Gourmet Guru

Masterchef’s love and passion for regional Indian cuisines and the art of gastronomy, decoded.

- Anjali Rawat

Well-known as the curry and kebab guy, by some of the best food critics, Chef Kunal Kapur is one of the most celebrated faces in the culinary world. He is an all-in-one Indian celebrity chef, restaurateur, and an affable media personality. Born into a Punjabi family, he is best known for helping people to get a taste of his cooking secrets through his cookbooks and several shows on the television. And, he continues to do so in the following interview.

You started your academic career in the field of commerce, but today you are one of the most well-known chefs globally. What made you venture into the field of spoons and knives?

I was always a creative person and never the numbers guy. I knew my fate will be sealed if I pursued commerce with banking. In order to not become a banker pushing papers I decided to get into a creative and free space. Watching my dad and grand-dad cook at home each Sunday gave me confidence that the kitchen can be a man’s domain as well. I started out helping out my dad in the kitchen for Sunday lunch after finishing my homework and found that cooking was totally fun. My dad explained to me the name of each spice and its purpose, this learning came in handy when I joined my catering college.

It is said that cooking as a skill requires patience and time. How did you overcome the challenges you had to face during your initial days of becoming a chef?

I was not looking for a dream job as I knew there wasn’t one because at that time, around 20 years ago there were only a handful of 5-star hotels in India. I knew what I was getting into when I decided to take up cooking as a career. My job required me to be patient, hardworking, work for long hours at a stretch and much more. I had my mind to it and learnt the hard way that this skill will grow on me eventually.