to India, the more we see, and the more we see, the more we can learn and understand my country’s food - which sounds easier than it is. Considering India is an amalgamation of 30 states and union territories with many diverse culinary practices based on geographical separation and religious ethos and re-interpret Indian food."
"If you're not from India, you might not think that my food is Indian, but if you are, you will recognise the flavours of a home-style cooking that parents and grandparents use to cooked."

He dwells on home dum style (slow cooking in sealed pots) from Awadh which is more refined and elegant than the tandoori approach of the North Indian cuisine of Punjab, which was born, he said, possibly during wartime when warriors needed to cook their meat quickly and without much adornment. A mentor to quite a few, there isn’t an Indian chef in Ireland who has not trained or learnt working along this Quite Master. Ireland is richer with his culinary contributions.

Much like his calming personality, his culinary wisdom prescribes the use of spices in ways that impart only their fragrance and flavor as opposed to their heat. He has lead the team to win many awards over the years – Michelin Guide 2020, Georgina Campbell’s Ireland Guide.

McKenna’s Guide, Good Food Ireland, and Food & Wine Awards Winner Best Dine at Home. chakra.ie.

An avid champion of food from the Himalayan ranges & Deccan he is considered the finest exponents of Coastal Indian regional cuisine globally.