Khijadiya is a small village in Jamnagar district in Gujarat where a boy, growing up in a cotton farmer’s family, developed a taste for cooking. He often used to help his mother in the kitchen. As his family was into farming, the income was limited. In such a situation, the boy thought why not take this hobby of cooking and turn it into a fruitful career? Months passed and then the day came, which he probably would have never thought of. The boy, who grew up to be a popular chef, got a chance to cook food at Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani's son Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding, which is counted among the most expensive weddings in the world.
We are talking about none other than Jamnagar's Nikunj Vasoya, a Kathiyawadi food specialist with over 21 years of experience. Coming from a simple farmer family, Nikunj Vasoya has achieved tremendous success with his hard work and passion for cooking.
He is not only a well-known YouTuber today, but also cooks for wealthy people like the Ambani family. Nikunj Vasoya believes that whether rich or poor, good food makes everyone happy. His journey of cooking for his family, which started with this thought 20 years ago, has now taken the shape of a big career.
This story started in the year 2013 when Nikunj Vasoya was studying to become a CS. During this time, he realised that his real happiness lies in cooking. He left his studies midway and decided to fulfill his dream. Since childhood, he had a dream of having his own cooking show. However, at that time he did not know how to start it. Then, he got the idea of starting his own channel on YouTube and this channel was named 'Crazy for Indian Food'.
Nikunj Vasoya started making traditional Kathiyawadi dishes using fresh vegetables plucked from his fields and uploaded videos of the same on his YouTube channel. The channel slowly started gaining momentum. Today, Nikunj's channel has over 5.9 lakh subscribers and his most popular video has been viewed over 9.1 million times. Apart from cooking, Nikunj Vasoya also reviews street food and restaurants.
His authentic Kathiyawadi food found fans in the Ambani family as well. Apart from one night at the New Year, he also cooked for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding ceremony in Vantara and wedding in Mumbai.
In an exclusive interview with Indian Express, Vasoya, now 35, revealed how his journey with the Ambani family began with a New Year’s dinner. "Nita Bhabhi was so pleased with the meal that she asked me to come back the next day. Since then, I have prepared Kathiyawadi meals for the family over 12 times," he said.
For Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding, Nikunj Vasoya cooked Jamnagari Sev, Mamra Lili Chutney, Desi Sev Tamera Shaak, Bajra Rotla, and more.
"Never give up, dream big, work on it, and it will happen," Nikunj Vasoya was quoted by The Better India as saying.
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