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Indian-origin chef faces backlash over ‘Southerner’ remarks
The backlash began after Chauhan appeared on an episode of Southern Living’s “Biscuits & Jam” podcast
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Staff Reporter - Fri, 08, May 2026
- 02:41 EDT
- 21
Chef Maneet Chauhan / Southern Living
Indian-American chef and restaurateur Maneet Chauhan faced criticism on social media after describing herself as a “Southerner” during a recent podcast interview, prompting an online debate over immigration, identity and assimilation in the United States.
The backlash began after Chauhan appeared on an episode of Southern Living’s “Biscuits & Jam” podcast, where she discussed her upcoming projects and life in Nashville, Tennessee, where she has lived for the past 12 years. During the interview, she was asked whether she now considers herself a true Southerner.
“I am, I think there's a lot of commonality between people who are from India and the people from South. So it felt very much at home,” Chauhan said.
She added: “Being a Southerner means having a heart which permeates into everything that you do. With the people that you meet, with every project you take up, with each conversation that you have, there is soul, there is depth.”
I mean come on. pic.twitter.com/5NnLbphiya
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 6, 2026
The remarks drew criticism online after conservative journalist Sean Davis shared screenshots from the interview alongside details about Chauhan’s Indian background and education.
“I mean come on,” Davis wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The post quickly gained traction and triggered sharply divided reactions online. Some users criticized Davis and defended Chauhan’s comments as an example of immigrant assimilation in the United States.
“Republicans are now getting mad at immigrants for assimilating,” one user wrote.
Another user said: “Maneet, an award-winning chef, built her restaurant empire in Nashville. She’s also a live fire barbecue expert. She’s an immigrant from India who assimilated and loves America. We should celebrate entrepreneurs like her.”
Others supported the criticism directed at Chauhan.
“She’s not a Southerner or an American! What an insult to real Southerners,” one user wrote, adding that Southern Living “should be ABSOLUTELY ASHAMED for running this piece.”
Another wrote: “I have cast iron pans that have been in the south longer than she.”
Born in Ludhiana, Punjab, Chauhan studied hotel management in India before moving to New York in 1998 to attend the Culinary Institute of America. She later worked in restaurants in New Jersey, Chicago and New York before opening restaurants in Nashville and Florida.
Chauhan has also appeared on television programs including “Chopped,” “BBQ Brawl,” “Maneet’s Eats” and “Tournament of Champions.”
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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