Maneet Chauhan Is the First Video Guest on the 'Food Network Obsessed' Podcast

After more than 200 episodes of the Food Network Obsessed podcast, listeners can finally watch host Jaymee Sire interview their favorite Food Network chefs, judges, competitors and other food influencers.

Beloved Food Network chef, judge, competitor and team captain Maneet Chauhan sat down for an interview with Jaymee, where the two talked about Maneet’s daily routine, her role on a new Food Network show and what Maneet would choose in the show’s two signature games: “Sip or Skip” and “Fork, Marry, Kill.”

Maneet Chauhan Obsessed

“We could not think of a better first guest to join us here on our first video episode. So, in the spirit of Food Network Obsessed, I'm curious, what are you obsessed with right now?” Jaymee asked Maneet.

The answer came quickly: Food Network competition shows BBQ Brawl — where she serves as a team captain — and Chopped Castaways, where she serves as a judge.

Last summer’s season of BBQ Brawl saw a win for Team Maneet when Georgia’s Kyle Bryner wowed the judges with his Ode to Appalachia feast. For this summer's Season 7, Maneet’s team is competing against Team Bobby Flay and Team Brooke Williamson.

On Chopped Castaways, the stakes (and maybe the steaks?) are higher than ever as 12 chefs and three judges are dropped onto a remote island. They still have their mystery ingredients, but they have to work hard to get their baskets, and they don’t have the luxury of a full kitchen.

"There's nothing on the beach," Maneet recalled of arriving on set to film the first challenge. "Nothing — like literally nothing. I'm like, 'Where are they going to cook?' I still thought that there would be a kitchen, right?" Maneet was aghast when she was told the chefs would "have to build their own kitchens.”

A Day in the Life With Maneet

Maneet, who calls Nashville home, is the co-owner and executive chef behind Chauhan Ale & Masala House, located on the edge of The Gulch neighborhood downtown.

“You've built this incredible restaurant presence empire there," Jaymee said. "But the city itself, meanwhile, has also exploded into a food destination. What has it been like watching Nashville grow while you're building your own thing there?

“It's been absolutely incredible," said Maneet. "I always say that Nashville is a music city because of the audience. And now Nashville has become a foodie city because of the audience. They give us the opportunity to explore different flavors, to go ahead and be bold. Not to hide. Like, to me, the fact that I can serve Indian food in Nashville and it is beloved by all is incredible, right?”

Her days will sound so familiar to other working parents.

“Get up in the morning, get both the kids ready, drop them to school, then come back over here — still in my pajamas. That's the truth!” Maneet told Jaymee.

Dinner at Maneet’s home is early — 5:30 p.m. usually — and she and her husband, Vivek, cook together while ushering the kids through homework and other after-school tasks.

And wait until you hear what Maneet’s daughter said when she was invited to go with her mother for a TEDx talk.

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