advertisement
A chef, restaurateur, and television personality ― Atul Kochhar, a man of many hats, was in the limelight for all the right reasons... until recently.
The London-based celebrity chef courted controversy for criticising Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra over an episode of her American show Quantico that purportedly portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists – many Indians were outraged, as was Kochhar.
Prior to this controversy, what was Kochhar known for and why is he a big deal in the Indian chef fraternity?
Born in Jamshedpur in 1969, the then 20-year-old Kochhar began his career as a chef at The Oberoi group of Hotels in New Delhi. However, Kochhar’s heart was set on being a cricketer.
He received a formal training from the Institute of Hotel Management in Chennai before starting his cooking journey.
It was during his five-year stint in the Oberoi that he graduated to the rank of five-star chef, and worked as a Sous Chef. In 1994, he moved to fine dining under the supervision of renowned Hilton chef Bernard Kunig, where he reportedly worked on building his body of work.
Kochhar then moved to London and opened ‘Tamarind’ in 2001, an Indian cuisine restaurant and then flagship ‘Benares’ in 2003.
He received his first Michelin star in 2001 ― becoming the first ever Indian to receive that honour. He won his second star six years later in 2007.
Kochhar has been described as a true ambassador of Indian epicurean history, with most of his restaurants being structured on Indian cuisine.
The menu in Benares, for example, reportedly includes minted wild sea bass, spiced quail, mustard marinated king prawn and lamb cutlet or the asparagus poriyal.
“I travel across the world, eat at as many places as I can and make sure that my menu, team and style respond to trends, changes in produce, and constantly evolve,” tells Kochhar in an interview to the newspapers.
This motto of Kochhar is probably what drives his various television shows, including Masterchef Goes Large, Great British Menu and MasterChef India, which reportedly increased his popularity.
Kochhar has also authored 30 Minute Curries, Atul’s Curries of the World, Benaras, Simple Indian and Fish, Indian Style among many other titles and his recipes have reportedly been published in many magazines.
So there you have it – the foundations of Kochhar’s fame and erstwhile respectability, before he was unceremoniously sacked for offensive public comments in relation to a Hollywood TV show.
(With inputs from NDTV, Deccan Chronicle)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)