Nisha Katona MBE is one of the UK’s most distinctive and inspiring food personalities, a true trailblazer whose story is unlike any other in British food culture.
After 20 years practising as a barrister in child protection, she made a bold leap of faith that would change her life entirely by opening her first restaurant without any external investor. During her time as a barrister, Nisha was appointed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport as a trustee of National Museums Liverpool, and in 2009 the Cabinet Office appointed her as an Ambassador for Diversity in Public Appointments. Despite her hugely successful career as a barrister, Nisha had a passion for Indian cuisine and put everything on the line to pursue this. She opened Mowgli Street Food in Liverpool in 2015 with a clear vision: to bring the honest, flavour-packed cooking of Indian home kitchens to British high streets. It worked. What started as one restaurant in Liverpool has grown into a 26 sites (and growing) and a group that has won awards, captured hearts, and changed the way many Brits think about Indian food. She is a true inspiration to anyone with a dream, showing that you can achieve your goals no matter what stage in life.
The growth of the business has been extraordinary. Mowgli was named one of the nation’s fastest-growing companies by The Sunday Times Fast Track 100, Business of the Year at the City of Liverpool Business Awards, Best Value Restaurant Operator, R200 Awards and it has won many more awards.
With the support of DML Talent, Nisha has become a familiar and beloved face on British food television. She has been a judge on BBC’s Great British Menu alongside Tom Kerridge and Ed Gamble, and is a regular contributor to ITV’s This Morning, where she shares Indian home cooking and comforting recipes with the nation. In 2025 Nisha hosted her own ITV series Nisha Katona’s Home Kitchen, showcasing delicious home recipes from her outdoor kitchen. She is widely regarded as one of the most talented and engaging chefs on TV right now. She is also popular guest judge on Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr.
Nisha has published seven cookbooks, the most recent being best-selling book ‘The Curry Bible: The Ultimate Indian Cookbook Featuring 100 Classic Recipes’ published in June 2026.
Nisha is a fantastic entrepreneurial speaker and she talks at prestigious events, awards and panel discussions globally. Nisha speaks openly about her own journey, encouraging female ambition, leadership, and the courage to take risks. By blending law, business, media, and charity, she has become a compelling role model. She speaks about her ‘maternal’ management style which has led to Mowgli Street Food being ranked in the top 10 of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, being awarded Management Team Award at The Sunday Times Fast Track and Best Companies named it the 11th Best Company to Work For in the UK — a reflection of Nisha’s belief that great businesses are built on happy, valued people.
For Nisha, it was extremely important for charitable giving to not be an afterthought at Mowgli — it is baked into the very foundations of the business. Nisha created The Mowgli Trust with the mission to enrich the lives of staff, foster lifelong learning, and give back to the communities the restaurants serve. The Trust currently donates up to £500,000 a year to carefully chosen charitable partners, and Mowgli also sponsors a child in need for every full-time employee recruited. Growing this number each year is one of the driving motivations behind Nisha’s ambition to expand the business further.
Nisha was honoured to be awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Year’s Honours List for services to the Food Industry.
