Vikas Khanna- the name among billions who reached the zenith of his career by cooking delicious cuisines and his hard work. He is a kind-hearted and soft-spoken person. From a small town Amritsar to being a successful celebrity chef, his journey is really inspiring. He is not just known in India but famous at the global. And he is not just a chef but a filmmaker, restaurateur, cookbook writer, host of some international television food shows and judge of Indian Television show Masterchef India and known for his great philanthropic works. So, here is our chef Vikas Khanna.
Chef Vikas Khanna was born and brought up in Amritsar, got the inspiration and guidance of cooking from his grandmother. He used to make langars and helped his grandmother in the golden temple, he was born with a defect in his leg so he couldn’t run till the age of 13. He is a self-made man who loved cooking and started his business of catering by the name of Lawrence Gardens Banquets, at the very young age of 17 with just 15000 in his pocket and that he accumulated by selling some of his stuff. While trying new recipes and serving people in Gurudwara in Amritsar, he used to meet many International tourists who complimented his food which gave him motivation.
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He is an all-rounder person who has charming looks, a good personality, and a sublime talent for cooking. He believes that Indian Culture is represented by its cuisine and took Indian Food to the streets of New York and honored with the Rising Star Chef Award by Star Chefs for shaping the future of American Cuisine, thus due to his work Indian Cuisine is now recognized across the globe.
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Prominent Accolades and Books
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He is the man who had gone through many struggles, in his initial days in New York, he had to sleep in the streets and worked diligently for just basic meals but now he is a “Michelin star” for his Indian restaurant “Junoon” by Michelin Guide. Secondly, he evolved in the list of Sexiest Men Alive snd referred to as Hottest Chef of America” in ‘ Peoples Magazine’ in 2011.Thirdly, He was awarded recently with Asia Game Changer Award 2020 for feeding millions across India during the Covid pandemic He authored the book “Utsav”, which is a 16 kg book that was auctioned for 30 Lakhs, and worth billions, this is a gold-crusted book. Along with this, he has also authored many books namely ‘Flavors First: An Indian Chef’,’ Kitchens of Gratitude’, My Great Indian Cookbook’,’Khaana Sutra,’ etc Mr. Khanna is adored by many for his strong personality, affable nature, intelligence, and humanitarian work.
Movies
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He has done many documentaries, short and main films. His documentary film “ Kitchens of Gratitude” made his presence at the 69th Cannes Film Festival, and even his directed debut film “The Last Colors” teaser was premiered at 71st Cannes Film Festival and gone to Oscars 2020 for Best Film, this film’s story is about day to day struggles of living in the street of Benares starring Neena Gupta in a lead role. And then the film and book about his personal encounters from being a child with a club foot then being operated to being a successful chef appeared on the big screen and released by the name of ‘Buried Seeds”.
Humanitarian Works
- Vikas Khanna organized a fundraiser event where he cooked for Barak Obama at the White House, USA.
- He is the “Goodwill Ambassador of Smile Foundation” and supporter of malnutrition in India
- He created a “Feed India Initiative” during Covid-19 which serves food for the needy and destitute.
- He also founded Cooking for Life and SAKIV Organizations which look after the Gastronomic Events and provide reliefs and aware people about issues.
Unknown and Surprising Facts
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It is surprising that Chef Vikas Khanna has rejected Karan Johar’ Movie offer as he just want to concentrate on his first love of food!
Secondly, when he made his presence on Gordon Ramsay’s show ‘Kitchen Nightmares, Ramsay told him that he should be the Hollywood Movie and TV Star. And it is known that Hollywood studios approached his heart-touching story.
Thirdly He is the man behind this unique idea of the first Culinary Equipment Museum at Welcomgroup Graduate school of Hotel Management, Manipal, which showcases and donates utensils and cooking equipment that are worth million dollars. This is made to preserve India’s enriched tradition of culinary arts and to make future generations aware.
Vikas Khanna can be said as a real superstar who gave the real meaning to cooking, highlighted its importance, and made people aware of the exalted tradition of Indian cooking. His journey is really inspiring, from being from a small town in India to attaining a degree at Culinary Institute of America and New York University and having worked with renowned hotels like Taj Group, Oberoi Group, Welcome Group, and Leela Group of Hotels. Also worked with top chefs of the world like Boby Flay, Gordon Ramsay, Eric Ripert, etc.