Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out concluded on July 8, 2025. One of its four judges, Maneet Chauhan, came to an Ingredients Insiders interview on July 15, 2025, and discussed how she came from India to the US. She also shared how she came to open her Nashville restaurant, Chauhan's Ale and Masala House. She stated that she studied hotel administration in India, then came to the US to study further, and went to the best culinary school in the US. She also said that she decided to live in the US because she was passionate about sharing authentic Indian cuisine with people. The Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out star also shared that she started working at her relatives' restaurant, then worked at other restaurants before finally deciding to open her own. She chose Nashville because it was away from the noise of big cities, which made it easier for her to market her restaurant. What Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out judge Maneet Chauhan said about her journey to the USOpening up about her family background, Maneet said that she came from a middle-class Indian family, the members of which always insisted that she get a good education. Sharing how she decided to pursue food as education, Maneet said that she used to take food for her sister to her college, where her friends used to try it. They loved her food and led her to think that it was something she could pursue. She added that at the time, there weren't many culinary schools in India, so she did her graduation in hotel administration. She also wondered why she was wasting her time learning hotel administration when her true passion was food. However, she said, eventually this education helped her when she opened her restaurant. After she finished her undergrad, she decided to come to the US in 1998 to study at the Culinary Institute of America, which was the best culinary institute in the country. After studying at the best hospitality school in India and then the best culinary institute in the world, she thought she was "set" because she had studied at the best colleges; however, there was an issue: her visa. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostMany restaurants were willing to give her a job, but none were ready to sponsor her visa. However, the Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out judge got lucky because at the time, her uncle and aunt were opening an upscale Indian restaurant in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, so she joined them."It was a very pivotal point in my journey as a chef because at that time I realized the very sorry affair or perception of Indian food in this country," she added. She said that Indian food mainly was "all you can eat greasy buffets" in the US, and that the probable reason for this was that immigrants from India came to the US and started selling the cuisine because it was what they knew. They used the cheapest products and the fastest cooking methods because they were doing it to feed their families. She said that the outcome of such food didn't equate to what she grew up eating in her country. So the Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out star incorporated that into the food she was making at her relatives' restaurant. This resulted in the restaurant's significant growth during her reign. Then from New Jersey, she went to Chicago and worked at the Vermillion, where she made a fusion of Indian and Latin cuisines. After continuing to work there for three to four years, she decided to take the leap and open her restaurant. Sharing why she decided on opening her restaurant in Nashville, Maneet stated that the city provided her with an opportunity. She said that in places like New York or Chicago, every other chef was a celebrity, and competing against them wouldn't have gotten her too far. After the Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out judge opened her restaurant there, it has been running strong for 10 years. For more updates on Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out judge Maneet Chauhan, fans can follow her on her official Instagram, @maneetchauhan.