The Taste of Discipline

By: WE Team | Tuesday, 25 November 2025

In a world that celebrates speed, Chef Kriti Shetty finds beauty in stillness. For her, the hum of a kitchen is not chaos but choreography. Every knife stroke, every measured movement, every repetition carries intent. “Precision isn’t about perfection,” she says. “It’s about being fully present and showing respect for the craft and the people you cook for.”

That quiet reverence defines Kriti’s approach to food. Trained in professional kitchens and shaped by years of leading them, she built her foundation on discipline and detail. By the age of 24, she was already Head Chef, guiding teams and orchestrating operations in a region known for its relentless pace. Over the past decade, she has played a defining role in launching more than 35 restaurants across the UAE, mastering every aspect of menu design, kitchen operations, and culinary storytelling.

Her reputation for composure and control in high-pressure environments is matched by her creativity. Kriti’s travels across Southeast Asia deepened her understanding of food as a universal language - one that connects people long before it impresses them. “Even when words failed, flavour didn’t,” she reflects. “Cooking taught me that you don’t need to speak the same language to understand each other.”

This belief - that technique and tenderness can coexist - runs through her entire philosophy. Her culinary identity is built on repetition, not as monotony but as meditation. The early morning prep, the measured plating, the rhythm of daily mise en place - these quiet rituals are what keep her grounded. “Repetition gives me rhythm,” she says. “It’s where creativity begins. You can’t improvise without structure.”

Her career reflects that balance between order and imagination. As Global Head of Culinary at NutriCook, Kriti led recipe innovation and product development, creating systems that helped home cooks achieve restaurant-level precision. Her collaborations with brands such as EL&N London, Dlish Café, and Foodhall India have shaped her perspective on how design, storytelling, and flavour intersect to create meaningful dining experiences.

Her philosophy extends beyond the plate. Whether she’s curating a new menu, mentoring young chefs, or rethinking kitchen flow, Kriti approaches everything with equal parts logic and emotion. “There’s poetry in the process,” she says. “The repetition that others find routine is what gives me peace. It’s where I can listen to my thoughts, refine my instincts, and find clarity.”

To her, precision is not rigidity but respect - for ingredients, for craft, for the people who make food come alive. Each gesture, no matter how small, carries purpose. The way a sauce is stirred, a garnish is placed, or a dish is handed across the counter all speak of care. “Great food doesn’t need to shout,” she says. “It just needs to feel honest.”

Today, Chef Kriti Shetty stands among a generation redefining culinary leadership in the UAE. Her story is one of discipline and discovery, of craft shaped through consistency. For her, the repetition of work - day after day, plate after plate - is not a burden but a quiet devotion. And in that rhythm lies the true joy of creation: the calm confidence that mastery is built not on inspiration, but on intent.

Yet even within that stillness, there is movement. As Kriti continues to evolve her craft and vision, she stands at the edge of something new — a chapter that promises to translate years of precision and passion into an experience entirely her own.