Similar to the flavorful food of India, its chefs are likewise well-known for their skills around the world; one such chef is Vikas Khanna. Khanna, one of India's wealthiest chefs, is now renowned for his culinary prowess, but getting to where he is now required him to overcome a number of challenges.
Who is Vikas Khanna?
The son of an Amritsar owner of a video cassette rental business, Vikas Khanna is now regarded as an international figure in the culinary industry. He was born with misaligned legs and forced to put on wooden footwear until he was in his teenage years. Because he couldn't walk or play like other kids, he frequently became the target of taunts from his peers.
Vikas had a particular interest in his early years, despite the sadness. He preferred to remain home and watch his Biji prepare various meals at home rather than playing outdoors with other kids. He had shown an early interest in starting his own catering company, and one beautiful day the principal of a school contacted his mother and him to assist them in creating 580 sweaters. Even though he had no prior experience with knitting, he seized the chance to study the craft with his Biji, Mensxp reported.
With the Rs 15,000 he got from knitting sweaters, Vikas decided to launch Lawrence Gardens in his yard after he turned 17 and purchased his first tandoor. At the ITC Maurya Sheraton in Delhi, his uncle once brought him for the midnight buffet. Then Vikas saw there was more to life than his tandoor. At the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration in Manipal, Karnataka, he registered for hotel management degree.
READ | Hate speech during UP polls: SC refuses to quash case against Mukhtar Ansari's son Umar
Vikas graduated from college in 1994, but ITC, the first employer to visit his campus for recruiting, turned him down due to his weak English abilities. But one day as he was leafing through a magazine, he stumbled onto a piece about the culinary Oscar.
Vikas Khanna arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on December 2, 2000, with no source of income at the moment except for a dream of success in life. When he came, a tiny eatery had a dishwashing opening. Vikas accepted the position, but as soon as he was requested to fill in as a waiter, he was fired.
In addition to working many part-time jobs at a tiny cafe in Tribeca, Manhattan, he assisted senior citizens by walking their pets. Khanna gradually climbed the success ladder by putting in a lot of effort and staying the course. He opened his restaurant "Junoon" in 2010, for which he subsequently received a Michelin Star.
He is a well-known chef who has also achieved success as a writer, TV host. He has been featured in Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen," "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," and "MasterChef India." Vikas was included in People Magazine's list of the Sexiest Men Alive in November 2011.
Chef Khanna started working in the kitchen with just Rs 450 salary monthly as a helper at Taj Intercontinental in 1990, career360 reported. According to Forbes India, Vikas Khanna made Rs 3.75 crore in 2019. According to Times Now, Khanna's net worth is thought to be between $10 and $15 million (Rs 80 and 120 crore).
