Chef Urvika Kanoi

Urvika Kanoi is the chef-owner of The Daily (Kolkata) and Café Duco (Mumbai and Kolkata). Enthusiastic, creative, focused and hard-working are the words that best describe this 34-year-old, who is extremely passionate about food and has left an indelible mark in the culinary map of India since over ten-years now.

After completing her education from Modern High School for Girls, Urvika went on to pursue her dream of becoming a film maker from Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore. Soon, it donned on her that even though films are her passion, food is her true calling.

The decision was made and Urvika wasted no time in dropping out of film school to pursue the culinary arts, wherein she enrolled herself at London’s best and most renowned cooking school- Le Cordon Bleu. She developed a keen interest in Cuisine and learned the various aspects associated with it, which paved the way for her expertise. After completing her course, she got the chance to intern under Chef Grzegorz Olejarka for the next 6-8 months at Peyton and Byrne. Once she returned to the country she juggled with working at a bunch of places, some notable names being Hyatt and The Table.

Inspired by this achievement, Urvika then returned to Kolkata and launched her own gourmet catering service called ‘The Food Studio’. The Food Studio is credited for bringing new trends to Kolkata and won an Award of Excellence for the most #Innovative Food 2016 by The Telegraph. Immediately after, Urvika kickstarted her very first restaurant venture – Bodega Cantina-Y-Bar. Focussing on global cuisine and innovative cocktails, Bodega received the prestigious Times Food Awards and The Telegraph Food Guide Award in 2017.

In the beginning of 2019, Urvika was a part of the esteemed jury of The Telegraph Food Awards and played a key role in recognising and awarding the best in the city. And in July 2019, she started The Daily, which altered the café-scene in the city forever! The Daily became the first in Kolkata to offer global fare within the format of a café, making sure its food is the highlight and not just coffees! This Euro-inspired bistro and café focuses on great food and beverage curation, top produce and global cuisine. The Daily has been awarded Times Best Global and The Telegraph’s Best Global in 2020, following it up with successive wins in 2021. The Daily has received several awards and recognition from the The Times Food & Nightlife Awards – Best All-Day Dining in 2020 and 2021, Best Restaurant of the Year in 2021, Best Global Cuisine in 2022, Best Delivery in 2022 and 2023, Best Café in 2024.

When the pandemic hit, this multi-tasker came up with her first pet project in Mumbai, Café Duco, focusing on food stretching across Latin America. Café Duco is now available in Kolkata too in a cloud kitchen format.

Chef Urvika Kanoi has been a columnist with The Telegraph, Kolkata and was named by Conde Nast Traveller as "40 under 40: India's Most Exciting Young Chefs" in 2020. She was also awarded The Best Chef of the Year 2024 by The Times Food & Nightlife Awards.