Often called the Oscars of the food industry, the James Beard Foundation Awards are among the most coveted for chefs in America. But what's sold and packaged as prestige can sometimes become a distraction from managing the business that got you there.

Winning the award can also change not only a chef's life, but in the case of Chintan Pandya (Dhamaka, Semma, Adda, Unapologetic Foods) it can literally change the entire industry.