If you’ve been a subscriber of Chef Priyanka, you know the drill by now! It’s the end of the year, which means the Chef Priyanka year-in-review. A lot of people read this post as a “brag,” but I actually use this as a time to reflect on all of my work and everyone who has helped me get there. And I highly advise – regardless of what you do in life for work – to put together a similar list. It allows us to be grateful for everything that we’ve accomplished and set goals for the coming year. And it helps me keep myself honest. On a personal level, this year and past 2-3 months in particular have been the toughest I’ve ever had to face in my adult life. It’s been pretty awful, to say the least. So, putting this list together was a bit tough, given my headspace, but it was a really good exercise for me to do – to honor myself and everyone who has helped me get to where I am today.

So, here goes…drumroll please… 24 Things I Accomplished in 2024! Please note – this list is what I consider the best of the best and what’s important to me, big or small. The value is always in what comes next.

1. I visited my 44th country — Curaçao!
2. I visited my 45th country — Grenada!
3. I visited my 46th country — St. Lucia!
4. I visited my 47th country — St. Vincents & Grenadines!
5. I did my first pop-up event at Chloe! My wonderfully talented & badass friend Chloe Coscarelli has reopened her highly acclaimed vegan restaurant Chloe in West Village, Manhattan and I was honored to do my first Diwali collaboration with her! We made an Indian rendition of her famous cinnamon buns — a Saffron Pistachio Cardamon Cinnamon Bun
6. First time attending The White House
   • I was among the few hundred South Asian guests invited to attend Diwali at The White House. This was probably one of the coolest and epic moments of my career. A true honor that my work was getting recognized.
7. First time in featured/interviewed for 4 of the largest digital & print publications in India
   • Times of India
   • Hindustan Times
   • The Economic Times
   • NDTV
8. First time cooking for Bears
   • You read that right. I was invited by the non-profit Four Paws to cook for rescue bears at a sanctuary in Germany! This is the pinnacle of being a chef (in my humble opinion)
9. First time in PEOPLE Magazine
   • I wasn’t in PEOPLE Magazine when my book was published in 2021, but better late than never!! I was in it for cooking for bears! I was also in FORBES, but this wasn’t my first time 😉
10. Contributing to TODAY Food Cookbook
    • I was one of the 50 celebrity chef contributors to the TODAY Show Cookbook!! Out in April 2025.
11. Signing with a new talent agency
    • I signed with Viral Nation in March 2024 🙂
12. First cooking class at Culinary Institute of America
    • I hosted my first ever cooking class at one of the most prestigious culinary schools in the US!!
13. Became a Buzzfeed Tasty contributor – truly an honor to share my recipes with over 46M+ people!!
14. Launched my first YouTube Show!
    • This is possibly the BIGGEST project of the year – I invested in, co-produced, ideated and starred in my first ever professional YouTube show called Make It Vegan!
15. First major sponsor on YouTube
    • I had the coolest sponsor on my first ever YouTube show called Mill, all thanks to my wonderful agent Kylie Frink at Viral Nation!
16. Grew my YouTube to surpass 12,000 subscribers! Subscribe here!
17. Met Adam Mosseri
    • Yes, that is the MAN, the HEAD of Instagram. He is so sweet and a wealth of knowledge.
18. First SOBE Food Festival
    • I was one of the few headlining talent at South Beach Wine & Food Festival under FoodieCon!
19. Was featured on my first ever Times Square Billboard!!
20. Had my portrait painted by Devon Rodriguez
    • Earlier this year, I met the acclaimed and most followed digital artist Devon Rodriguez and we became friends! We painted my portrait, which is by far one of the coolest things!
21. Had 5 viral videos this year – okra being my biggest viral video!
22. Donated to 6 charities throughout the year
    • City Harvest
    • Mercy For Animals
    • Humane Society
    • Concern Worldwide
    • Glio Leo
    • American Red Cross
23. Got my book into Williams Sonoma
    • This is a HUGE deal for me, because I grew up obsessing over Williams Sonoma and to have my book sold in the store is a true gift! I am so grateful. This is all thanks to Jeremy Scheck who invited me to host a cooking class alongside him in February 2024 for his debut cookbook!
24. Letting go of people & things that no longer serve me
    • While this may not seem like an accomplishment, I consider it one. These past ~3 months and year have been some of the most difficult in my adult life. In my personal life, I went through several unexpected/unplanned changes, that I didn’t ask for. I have dealt with severe and traumatic heartbreak, abandonment, grief, financial loss, rejection and loss of future plans that were solidified. I am an extremely guarded, sensitive and introverted person. So, to be in this position where I was directly betrayed by someone I really loved and cared about, is the most awful thing I’ve had to go through. Yes, there are worse things in life and I am incredibly grateful for everything I have – my family, my friends, my health, my career, etc – but this series of events is not something I ever prepared for. So, it’s taken me a lot of courage and acceptance of the reality to move forward by letting people go and understanding what truly doesn’t serve me or have my best interests in mind. No one should ever be in a position where they don’t feel valued, loved, and appreciated. Remember that!