Shashank Achuta, sous chef at Sydney restaurant Brasserie 1930 and founder of regional Indian meal delivery service Sydney Tiffin Room, has been selected as the Good Food Guide’s Smeg young chef of the year.

The Bengaluru-born chef was chosen from a record number of entrants across NSW and the ACT, joining a roll-call of previous winners including influential chefs Phil Wood (Ursula’s, Paddington), Brett Graham (the Ledbury, London) and Lauren Eldridge (Berowra Waters Inn).

A judging panel of industry leaders selected Achuta for his entrepreneurial initiative (launching meal delivery service Sydney Tiffin Room during COVID lockdown), his ambitions to promote south Indian cuisine in Australia, and his commitment to creating a fairer and more balanced workforce.

“Now is a great time for people to be unapologetic in their approach, to celebrate their ethnicity and their background without worrying too much about how it will be perceived or how you’ll make money.”

Shashank Achuta, Young Chef of the Year

Achuta moved to Australia on a student visa in 2015 and fought against prevailing ethnic stereotypes to forge a career within some of Sydney’s best kitchens (Cafe Paci, Attica, Fred’s).

The team at acclaimed restaurant Brasserie 1930 is teaching Achuta culinary and management skills, he says. He aspires to open his own chain of Indian restaurants, on par with the quality at parent company The Bentley Group.

In five years, he hopes to be the face of south Indian cuisine in Australia.

“Now is a great time for people to be unapologetic in their approach, to celebrate their ethnicity and their background without worrying too much about how it will be perceived or how you’ll make money,” he says.

But that wasn’t always the case. When Achuta arrived, career counsellors advised him to change his name on job applications to “Shanky” or a variation more likely to invite job offers.

“It’s almost commonplace for a person of colour to have an ‘English’ name, but I’ve seen the dark side of that where people change their name and instantly start getting job callbacks,” Achuta says, referencing the experience of a close friend.

“How do you even [process] that? On one hand, it’s like ‘I got the job!’ but on the other hand it’s ‘what am I compromising?’ ”

“It’s bizarre, but people still have these preconceived notions.”

Initially, Achuta laughed it off and adopted the nickname. He copped the racist slurs, accepted “it happens” and doubled down on at work, pushing himself almost to breaking point in an attempt to prove himself in the upper echelons of a cut-throat industry.

“I won’t ever say I’m a victim,” he says.

“I made it here, it’s hard work, so put your foot down and make it work.”

When the pandemic lockdowns were introduced, Achuta was stood down from his position at Fred’s. Without the financial support from the government because he had yet to receive his citizenship, Achuta returned to his culinary roots to pay the bills, founding Sydney Tiffin Room.

The small online business showcased a different regional Indian cuisine each fortnight, offering a three-course meal delivery service that became the highlight of Achuta’s culinary career.

“Not only because of the media attention it received, but also because of the praise and support I received from customers, and how much it taught me about running a business on my own,” he says.

Achuta says the introduction of Sydney Tiffin Room seemed to coincide with a shift in the culinary scene as the wave of hospitality workers who immigrated 10 years ago began to push the culinary boundaries of food in Australia.

“All the chefs from overseas had settled into Sydney, adapted to the cuisine and worked with some of the best chefs in the country. And finally, they were at the stage in their careers where they felt confident to experiment with the cuisine,” he says.

Beyond that, attitudes were changing, and more diners seemed eager to try different cuisines.

“The scene is constantly evolving, and we’re now seeing a shift away from the classic Italian and French cuisine, and discovering a newfound love for ethnic food,” Achuta says, referencing the popularity of Filipino restaurant Serai in Melbourne and new Sri Lankan restaurant Kurumba in Surry Hills.

It is also a good time, Achuta says, to reclaim his name and own his heritage.

“I realised I’m proud of my name, I’m proud of my heritage, and I’m proud of my food and my culture,” he says.

“And I’m most proud to show someone of Indian origin can make it this far.”

The young chef of the year award is part of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2024, which will be on sale from October 24.