5 Celebrity Chefs and How They Made it Big
5 Celebrity Chefs and How They Made it Big- India is a country with full hearted traditions, full of cultural heritage and talent overabundance. From famous artists like M.F. Hussain, and great singers like Lata Mangeshkar to inspirational entrepreneurs like Dhirubhai Ambani and L.N. Mittal. But today, we’re going to honour chefs who've made India proud. Their unique methods of cooking have put India on the global culinary map. These Indian chefs must be celebrated since they have created history in their own way.
A food without a chef is like a diamond without polish which makes it just a piece of carbon and who wants that on their fingers? Hailing from the land of spices, we have some of the best chefs in the globe produced by India, who with magic turn copper to gold like the old Midas. Some of these have passed from the best culinary arts colleges of India. Take a peek at India’s finest culinary masters loved all across the world.
Also read- Important Chef Qualification and Skills
Sanjeev Kapoor
Kapoor was born in April 1964 in Ambala and spent his childhood in multiple north Indian cities. He started in the hospitality industry in 1984 with a Diploma in Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management Catering & Nutrition, Pusa, New Delhi. In 1992, a year after cable television entered India, Kapoor began hosting Khana Khazana, an Indian cooking show that became so successful that it became the longest-running TV show of its kind in Asia. In the pre-Google and YouTube era, Kapoor's success rested on his ability to simplify complex recipes and his knowledge as a chef for an entire generation of home cooks, as well as engage the audience with his easy charm. He started his career as a kitchen trainee with ITDC in 1984 and thereafter worked with many large and established hotels and hotel chains. Over the years, he has built a large business empire, which includes a chain of restaurants, a range of cookware and appliances called Wonderchef, a line of ready-to-eat meals, and a 24-hour channel, Food Food. He has also authored hundreds of cookbooks and endorsed numerous brands. His website claims to have over 10 million views a month, while his youtube channel has over million subscribers.
Vikas Khanna
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Chef Khanna is one of the most renowned Indian chefs. Vikas Khanna was born in Amritsar, though now he is based in New York city. This must be unknown to many readers that he was born with misaligned feet and wasn't able to run until he was 13. He is considered as the humble chef in the culinary field. He began his journey in his grandma’s kitchen in Amritsar. He was inspired by his mentor Sagar Rajani who loved to cook, and his kitchen became a part of his foundational training.
Khanna was innovative and started developing recipes from a very young age and opened Lawrence Gardens Banquets to host weddings and family functions when he was 17. He graduated from the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration wherein as part of his internships/training sessions he worked under renowned chefs of hotels such as Leela Kempenski, Oberoi Sheraton, Taj Group of Hotels etc. Vikas Khanna also received an honorary doctorate at GD Goenka University 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 Cornell University, Culinary Institute of America and New York University.
He has worked with a lot of best food experts around the globe, including Gordon Ramsey, and Bobby Flay. Moreover, in New York he runs his own restaurant named “Junoon”. He has additionally arranged a dinner for US President Barack Obama. In 2011, People magazine named Khanna in the list of Sexiest Men Alive and also referred to him as “The Hottest Chef of America.” He has earned many awards including GQ India Man Of The Year, 2012.
Know more- Oberoi STEP
Tarla Dalal
Chef Tarla Dalal (June 1936 – 6 November 2013) was a food author, culinary expert, cookbook writer and host of cooking. Her first cookbook, The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking, was distributed in 1974. From that point forward she composed more than 100 books and sold more than 3 million copies. She additionally ran the biggest Indian site for a magazine, Cooking and More. Her cooking shows included The Tarla Dalal Show and Cook It Up With Tarla Dalal. She died on 6 November 2013 after a heart attack but ranked among the famous best chefs in India. When asked by a leading daily on whether she was always a good cook from childhood she was quoted to say, “I was 20 years old when I got married and could cook only DBRS.” When asked what was DBRS? She replied – Dal Bhat Roti Sabzi. She started learning to cook like every other young girl and went on to become one of the most recognisable faces in India when it came to cooking.
One of the most popular and celebrated chefs in India, Tarla Dalal started her cooking career in 1966 when she started taking cooking classes at her home. Her cooking skills and guidance were widely applauded by people and you could often hear people say – “If you want to get your daughter married, send her to Mrs. Dalal's classes.” With motivation from people around her she authored her first cookbook in 1974 called The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking which went on to sell more than 1,50,000 copies. She has penned down a total of 170 cook books which have been translated in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati and even in Russian and Dutch.
Also read- Career in Hospitality Management
Anjum Anand
Anjum Anand was born in Kolkata. She was first keen on music than cooking and worked as a drummer in some rock groups before starting his culinary profession. She went to a cooking school in Trivandrum and worked day night to get recognition as top ten chefs in India. She started working as a student with Taj Group. Anand later left the Taj Group to seek a professional degree in Bangkok, where she started working at Red eatery that spent time learning more Indian food. She served as the primary culinary expert of Indian with Ferran Adrià’s group at el Bulli furthermore started working at different eateries in Bangkok. Anand’s was disappointed in light of the fact that the organizations “simply didn’t need anything diverse then regular meals”. This disappointment drove her to propose to a few companions that she open his own restaurant, Gaggan. Now she is considered among the best top 5 celebrity chefs in India.
Rashmi Uday Singh
Her claim to fame was when she became the first author in India to pen down a city restaurant guide in 1997. She also went on to write the first ever “Nightlife guide to Mumbai" and recently was in the headlines for authoring the world's first vegetarian guide to Paris. Award winning author, Rashmi Uday Singh, completed her BA English honours from LSR after which she pursued LLB from Government Law College (Mumbai University) followed by joining Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, Mumbai University and then completing her diploma in journalism from Bombay School of Journalism. Rashmi is an IAS officer of the 1977 batch and worked at the Indian Revenue Service as a deputy commissioner and quit her post after 15 years to follow her passion to be part of the newsprint and television industry for which she went on to train with BBC in London. She has written around 34 books on people, nightlife and food. She also regularly hosts shows on television and even writes columns on a regular basis for Chennai Times and Bombay Times.
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Food Scientist
A career as a food scientist requires working full-time in the laboratory. He or she analyses data, works on computer programmes, and monitors the processors involved in food production. He or she examines raw materials and surroundings to detect problems. A food scientist is employed in research universities, government agencies, departments, and private entities such as food production facilities in order to do research work in terms of studying food production, storage, and transportation facilities.
Food Inspector
A career as a food inspector comes with the responsibility to ensure the food is healthy for human consumption. A food inspector inspects the food processing entities, manufacturing companies, restaurants, and dairy farms to collect samples for investigating the quality of food ingredients and preservatives being used in the food product to be sold in the market. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about how to become a food inspector.
Food Engineer
A Food Engineer is a professional who is responsible for processing, packaging, and improving food products. He or she either works in the agricultural or food processing industry holding the responsibility of ensuring higher quality of food products including safety, supply, nutrition, and value.
Food Technologist
Food technologists are responsible for developing healthy and safe food. They ensure the food being produced is hygienic and tastes the finished product. A Food technologist's career requires working in product development and with food product suppliers. This study is a blend of principles of management, science, and marketing to produce or develop quality and hygienic food.
Family Social Worker
In a career as family social worker, an individual help those people who grow up in dysfunctional families and suffer from mild to extreme dysfunction. Some people are able to overcome the obstacles that childhood brought them and have a positive impact on the future. This negative behavior brings great pressure on family members. Sometimes they need help to learn how to deal with certain family situations or problems faced on a personal level. Individuals who opt for a career as family social worker can help restore harmony by providing services to families in crisis.
Chef
Individuals in chef career path work responsibilities include planning the menu, observing the kitchen, and supervising the entire kitchen staff. In the beginning, a trainee chef might be asked to wash dishes, clean the kitchen, and chop vegetables. There is a gradual process of learning and growth to reach the final destination ‘head chef’.
Every restaurant needs a culinarian and the country has a thousand great restaurant chains. So, there are immense career opportunities as well. In this article, we will discuss Chef roles and responsibilities, how to become a Chef in India, Chef skills, Chef eligibility, how to become chef after 12th and Chef qualification.
Linguist
Linguistic meaning is related to language or Linguistics which is the study of languages. A career as a linguistic meaning, a profession that is based on the scientific study of language, and it's a very broad field with many specialities. Famous linguists work in academia, researching and teaching different areas of language, such as phonetics (sounds), syntax (word order) and semantics (meaning).
Other researchers focus on specialities like computational linguistics, which seeks to better match human and computer language capacities, or applied linguistics, which is concerned with improving language education. Still, others work as language experts for the government, advertising companies, dictionary publishers and various other private enterprises. Some might work from home as freelance linguists. Philologist, phonologist, and dialectician are some of Linguist synonym. Linguists can study French, German, Italian.
Event Manager
Event Managers are professionals responsible for planning, organising, and executing various types of events, ensuring they run smoothly and meet the desired objectives. They coordinate all aspects, from selecting venues and managing budgets to overseeing logistics and collaborating with suppliers. Event Managers work closely with clients to understand their goals and tailor events accordingly.
Event Managers manage teams, delegate tasks, and handle unexpected challenges to ensure events are successful. Strong organisational, communication, and problem-solving skills are vital in this role. They operate in diverse settings, including corporate, social, and entertainment events, and may work independently or for event management companies.
Also read: Bachelor of Event Management (BEM) Course
Travel Agent
A travel agent works in the tour and travel industry. His or her work responsibility involves arranging travel for the end clients such as individuals, corporations, or groups on behalf of suppliers such as hotels, airlines, package tours, and other facilities. A travel agent involves working for an independent travel agency or can be a part of a travel agency.
Individuals who opt for a career as a travel agent are involved in planning trips for their clients in their day-to-day life. Travel agents stay updated about the hospitality and travel industry. Students can pursue some travel agent courses, such as BTTM (Bachelor of Tourism and Travel Management), and MTHM (Master in Tourism and Hotel Management) to become a travel agent.
Hotel Manager
A hotel manager manages the hotel staff and services provided to clients and guests. Individuals in the hotel management career path, negotiate on contracts with vendors providing various services in the hotel. He or she coordinates with different departments to ensure that the best services and facilities are provided to guests.
The hotel manager manages the hotel's budget. He or she supervises staff and maintains rules and regulations. The hotel manager handles customer relationships and solves their issues. Here, in this article, we will discuss the details of a hotel management career, and how to get into a hotel management career.
Food Stylist
A food stylist is a culinary art specialist who is responsible for making the food look arranged in a presentable way decked up with accessories for a close shot. He or she works with chefs, photographers and editors.
Bartender
The bartender is the person who mixes and serves drinks at the bar. He or she helps the people to serve drinks at parties which adds to the glamour of the event or the night and makes the environment like a party mood. It is difficult to plan parties without the help of a bartender serving beers and alcohol with all the mixing techniques.
Students can pursue BHM (Bachelor of Hotel Management), or other related courses to opt for a bartender career in India. Here, in this article, we will discuss the details of how to become a Bartender in India, bartending a good job, bartender career growth, bartender roles and responsibilities, bartender courses in India, and bartender skills.
Station Master
A Station Master is also known as SM in its abbreviated form. He or she is an executive employed by Indian Railway Recruitment Board responsible for running trains at a station. The role of Station Master comes with the responsibility of being in charge of running trains at the station assigned to him or her.
A career as Station Master requires to holds the responsibility to operate signals and ensure everything is as per the railway rules and regulations. The primary responsibility of the Station Master is ensuring that all the passenger amenities are fit and fine at his or her station so that travellers do not face any problems.
Linguist
Linguistic meaning is related to language or Linguistics which is the study of languages. A career as a linguistic meaning, a profession that is based on the scientific study of language, and it's a very broad field with many specialities. Famous linguists work in academia, researching and teaching different areas of language, such as phonetics (sounds), syntax (word order) and semantics (meaning).
Other researchers focus on specialities like computational linguistics, which seeks to better match human and computer language capacities, or applied linguistics, which is concerned with improving language education. Still, others work as language experts for the government, advertising companies, dictionary publishers and various other private enterprises. Some might work from home as freelance linguists. Philologist, phonologist, and dialectician are some of Linguist synonym. Linguists can study French, German, Italian.
Travel Agent
A travel agent works in the tour and travel industry. His or her work responsibility involves arranging travel for the end clients such as individuals, corporations, or groups on behalf of suppliers such as hotels, airlines, package tours, and other facilities. A travel agent involves working for an independent travel agency or can be a part of a travel agency.
Individuals who opt for a career as a travel agent are involved in planning trips for their clients in their day-to-day life. Travel agents stay updated about the hospitality and travel industry. Students can pursue some travel agent courses, such as BTTM (Bachelor of Tourism and Travel Management), and MTHM (Master in Tourism and Hotel Management) to become a travel agent.
Travel Journalist
A travel journalist is one who travels to different locations, explores them, and researches their history and cultural heritage. The travel journalist plans and organises the trip and looks after factors such as bookings, routes, destinations to visit, expenses, and other logistics. The travel journalist writes about the experience throughout the journey on various social media platforms, magazines, or even blogs.
He or she might also create travel guidebooks or memoirs to guide other tourists through his or her experience. Here, in this article, we will be discussing what a travel journalist does, travel journalist's salary is, how to become a travel journalist, how a travel journalist is in India, what a travel journalist's job description is, and what is travel journalism.
Travel Planner
A travel planner is a professional who assists clients or people in planning and organising their trips. He or she is responsible for making arrangements for the client's travel requirements such as reservations, booking flights, and arranging transport. A travel planner may also visit the holiday destinations and resorts to help the clients make informed decisions.
In a career as a travel planner, he or she must design cost-effective travel packages according to the client's needs and budget and provide the best recommendations to them. The travel planner oversees the negotiations for the accommodation, transportation, rental companies, tour guides and restaurants for the clients to get the maximum benefits of trips.