A chef’s life in Melbourne is as busy as it gets, and Saavni Krishnan lives it. A winner of the Young Chef of the Year and Young Service Talent of The Age Good Food Guide awards, Krishnan has made her mark.
For starters, Krishnan says that when she received the award this November, it felt unreal. “This is quite a big recognition. When I walked up on stage, I really didn’t know what to say. I told everyone I thought I didn’t have stage fright, but I think I do,” she recalls with a laugh.
In front of 500 peers at the Plaza Ballroom, Krishnan won the award joining past winners like Andrew McConnell and Phil Wood.
“This award will help me reach my goals faster,” she reflects.
Over Zoom, during a break from her work at Manzé in Melbourne, Krishnan shares that she is now passionately focused on changing the face of Indian food, with a renewed determination.
“A lot of people in Australia are only familiar with basic Indian curries,” says Krishnan. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but I want to do something different and show people that there’s so much more to explore.”
Krishnan now focuses on bringing out the natural flavours of ingredients and keeping cooking simple. Her time in Australia, working with European cuisine at different restaurants, has helped shape her skills and influenced her approach. Now, she prioritises the ingredients themselves in her cooking.
One example of this is her pop-up, Saadi, which she runs with her husband, Sriram Aditya Suresh, also a chef. With an upcoming event at the end of December, she is excited to share two menus featuring unique dishes, including rice dumplings served with tomato kombucha—an idea she believes is entirely new.
“We are also featuring a dish called sundarkala. It’s a wheat noodle dish from Uttarakhand that’s tossed in coriander chutney—an Indian version of pasta that most people haven’t heard of,” she says.
Krishnan was born and brought up in Mumbai and says she loved cooking from a young age, encouraged by her supportive father. However, she never planned to study it and initially dreamt of becoming a botanist.
“I wasn’t academic enough to pursue science as a career—I just loved being in the kitchen. When my parents suggested I consider cooking as a profession, I enrolled in a culinary arts course at Manipal University.”
In 2016, Krishnan moved to Australia to join her then-boyfriend, now husband. While on a student visa, she studied and worked, spending the past eight years refining her culinary skills at esteemed Australian restaurants, including Fred’s in Sydney under Danielle Alvarez, Etta in Brunswick East and currently at Manzé.
The couple moved to Melbourne in 2022 and launched Saadi, their exciting pop-up venture.
“We are European-trained chefs with a deep passion for introducing lesser-known Indian dishes. We don’t focus on traditional Indian food; instead, we blend the techniques of European cuisine with what we’ve learned throughout our careers. Our approach is to bring a fresh, innovative twist to Indian food that feels both familiar and unique,” says Krishnan.
She explains that many diners have shared how their dishes evoke memories of food from their childhood or from back home. “A lot of people tell us that our food reminds them of something they ate when they were young or from their home country. It’s approachable and relatable, yet presented in a way they’ve never seen before. We want it to be fun, delicious food—something we love cooking and eating.”
That’s not all. Krishnan believes that mental well-being is just as important as culinary skills. “People enter the hospitality industry out of passion, but if it becomes too stressful, that passion can fade. When you truly love cooking, it shows in both the plate and the service.” To foster this, she makes a conscious effort to have meaningful conversations with those she works with.
She ends with a piece of advice for aspiring chefs: “Go to school, but also gain hands-on experience. There will be tough days, but don’t give up!”
While excellence in cooking speaks for itself, Krishnan hopes the word continues to spread about Saadi and the unique offerings it brings to the table.
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👩🍳🏆Chef Saanvi Krishnan is revolutionising Indian #cuisine in #Melbourne!🌶️🍽️ Her innovative dishes blend European techniques with lesser-known Indian flavours.🎉✨ Have you tried her creations?🍲💡 Join the #culinary journey! 🌍🥂 #TheIndianSunhttps://t.co/FaqlnPLumE
— The Indian Sun (@The_Indian_Sun) December 4, 2024
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