Chef Sabrina Gidda’s food is unapologetically bold. At RSA House, she channelled her Punjabi roots and international experience into a menu celebrating culture, collaboration and confidence in the kitchen.
Guests at last week’s special RSA House event featuring India’s High Commissioner to the UK were treated to canapés and a dinner created by leading UK chef Sabrina Gidda.
Born in Wolverhampton to Punjabi parents, Gidda’s early career began in fashion PR and marketing, before realising that her passion was in food and cooking. She worked in gastro pubs, became head chef at Bernardi’s Italian restaurant in London, and was twice a finalist in the prestigious Roux Scholarship.
More than 150 people attended the event on 28 January when the High Commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami, was interviewed by broadcaster Mishal Husain about India-UK relations.
The canapé and evening menu drew inspiration from South Asian, Italian, French, Mexican and Middle Eastern cooking, including butter chicken arancini, confit chalk stream trout, salt marsh lamb, achari tostada and cardamom panna cotta. “These dishes are a reflection of my travels, ingredients I have discovered and people I have met. They are a story of my journey,” Gidda says.
Gidda’s eclectic approach felt particularly fitting for an event at the RSA, with its commitment to bringing together people from different disciplines. She points out the synergy involved: “I love to network with people who work in different disciplines to me. The importance of great minds connecting and communicating can create wonderful opportunities to galvanise action – and, most importantly, instigate change.”
She adds: “Some of the most important people who I love, respect and value as mentors in my life sit outside of hospitality. They are in finance, the arts, independent businesses and social enterprises.”
“These dishes are a reflection of my travels, ingredients I have discovered and people I have met. They are a story of my journey.”
Mentorship is also important to Gidda’s own work. She is committed to encouraging women and young people to join the hospitality industry, a theme explored in her 2023 debut book Modern South Asian Kitchen. Alongside her own recipes, she used the opportunity to connect with eight women of South Asian backgrounds – to celebrate personal stories and small businesses, and bring together a ‘sisterhood’.
From 2018 to 2021, as executive chef for the women-only members’ club AllBright, Gidda helped champion women in hospitality. During this time, 60% of kitchen staff at AllBright’s London and Los Angeles sites were female.
“Coincidentally – it happened this way. Great women attracted great women, who attracted great men who wanted to learn and work with great women. It was an incredible opportunity to cement values I really believed in.”
Gidda is also a member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and supports its college community programme – a commitment to the engagement, support and mentorship of young culinary students nationally. She also launched the PLATE Academy with London-based contract caterer Vacherin that offers training and skills to young chefs, making their journey from education into industry clearer and better supported.
“It is incredibly important to me that through my career I am always holding open the door for the next person to walk through. Visibility, representation and mentorship are a critical part of succession planning.”
“I feel really grateful that I've not lost the little things that bring me joy. If that's two hot buttered crumpets and a cup of tea, I'm happy with that.”
Now running her own consultancy, Gidda collaborates with leading international brands and organisations. So, with her experience of the best food from around the world, does she still have room for the odd guilty food pleasure?
“The irony is that I will often spend a very long time preparing and delivering dinners and events, and then completely forget to eat. Tasting in kitchens is quite different to eating – so I will often be enjoying a late-night shawarma in London post-service.”
“The world of wonderful gastronomy and fine dining always excites me. But I feel really grateful that I’ve not lost the little things that bring me joy. If that’s two hot buttered crumpets and a cup of tea, I’m happy with that. I have plenty of guilty pleasures.”
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