This ICE Alum’s Small Group Dinner Series Is Hyderabad, India’s Hottest Reservation

For one month in the summer of 2024, small groups of 10’ish people — some friends, some couples, some complete strangers — gathered nightly in a chic apartment in Hyderabad, India to embark on a culinary journey. Over the course of each night’s seating, guests were transported to places like Thailand, Mexico, and a family farm on the outskirts of the city in which they dined. 

The experience, called “The Mango Menu,” represented the first round of dinners in The Long Table, a private dining concept founded by ICE alum Pragati Mitta. It’s a project that combines Chef Pragati’s passion for finding common themes across cuisines with her desire to use ingredients from her mother’s farm on the outskirts of Hyderabad — and it’s both a dream come true and a labor of love for Chef Pragati. 

The guest experience is akin to a casual, though stunning, meal at a friend’s home — because guests are, in fact, in Chef Pragati’s living room. What guests do not experience, however, is what’s happening behind the scenes: While dishes are cooked and plated in view of guests, a team of cooks does prep work in the apartment next door, following Chef Pragati's exacting instructions and ensuring the menu’s execution meets her high standards. 

Chef Pragati comes by these standards honestly. A former human rights lawyer who argued at India’s supreme court, she was successful but disillusioned. Eventually, the chasm between her joy of cooking and her frustrations with the realities of the legal system was too great to ignore. 

“People would gather around my lunch box and say ‘Oh, what has Pragati made today?’ That turned into the highlight of my day, which is when I realized that clearly, [law] is not where my heart is anymore… and cooking was what was bringing me the most joy.” 

With the dream of running her own kitchen one day, she got the nudge she needed from her mother, who reminded her there’s no time like the present. “It was a conversation with my mother which encouraged me to quit [law] and take this very drastic step of going to culinary school… Her point was ‘how do you know you’ll even be around in ten years? You know what you want to do. Do it now.'"

Extensive research followed. Ultimately, Chef Pragati decided that New York — and ICE, in particular — was the place to be. “I felt like New York would be the most exciting place to learn,” she says, noting both the value of the city’s culinary diversity and the amenities at ICE’s New York campus. 

“The hydroponic farm, the chocolate lab… [They] were such a huge draw for me. Being exposed to all these incredible things is the primary reason I chose ICE.” 

What followed was the realization that the discipline and exactitude of pastry training would serve her well. “I feel like someone who’s trained as a pastry chef is more likely to be able to pick up savory food than vice-versa,” she says. 

Once Chef Pragati started ICE’s Pastry and Baking Arts program, she knew restaurant desserts were her passion. With the help of her mentor, ICE Chef-Instructor Kathryn Gordon, Pragati landed a spot at one of Manhattan’s most renowned pastry destinations: Patisserie Chanson. 

After graduation, she travelled and cooked in Mexico, Greece, France, Vietnam and Italy, then returned to India to officially begin her professional cooking career. She quickly earned a spot in the training program at The Olive Group's Ek Bar, where the chef, who saw something unique in her abilities, recommended her for the role of Quality Manager at a popular cafe chain. 

Chef Pragati attributes the speed of her career progression to her background as a lawyer. “I'm… meticulously organized and my communication skills [are strong],” she says. 

COVID-19 was also a factor. “We had to use whatever resources we had on hand, and I was a resource that they had on hand. I was given a lot more responsibility than I was necessarily equipped for at that stage of my career. But you know, I didn't have a choice. I had to rise to the occasion, and I made it work.” 

Two years later, she was ready to begin work on her own business. She relocated from New Delhi, where she’d spent the majority of her professional life, to Hyderabad, and began the work of familiarizing herself with the local market and economy. To do this, she consulted with and for numerous restaurant groups, acquiring the business insights and acumen needed to launch The Long Table. 

She renovated her apartment, which included demolishing a bedroom to make a massive open kitchen, and developed an inaugural menu. It’s title simply: “Mango.” 

With a nightly seating of just 10 guests, Chef Pragati served a multi-course menu representing a cross-section of international cuisines wherein the mango features prominently. The secret was the Chef Pragati twist. “It was my interpretation of very classic dishes,” she says. 

The next theme was ‘Barsaat’, or ‘Monsoon,’ the rainy season that elicits strong memories for most Indians. “The Mango menu was based on an ingredient. This one [was] based on an emotion.” (Indians, she explained, have specific snacks and foods they associate with eating in the rain.) 

In the brief time since its inception, The Long Table has received high praise from The Hindu, a prolific and popular Indian newspaper, and caused a stir in the local culinary scene as chefs across the country clamor to collaborate on pop-up events. It’s also seen Chef Pragati’s personal star rise. She was recently ranked #1 on the “20 under 40 Making an Impact” list in popular lifestyle magazine Wow Hyderabad. In a city of 10.5 million, that’s saying something.

So what’s next for Chef Pragati? “I would love to share the experience of [my mother’s] farm with people because it’s really fascinating, especially to people who grew up in the city. I could literally point to where I grew a particular ingredient that is now on their plate. I think people would really enjoy being in nature like that.” 

Beyond that, Chef Pragati envisions a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the city, and maybe expanding The Long Table on-location dinners to her family property in the Himalayas. 

As to what fuels her creativity and career progress, she’s clear in attributing her foundational skills to formal cooking instruction. “Attending culinary school changed my life,” she says. “I wouldn't be able to do any of the things that I've done in this industry without that very solid training that I received at ICE."