Vikas Khanna
India
Biography
James Beard Award Nominee and Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna is an internationally acclaimed Indian chef, award-winning author, poet and filmmaker. He is the recipient of Access to Freedom Award, Eleanor Roosevelt’s Shining Star Award, GQ Man of the Year and was featured as “10 Global Legendary Chefs who've revolutionized our eating habits" by Deutsche Welle.
He is host of MasterChef India, Twist of Taste and National Geographic’s Mega Kitchens. He has been a guest on MasterChef Australia, Martha Stewart, Hell’s Kitchen, Beat Bobby Flay and many more shows. Gordon Ramsay featured him as “Top Indian Chef in New York City” on Kitchen Nightmares.
Khanna has established himself as a top authority on Indian Cuisine, hosting successful cooking shows and has written more than 25 cookbooks. His book Flavors First won the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award. Khanna Sutra, My Great India and Savor Mumbai won Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
UTSAV- A Culinary Epic of Indian Festivals has become the world’s most expensive cookbook. UTSAV was launched at 68th Cannes Film Festival and has been presented to President Obama, HH Dalai Lama, Pope Francis, PM Modi and most recently Khanna was invited to Buckingham Palace to present UTSAV to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
New York Times has called his “cooking style inventive” and New York Magazine quoted “an instinctive chef whose dishes just get it right” in a review.
Khanna was featured on the covers of Forbes Life, Good Housekeeping, Men’s Health, GQ and many more. He was recently awarded “Stardust Global Icon” and “Best TV Chef” by Indian Telly Awards.
His documentary series Holy Kitchens, which explores the bond between faith and food, has been showcased at Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Oxford and many other Universities and Film Festivals. His documentary “Kitchens of Gratitude” was featured at Marche du Film during 69th Cannes Film Festival.
Khanna developed workshops “Vision of Palate”, to create awareness of favors and aromas for the visually impaired. He has honored with Proclamation from Mayor Bloomberg and Comptroller William Thompson of New York City. He was also the first Indian to be featured as New Yorker of the Week on NY1.
Khanna has been featured on Eyewitness, ABC News, NBC, Fox for his work with foundations like Save the Children, Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross and Smile Foundation through which he raises funds and awareness for hunger and education.
His initiatives through SAKIV have hosted fundraisers for South Asian Tsunami, Katrina, Haiti and many more with some of the most influential chefs including Daniel Boulud, Jean Georges and Alain Ducasse.
Khanna has been documenting Indian cuisine, rituals and customs for decades. His most ambitious project is opening in 2018 in Manipal (India) - “Museum of Culinary Arts at WGSHA”. It will be one of a kind institution, which showcases the rich Indian heritage, history and diversity through kitchen equipment. It is dedicated to his late father, Mr. Davinder Khanna.
He lives in New York City with his prized collection of thousands of cookbooks.
He is a huge admirer of Petite Philips, Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Tarla Dalal.Pink Floyd, Lata Mangeshkar, Simon and Garfunkel are on his playlist. His favourite place in the world is Golden Temple, Amritsar.
The Cook & Chef Foundation is formed by relevant figures from international haute cuisine and young talent who share a vision of the world based on respect, on ethics, and on the good work of signature cooking.