06/24/2026
Chef Ranjan Dey is the owner of New Delhi Restaurant, San Francisco's oldest Indian restaurant. Dey got his start chopping vegetables at age 14 in his hometown of Kolkata, India, eventually opening restaurants in Hong Kong and Bangkok and ultimately dedicating himself to the downtown SF institution he has led for more than 37 years.
At SFGATE's annual Best of Bay Area awards show last night, the newsroom honored Dey with the Joe Betz Lifetime Achievement Award, a marquee recognition given to someone whose life's work has made a lasting, positive impact on San Francisco.
SGATE's Melissa Cho visited Dey a week before the event. What began as a video profile quickly became something warmer: a spirited hangout filled with stories, laughter and an easy. Because life with Ranjan is always Freakin Deylicious ♥️