Vikas Khanna (born 14 November 1971) is an Indian chef, restaurateur, cookbook writer, filmmaker and humanitarian. He is one of the judges of

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedi ...

series ''MasterChef India''. He is based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Early life and education

Khanna was born in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

, India, to Davinder and Bindu Khanna. His mother still lives there. He did his schooling at St. Francis School, Amritsar. He was born with a leg deformity (

club foot Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inward and downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. In approximately 50% of cases, clubfoot aff ...

) and wasn't able to run until he was 13 years old. He was inspired by his Biji (grandmother) who loved to cook, and her kitchen became a part of his foundational training. Khanna began developing recipes at a very young age and opened Lawrence Gardens Banquets to host weddings and family functions when he was 17. He graduated from Welcomgroup graduate school of hotel administration a constituent of

Manipal Academy of Higher Education Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) is a private deemed university located in Manipal, India. The university also has campuses in Mangalore, Bangalore and Jamshedpur in India , and global campus in Dubai and Malacca (Malaysia). As o ...

in 1991. Vikas Khanna also received an honorary doctorate at

GD Goenka University GD Goenka University is a private university located in Sohna, Gurugram, Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguist ...

as a recognition for his outstanding work in culinary art philanthropy, altruism and humanitarianism and his global reach as a chef. He has also studied at

Culinary Institute of America Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

Career

While in India, Khanna worked for the

Taj Hotels Taj Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels and a subsidiary of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, India. Incorporated by Jamsetji Tata in 1902, the company is a part of the Tata Group, one of India's largest business cong ...

Oberoi group The Oberoi Group is an award-winning luxury hotel group with its head office in New Delhi, India. Founded in 1934, the company owns and operates 32 luxury hotels and two river cruise ships in 7 countries, primarily under its Oberoi Hotels & ...

, Welcom group, and

Leela Group of Hotels The Leela is an Indian luxury hotel chain founded in 1986 by C. P. Krishnan Nair and currently owned by Brookfield Asset Management. History The Leela hotels were founded as part of The Leela Group, which was named after the founder C. P. ...

. Khanna had worked at Salaam Bombay and The Café at the

Rubin Museum of Art The Rubin Museum of Art, also known as the Rubin Museum is a museum dedicated to the collection, display, and preservation of the art and cultures of the Himalayas, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and other regions within Eurasia, with a per ...

in New York before he joined Junoon, an upscale Indian restaurant in

Flatiron district The Flatiron District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, named after the Flatiron Building at 23rd Street, Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Generally, the Flatiron District is bounded by 14th Street, Union Square and Gre ...

of Manhattan. Junoon received a favorable review from Sam Sifton in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' in its inaugural year and was awarded a Michelin star by the

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of ...

for six consecutive years since 2011. He has also worked with top chefs including

Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a tot ...

Eric Ripert The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

Bobby Flay Robert William Flay (born December 10, 1964), is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and reality television personality. Flay is the owner and executive chef of several restaurants and franchises, including Bobby's Burger Palace, Bobby's ...

and

Jean-Georges Vongerichten Jean-Georges Vongerichten (; ; born in Alsace, France, on 16 March 1957) is a French chef.

. In 2019, he opened a restaurant called Kinara in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

. In 2020, he opened a restaurant called Ellora in

Television shows

From 2011, Khanna hosted five seasons of ''MasterChef India'' (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) a series based on the original British version. He has been hosting all the seasons of the show since then. Khanna was invited as a guest judge on ''

MasterChef Australia ''MasterChef Australia'' is an Australian competitive cooking reality show based on the original British '' MasterChef''. It is produced by Endemol Shine Australia and screens on Network 10. Restaurateur and chef Gary Mehigan, chef George Ca ...

'' in Season 6. He has hosted four seasons of the show ''Twist of Taste'' on

Fox Life Fox Life is an international pay television network, launched by the Fox Networks Group in 2004. The network has been discontinued in several markets over time, except for the Middle East, Bulgaria, Portugal, the Balkans, India and Greece. The ...

. Khanna was featured as a Consultant chef to help a failing Indian restaurant named Purnima on the

TV series ''

Kitchen Nightmares ''Kitchen Nightmares'' is an American reality television series formerly broadcast on the Fox network, in which chef Gordon Ramsay is invited by the owners to spend a week with a failing restaurant in an attempt to revive the business. Produced ...

''. Khanna appeared as a judge and an Indian-cuisine specialist on the two-part season finale of ''

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the ea ...

''. He has appeared on ''

Throwdown! with Bobby Flay ''Throwdown! with Bobby Flay'' is a Food Network television program in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges cooks renowned for a specific dish or type of cooking to a cook-off of their signature dish. At the beginning of each show, Flay rec ...

'' as a judge and as a guest chef on ''

The Martha Stewart Show ''Martha'', also known as ''The Martha Stewart Show'', is an American cooking show hosted by Martha Stewart. The series premiered on September 12, 2005, in syndication until it was picked up by the Hallmark Channel in September 2010 as part of a l ...

''.

Film production

Khanna has produced a documentary series named ''Holy Kitchens'', which explores the bond between faith and food. The series has been showcased at Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and Oxford Universities and Film Festivals. His documentary ''Kitchens of Gratitude'' was featured at

Marche du Film Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to th ...

at the 69th

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

. His directorial debut '' The Last Color'' is a film about the daily struggles for survival on the streets of the ancient city of Banaras, India. The teaser of the film featuring veteran Indian actress

Neena Gupta Neena Gupta (born 4 June 1959) is an Indian actress and television director who works in Hindi films and television. Known for her work in both art-house and commercial films, she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for pl ...

was released at the 71st

. The film made it to the final list of Oscar 2020 Eligibility for Best Film.

Philanthropy

Khanna launched the foundation "South Asian Kid's Infinite Vision" (SAKIV) to focus on worldwide issues that demand urgent action such as Tsunami Relief, Hurricanes of the Gulf Coast, Haiti. In collaboration with charitable institutions, such as

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

, the foundation has hosted many events worldwide - from The Great Pyramid of Giza in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

to the

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, ...

in India. In 2018 Vikas Khanna built the first Culinary museum of India at his alma mater Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal. "Cooking for Life" founded by Khanna in 2001 in New York along with the world's top chefs supports several social causes. ''Vision of Palate'' is his award-winning workshop developed to educate people with visual disabilities about the sense of taste, flavor and aromas. On 14 May 2012, Khanna cooked for a fundraiser hosted for President Obama at the

Khanna is the goodwill ambassador for Smile Foundation and supports the cause of malnutrition in India. He has pledged to raise 1 million US dollars for the same. In April 2020, during the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

global pandemic, he started a "Feed India" initiative which is backed by

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...

, India Gate,

Quaker Oats The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001. History Precursor miller companies In the 1850s, Ferdinand Schumacher and Robert Stuart founded oat mills. ...

Hyatt Regency Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vacat ...

and Global Funds for Widows and delivers food and supplies to those in need in India.

Awards and recognitions

* Top 10 Chefs in the world by Deutsche Welle News and Gazette Review. * Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris causa) Degree by the G D Goenka University. * Doctorate in literature (Honoris causa) by D Y Patil University. *

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

nomination for his book Return to the Rivers in 2014. * "Rising Star" Chef Award by Star Chefs for his role in shaping the future of American Cuisine(2011). * GQ India Man of the year 2012 by

GQ Magazine ''GQ'' (formerly ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and ''Apparel Arts'') is an American international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though articles o ...

. * Featured in the list of Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine in November 2011. * "Access to Freedom Award" in 2005 from SATH. * The Shining Star Award from "Just One Break, Inc." * Proclamation from the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government model, the performance of ...

for his outstanding contribution to the city, and was chosen "New Yorker of the Week" by

NY1 NY1 (also officially known as Spectrum News NY1 and spoken as New York One) is an American cable news television channel founded by Time Warner Cable, which itself is owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition in May 2016. The channe ...

. * Featured on the cover of Men's Health India Magazine in 2012. * He was voted "New York's Hottest Chef" in a poll conducted by the New York ''Eater''

blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in Reverse ...

Bibliography

1. ''Ayurveda'' - The Science of Food and Life 2. Mango Mia - Celebrating the tropical world of Mangoes 3. The Cuisine of Gandhi - Based on the beliefs of the Legend 4. The Spice Story of India 5. New York Chefs Cooking for Life 6. Modern Indian Cooking 7. Flavors First: An Indian Chef's Culinary Journey 8. My Great India Cookbook 9. Khanna Sutra: Food Lessons in Love 10. Everyone Can Cook 11. Savour Mumbai: A Culinary Journey Through India's Melting Pot 12. Young Chefs 13. Return to the Rivers - Recipes and Memories of the Himalayan River Valleys 14. Bliss of Spices - The Essence of Indian Kitchen 15. Hymns from the Soil ''-'' A Vegetarian Saga 16. Amritsar - Flavours of the Golden city 17. The Magic Rolling Pin 18. World Feast - My Favourite Kitchen 19. MasterChef India Cookbook 20. Shaken & Stirred - 101 non-alcoholic blends 21. Timeless Legacy - His Holiness the Dalai Lama 22. The Milk Moustache 23. ''UTSAV'' - A Culinary Epic of Indian Festivals 24. Indian Harvest - Classic and Contemporary Vegetarian Dishes 25. Essence of Seasoning - My All Time Favorite Recipes 26. Mocktails, Punches, and Shrubs 27. My First Kitchen 28. A Tree Named Ganga 29. POEATRY - Poems from the heart of farms and a kitchen 30. ''PÃTRA'' - Heritage of the Indian Kitchen 31. The Last Color 32. The Wholesome Grain 33. Pilgrim's Flavors 34. Ceremony of Aromas 35. Magic of Slow Cooking 36. Back to our Roots 37. BARKAT 38. Sacred Foods of India 39. Barefoot Empress

References

External links

* * https://m.imdb.com/name/nm2301454 {{DEFAULTSORT:Khanna, Vikas American chefs Indian chefs Indian food writers Artists from Amritsar 1971 births Living people Canadian Sikhs Chefs of Indian cuisine Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants People from New York (state) Manipal Academy of Higher Education alumni Asia Game Changer Award winners