India's Original Masterchef

Padma Shri awardee chef Sanjeev Kapoor speaks about his need to do things differently, the importance of education, and his greatest claim to fame, Khana Khazana.

- Priyanca Vaishnav

Meeting Sanjeev Kapoor is like entering the other side of the tube and actually being able to touch a pop culture reference of the 90s. The affable smile (despite an evident cold) and tales full of mirth reinforce the singular fact that flavours still matter over filtered photos, moody ratings, and nitro-gimmicks. Yet, the drum-set takes you by pleasant surprise, and the vast square conference table in front of India’s first homegrown TV chef says ‘hosting meals will never go out of fashion’.

As an Indian, it is a privilege to meet an artist who has been an idol for many citizens, recognised by the government, and treats cooking for black commando security celebs and children off the street alike. Chef Sanjeev, as he is known by those who work with him, wasn’t always inclined towards the trajectory of culinary arts. That said, the moorings always lingered.

Khana Khazana

In a time when Madhur Jaffrey had already made ripples on diaspora TV, Tarla Dalal was synonymous with Indian regional dishes through her cookbooks, and India didn’t boast of 800-plus cable TV channels, as part of its launch programming strategy, Zee TV approached the then Executive Chef of Hotel Centaur in Mumbai with a proposition of a three-recipe format for one episode. The title didn’t quite appeal Kapoor. The reference, he felt, was rather disrespectful to culinary arts and chefs, “I was educated, and trying to shape my profile away from being just a cook. I had not really thought about the wider community at the time.”