Instagram story viewer> @sa1i1> Tagged

Salil Deshpande

@sa1i1

4.7K

followers

2457

following

Head of Editorial Content, Condé Nast Traveller India

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

70

6

Everything everywhere all at Once!! 💫

Living in my own alternate reality ♥️✨🥂Thankful, grateful and just plain Lucky to be a party to this multiverse of rockstars!! #myfriendsarecoolerthanyours #condenasttraveller #farmlore

302

58

#30 for Rannaghor

Rannaghor is the culmination of years of research, cooking and exploration into Bengal’s many expressions, and a collective dream shared by our head chefs, Avi and Koyel, and the entire team at Sienna. Our eight-seater chef’s table takes Sienna’s Bengal-forward philosophy to its furthest expression, exploring Bengal beyond any singular idea of its cuisine.

Through this work, we hope Bengal emerges as a living, evolving conversation, shaped by its rivers, rituals, histories of movement and many ways of knowing. To see this exploration resonate with diners across the country and around the world makes this milestone all the more special.

To everyone who has joined us at the table this first year, thank you for being part of the journey.

Here’s to more stories of place, people and food finding their way to the table.

[sienna calcutta, made in bengal, rannaghor, chef’s table, tasting menu, bengal to table, award, conde nast, CNT, india’s best restaurant, #30]

350

5

This is by far my favourite night of the year. But this year, it was a full weekend.

Met friends. Ate some really good food. So good that I forgot to click pictures. But the comfort bowls from the panel had me! From Bihar’s litti chokha to Himachal’s pumpkin chutney and malpua, it was a ride and more.

And the award night! Chefs cheering for each other. The Goa gang pushing each other into the limelight. Top rankers making space for each other. Hugs. Endless hugs. An after-party that needed another after-party.

It was what the CNT Top Restaurant Awards always set out to be. A love letter, or maybe a long, emotional voice note, to the industry we love to love. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. ❤️

@diviathani @sa1i1 @diyak @siddhi_mehta @darkknitestudios @panic.poori @malavikab and the rest of the @cntravellerindia team

100

24

every time sienna gets recognised with so much gusto on a global platform like CNT, it still feels rather surreal - our very own homegrown hindustan park space, right up there on that screen with some of the best restaurants in india. suddenly we are floating above ground somewhere between feeling nothing and feeling everything. and yet all one has to do is talk to a sceptical bengali mother afterwards to bring you crashing right back down to earth! calcutta (and bangali mas) thank you for always keeping us humble ;)

anyone who is a part of this unforgiving industry knows that while there’s a misguided notion that the restaurant business is all glamour, the truth is nobody quite anticipates signing up for a lifetime of plumbing emergencies, unpredictable electricity bills, staffing crises and the occasional existential breakdown (nothing a good bowl of gola bhaat can’t fix though).

so when there is a pleasant pause to the everyday madness and we get to escape to gorgeous goa to receive an honour like this we can’t help but feel so grateful and overjoyed. we have come back with a renewed faith in what we do (and maybe in the number 5: #5 on oct 5, paanch phoron, paanch mishalir tarkari, paanch angule ghee… ).

this is very special because we get to share this with our ever-expanding and colourful sienna family, who work day in and day out and some times even longer to make sienna stand tall. that evening, at the restaurant awards, as we sat amongst friends like family, well wishers, fellow colleagues and champions of bengal, in festive goa, with a watch party going on remotely at our rannaghor back at home, our hearts felt fat and full, well fed with love!

continued in the comments…

574

13

@cntravellerindia was one of the first publications to write about FarmLore, 5 years on to be recognised on this list year after year is like coming a full circle.

This year was extra special we’ve moved up the list to No. 4. For us, that number is less about the jump and more about everything that has happened in between, and how much we’ve grown and changed while keeping our core the same. The menus that have changed, the hands that joined us in collaboration and the feedback from our community and most of all a team that keeps showing up and pushing each other to do better.

We’re lucky to have a group of people here who care deeply about what they do, and who continue to question, learn and grow together. That same energy carries into every service, every plate and every guest experience.

And then there are our guests, the people who have made the journey to the farm, returned for new menus, brought friends and family, and continued to trust us over the years. Being able to celebrate this with them makes it even more special

We’re very grateful to Condé Nast Traveller team for creating this platform that brings the industry together. @diviathani and @sa1i1 it’s incredible to see you both raise the bar every year. Thank you to the jury and everyone who has been part of the journey so far.

See you at the farm

353

18

Ok, so this one was different, very very different! Something we haven’t felt in years.  
They were goosebumps, tears, smiles, and everything one could feel documenting their story, hearing about their journey and just spending an entire day with them.

This is the story of the @sahodari.foundation that @queenkalki has spent years working towards the empowerment of the rural underprivileged transgender persons in India. 
Words will not do justice to what the film and the story entailed, hence this were this draft ends and your journey of the film begins :)

A film for @cntravellerindia

The team that made it happen:

🦸🏻‍♂️ @deep_rk
📹@adityagangurde_ @sumantmali_19
👨‍💻@goviiind.mov
👸@mansiharkisandas

Also, this wouldn’t have been possible without the trust of @sa1i1, @diyak and the rest of the @cntravellerindia that made the process one to remember :)

Thank you ☺️

[CondenastTraveller, DocumentaryFilm, RealStories, FilmsThatMove, TransgenderStories, ThePrefaceStory]

50

4

To @koyelchef & @avinandankundu ,
7 years of working together - good memories, and a whole lot of life lived. Together you brought Calcutta to the table with courage, generosity and unmistakable swagger—earning Chef of the Year honours and placing both Sienna Calcutta and RannaGhor by Sienna among Condé Nast Traveller’s Top 50 Restaurants.

However, the real award is getting to build alongside them. They aren’t simply extraordinary chefs; they are our cultural anchors, partners and most importantly the best human beings.

They keep pushing the food, the craft and the culture forward—while somehow keeping the rest of us very well-fed and only mildly terrified ☺️

Koyel, Avi: it is an honour and a blessing to call you family. You’ve made Bengal proud, Calcutta hungry and the East Coast impossible to ignore. 🧬

To our sienna family, each and everyone of you- these awards fairly and squarely belong to you. We've weathered the highs, and the lows- pandemic, setbacks, sacrifices, and everything an unforgiving hospitality business throws at you. Through it all, we have had each other's backs. Anek bhalo bhasha to you all for life 🫡

#5 & #30, and Chef(s) of the year ! This is a huge blessing and a moment of immense pride for us all. Congratulations 👏🏾

East Coast, represent ✊🏾

🐺

171

12

“Anything that appears in print is more trustworthy than just being online.”

With over 10+ years of experience across traditional and digital media, Salil shares how despite rising print costs, readers continue to value the trust and credibility associated with printed books.

This clip is taken from the a session of The Bound Publishing Course, where we bring together 40+ industry experts for our cohort.

3

0

Grateful for these 10 years. That's how recent it's been since I stepped into professional kitchen. And a mostly difficult to believe journey to suddenly @cntravellerindia putting out an accolade which hasn't sunk in yet and probably never will.

Of course I have been lucky with people. This does not happen without everyone constantly wanting you to be better. Some of them taught me what it meant to nurture happy spaces, some pushed towards the constant pursuit of excellence. And somewhere I realised that both needed to co-exist.

And there's this feeling of realising that dream out of this city. Needed to come back and do this here ever since my little staff meal disaster in Bornholm. And I have had the help of some amazing friends, who also happen to be my colleagues and folks who just want Kolkata to be the best there is.

And to @notyourmitra, you're the best. You know why :)

464

40

Four years on India’s Top 50 Restaurants list, and the excitement of building The Johri, Jaipur continues to grow ❤️

When we first made it to the list, it felt like an important validation of our vision for @thejohrijaipur - that encouragement gave us the confidence to push our creativity further, experiment with our food and keep raising the quality of the experience we offer every guest who walks through our doors.

Being ranked No. 19 at the @cntravellerindia x @districtculture Top Restaurant Awards 2026 makes this fourth consecutive recognition especially meaningful.

Jaipur has been central to our journey. As a UNESCO World Heritage City, it has an extraordinary culinary identity, shaped by its markets, ingredients, traditions and people. We have made a conscious effort to learn from the city and bring that understanding into our kitchen, creating a vegetarian dining experience that celebrates its roots while allowing plenty of room for innovation.

Executive chef @sonukumar_singh__ and Culinary Lead Chef @chefvikram have played an instrumental role in shaping this culinary direction. @vishalnagar_jaipur , who leads our operations, along with our bar, service and entire on ground teams, has been equally important in translating that vision into the experience our guests enjoy.

My heartfelt thanks to @diviathani @sa1i1, the entire Condé Nast Traveller team, our incredible work family ❤️ , the special jury for this recognition, and to our guests for continuing to support and encourage us.

#TheJohri #Jaipur #IndiasTop50Restaurants #IndianHospitality

258

13

It’s taken us a few days to soak in what being named #2 in the country at the @cntravellerindia Top Restaurant Awards really means to us.

This is much more than a number. It’s a recognition of consistency — showing up, day after day, and delivering an experience that people want to return to. And that is only possible because so many of our team have been with us for over a decade. They believe in the vision we set out with 16 years ago, and have cared for this restaurant as if it were their own.

So this one is for all the familiar faces who make The Table feel like home. YOU GUYS KICK ASS!!

Thank you also to the jury, team Condé Nast Traveller India — for making this recognition feel so special, and to everyone on the list, and off, for keeping us on our toes, year after year.

411

25