Chef Priyam Chatterjee gets French honour

Priyam Chatterjee, a young chef, musician and artiste, received the prestigious Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole (Order of Agricultural Merit) recently. The Ambassador of France to India, Alexandre Ziegler, conferred the award upon him recently.

Having trained under eminent French chefs, Priyam is known to blend French cuisine with the traditional dishes of Bengal. His eclectic cooking style and his creative dishes trace back his Bengali roots, the French influence in his life and his love for music and art. Highlighting this flair, Alexandre remarked, “Chef Chatterjee’s appointment as Knight in the Order of Agricultural Merit is befitting in light of the quality and creativity of his unique gourmet cuisine, which infuses the French influences he has imbibed over the years”

Instituted in 1883 by the then French Minister of Agriculture, Jules Méline, the Ordre du Mérite Agricole is a distinction bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions, among others, to agriculture, agro-food industry and gastronomy, regardless of the nationality of the recipient.

Priyam is also a musician and artist. He currently works in France. He began his rigorous training under Chef Jean-Claude Fugier (from Maison TroisGros), before moving on to Oman. He has also cooked with French Chef Ernest Darren Alford, Michelin-starred chefs, Spanish Koldo Royo, and Italian Matteo Grandi. With a narrative behind every platter that he rustles up, his reinvented Bengali cuisine and his training with French and European chefs have contributed to his experimental gastronomy.