From India To The Michelin World: Chef Prajit Singh On The Art Of Elevating Food To Fine Dining Perfection

For Chef Prajit Singh, cooking has always been more than an act of feeding, it's an act of awareness. To the hiss of oil as it hits the pan, the rhythm of a simmering sauce, and the quiet dialogue between salt and acidity. His story begins in India, within the rigorous kitchens of the ITC Group of Hotels, where he joined as a KMT after completing his Bachelor’s in Hotel Management in 2019. It was an 18-month odyssey through every major kitchen department — butchery, pastry, fine-dining production, and garde manger — a training ground that taught him discipline and depth. Eager to expand his horizons, he left for the United States to pursue a Culinary Arts degree at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, one of the world’s premier culinary schools. “Hyde Park taught me that restraint is as powerful as flavor,” he says. “It’s where I learned that technique means nothing without intention.”

The New York Chapter — Where Technique Meets Emotion

After graduation, Prajit entered the high-pressure kitchens of New York City, where ambition and artistry collide nightly. His first stop was One White Street in Tribeca — a one-Michelin-star restaurant led by Chef Austin Johnson, celebrated for his hyper-seasonal tasting menus and produce sourced from the restaurant’s own Hudson Valley farm. The restaurant earned the prestigious Michelin Green Star in the year 2024. He later joined SAGA, the two-Michelin-star restaurant under Chef Charlie Mitchell, a James Beard Award–winning chef known for his elegant, emotionally resonant cuisine.

Washington, D.C. — Precision and Purity at JÔNT

Currently, Prajit works in Washington, D.C. at JÔNT, the visionary fine-dining restaurant led by Chef Ryan Ratino. Known for its ingredient-driven tasting menus and precise minimalism, JÔNT sources much of its produce and seafood directly from Japan’s Toyosu Market — the same auction that supplies Tokyo’s top sushi counters. The restaurant’s philosophy is clear: purity, precision, and harmony. Recently inducted into Les Grandes Tables du Monde, JÔNT now stands among an elite global collective of restaurants that exemplify excellence and creativity — a recognition shared by names like Eleven Madison Park and The French Laundry.At JÔNT, I ,” Prajit says. “It’

The Michelin Mindset — Cooking with Awareness

Cooking at a Michelin level is not defined by foie gras or caviar; it’s defined by intention. It’s the way a chef thinks, moves, and listens to the food. Prajit calls it “the awareness of flavor” — the act of noticing every element that brings a dish to life.

He explains that great cooking begins long before heat touches a pan. Flavor should be built in layers, not steps. Every ingredient, no matter how humble, contributes something — sweetness, acidity, bitterness, aroma, or texture. Brown your butter until nutty before roasting vegetables. Toast your spices before grinding. Finish a sauce with a splash of citrus or vinegar to wake it up.

Sourcing with Intention

At JÔNT, ingredients are flown in from Japan within 24 hours — but the lesson isn’t about exclusivity; it’s about curiosity. “Cooking begins at the market, not in the kitchen,” Prajit explains. For home cooks, that means engaging with the ingredients. Visit farmers’ markets, talk to vendors, taste before buying. Cooking with what’s in season gives flavor a natural rhythm — one that can’t be forced. The best meals start with the question: what’s perfect today?” he

Time, Texture, and Temperature

In fine dining, time is an ingredient. Patience allows flavors to deepen naturally. Slow roasting, fermenting, marinating, resting — these are not luxuries but necessities. “Time gives food emotion,” Prajit reflects. “It’s what makes flavors feel alive rather than assembled.” Texture, too, is what transforms eating into experience. Every memorable bite should hold contrast — something soft meeting something crisp, something warm meeting something cool.

Sauce and Soul

Prajit believes sauces are the emotion of a dish. “They connect everything,” he says. “They’re what make flavors harmonize.” A sauce should never overpower; it should whisper. Whether it’s a glossy reduction or a brown-butter emulsion, the secret lies in finishing — mounting with butter off the heat. That last touch gives life, sheen, and warmth. He believes food should be plated with breathability — allowing the main ingredient to take center stage while garnishes and sauces frame it naturally and at last a flick of sea salt, a drop of chili oil, a drizzle of herb oil — these last touches act like punctuation marks in a sentence, completing the story of flavor.

The Signature Dish Philosophy

Every chef, Prajit believes, should have a signature dish — one they’ve cooked hundreds of times, refining it through instinct and repetition. “Perfection isn’t in complexity,” he says. “It’s in repetition. When you know a dish like music — every rhythm, every pause — that’s when you develop your own style.”

The Essence of Fine Cooking

In the end, the Michelin mindset is not about extravagance; it’s about awareness. It’s about balance — between restraint and generosity, instinct and precision, creativity and discipline. For Prajit Singh, cooking is never about impressing. It’s about respect — for the product, for the craft, and for the diner.