A Chef's Story

Thali restaurant's Executive Chef & owner Prasad Chirnomula walked a path his family never envisioned in his search for fame and fortune.

Ignoring his physician father's advice to become a doctor, young Prasad went to the Food Craft Institute of Poona (India) to hone his culinary skills.

"When my dad was looking for a medical college, I was looking for a catering school. He wanted a family of doctors and I wanted to be in the food business. I always had a passion for food."

Before coming to the United States in 1985, he had become director of Food & Beverage at the Ritz Hotel in Hyderabad, where he managed a work force of 250 employees at the age of 22.

Prior to opening the first Thali® in New Canaan, CT, Chirnomula owned and operated six restaurants (with partners) in Darien, Litchfield, Stamford, Port Chester, New Rochelle and Massachusetts.

Now a 20-year Fairfield County resident, Chirnomula has a commitment to the creation of imaginative dishes based on traditonal Indian standards. His vision and energy and his committment to charitable institutions like the Liver Institute have made him a star in the Connecticut restaurant world.

Chirnomula's innovative and imaginative food has become the toast of normally restrained suburban audiences and has earned him ecstatic reviews in dozens of newspapers and magazines.

After successfully opening his third Thali® restaurant in New Haven in June of 2006, he was dubbed, "...the most exciting Indian chef in the United States," by David Rosengarten in the prestigious Rosengarten Report.

Chirnomula also credits his good fortune to the skill of his chef d' cuisine, Kishan Lal Sharma.

Sharma's career started at a young age in his native New Delhi. After working several years in many capacities in fine hotels and fine dining establishments, he was called to Kuwait to work for 'Maharaja Palace'.

After successful 14 years in Kuwait, Sharma joined Chirnomula in Connecticut. A master Tandoori cook and bread maker, Sharma is married with three children who will be joining him soon in the US.

Prasad invites you to enjoy their culinary creations and their renowned hospitality at each of the Thali® Restaurants

"The joys of my life are our children and
our cooking! Please come and share our vision of the infinite varieties of the regional cuisines of India and their spectacular heritage!"