Chef Bariyanda Naren Thimmaiah

Bariyanda Naren Thimmaiah(Chef) from Kodagu has been the face of the Iconic Karavalli for over two decades and he is the master of all South Indian foods. He reigns over Karavalli – India’s best South India coastal food restaurant in Bengaluru at the Taj Gateway and has spent more than 25 years which began as a concept restaurant and soon made a name for itself for its cuisine.

Family

Father

Bariyanda Uthappa

Mother

Bariyanda (Hottengada)Leela

Siblings

• Naveen Cariappa
• Nathan Ganapathy

Education

• Schooling-Primary &High School-Murnad
• He completed his graduation in Commerce from MGM College,Udupi
• Graduation in Hotel Management-Srinivas College of Hospitality,Mangalore

Career

• It was an accident that he enrolled in a hotel management course and took up the job role of a chef. He was drawn to the hospitality industry two decades ago as it was a fledgeling industry; it was a path-breaking profession and offered great career opportunities. The drift towards the Food Production was gradual and as semesters went by he realised that he was destined to be a Chef.
• He is specialized in South West Coastal Cuisine of India which covers the Cuisines of Coastal Goa, Mangalore and Kerala.

Achievements

• Chef Thimmaiah and his team have travelled to various places to learn from homemakers about the traditional dishes of these regions. It is that home-style cooking that the Chef and his team bring to the table at Karavalli. Consistency is one of the hallmarks of the restaurants
• Chef Thimmaiah and his team take diners on a delicious culinary journey which takes you through the beautiful land of Goa, Karnataka and Kerala on the South Western coast of India.
• His restaurant Karavali is rated as one of 50 Best Restaurants in Asia by UK’s Restaurant Magazine for 2013 and 2014.
• Being the face of Karavalli he has successfully nurtured and charted the course for the iconic restaurant to complete twenty-five wonderful years of existence, the popularity growing with each day evident by the numerous recognitions the restaurant has received over the past decade.
• He takes pride in singling out “maintaining the consistent quality of the product offered and holding the team together’’ above anything else when it comes to rating his own achievement
• Naren Thimmaiah holds the distinction of participating in the World Gourmet Summit held at Singapore in the year 2005.
• In its history from inception, Naren Thimmaiah holds the distinction of being the fourth to attend this prestigious event representing India. The World Gourmet Summit is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning gastronomic event where only ten chefs from all over the world are invited to present their expertise, widely recognized as one of the foremost gastronomic events in the world inaugurated in 1997 it continues to gain reputation with each annual
• He has also been featured as one of the top 10 Chefs in India by a survey conducted by a Food lover’s BlogSpot called Chowhound.
• He is popular on TV Shows, a regular contributor on food and lifestyle magazines and serves on the Board of Studies of many Hotel Management institutes and advises on the Food Panel of Master Chef India.
• Committed to his work he adds that the role of an Executive Chef is not just donning the cap and cooking, it has become a multi-faceted role with attention being given to food safety through the various certifications like HACCP, ISO 22000, OHSAS 18001, also being actively involved in Process Improvement initiatives through Six Sigma.
• Naren is very involved in the refining of the menu at the Karavalli, by constantly learning, and showcasing the dishes from various communities; he travels often, trying out the various fares of eateries and homes along the South West coast of India. He believes that “Like museums, regional restaurants also preserve traditions.”
• In March 2010 Naren was chosen by Singapore Tourism board for the prestigious Chefs Exchange program in Singapore to learn the bouquet of regional cuisines of Singapore and also to familiarize the Singaporeans with the Indian cuisine. Naren’s contribution has ensured Karavalli being listed among the finest restaurants in the lists of 50 Best Restaurants in Asia and Top 100 restaurants in the world in the hugely popular FOODIE GUIDE 2013 by Glam Media
• He was featured in the Prestigious Tata Review as one of the five Taj Chefs for their contribution.
• Naren has been featured in a Management book, ‘Unusual people do things differently’ by TGC Prasad.
• In August 2018, Economic Times rated him among Top 10 Chefs of India-5th place

Karavalli is featured in the following Books of repute:

• Phaidon Books – Where Chefs Eat – A Guide to Chefs Favourite Restaurants’ – Worldwide: Joe Warwick
• 1001 Restaurants – You must Experience before you Die – Jenny Linford
• The New York Times – 36 Hours – Asia  Oceania

Awards

• In February 2009, at the Government of India, National Tourism Awards held at New Delhi, Naren Thimmaiah was adjudged as the BEST CHEF OF INDIA in his category.
• In August 2009, Naren was awarded the Millennium Excellence Award for Quality in promoting tourism by Economic Growth Society of India at the international seminar held at Katmandu.
• He won the Times Food & Nightlife Awards 2019 in the category of Chef of the year on 22 December 2018
• He was awarded the Lifetime achievement Award in 2019.