An Exclusive Interview with Celebrity Chef Sanjeev Kapoor

His one-word “Namak Swadanusar” (salt as per taste) keeps reverberating in our minds again and again. His inimitable smile and profound knowledge of cuisine and culinary world keeps inspiring people all around. Yes, I am talking about the khana khazana-fame Sanjeev Kapoor, the man who changed the dynamics of gastronomy in India. Now, a recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri award, the charisma of Sanjeev Kapoor continues at every walk of life.

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The man of many facets, and of humongous versatile talents, celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor with over 30-year experience in cooking profession, finds some time-off for this exclusive interview with The Checkernews website.

He reveals various things in this exclusive tete-a-tete which were hitherto unknown to many. Now, Sanjeev Kumar is all ready to evolve a “Bharat ka masala” (Indian spice), which is set to enthrall and unite the people all across India with a string of taste.

Here are the Excerpts from this exclusive interview;

How would you descryibe your journey in culinary world in one word?

Adventurous!

We grew up watching your Khana Khazana show on ZeeTV, do you have any special memory attached to it?

That entire period is memorable to me as with Khana Khazana I entered into television. From deciding onto the name of the show, the concept, pre-production, execution, the post production, the response from the viewers and finally getting an award for it for more than a decade – it has been a journey that I can never forget!

From hindsight, pursuing a Hotel Management degree or diploma involves high cost. Do you believe making a career in this sector is equally rewarding too?

As compared to Hotel Management, I really don’t feel that any other professional course involves a lower cost. Each one of it pretty much involves high cost. As far as making a career is concerned, if you have the will and the passion, then nothing, and I repeat, nothing can stop you from reaching to the pinnacle with great rewards!

We love learning new recipes from you. Do you try preparing them at your home too?

Yes! My family is quite experimental that way! 😉

Sanjeev Kapoor: The Accomplishments at a Glance;

1. World’s first chef to co-own a 24X7 food channel.
2. First Indian chef to have a website registered in his name.
3. Many of Sanjeev Kapoor’s books are world’s best sellers.
4. The first Indian chef to have a cookware segment developed and marketed under his name.
5. Unarguably, the most famous Indian chef worldwide and got mentioned in the CNN’s illustrious list of World Celebrity Chefs.
6. He is the third Indian chef to receive Padma Shri award after late Tarla Dalal and Imtiaz Quereshi.
7. He prepared vegetarian food for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other VIP members during the PM’s UAE trip in 2015. Interestingly, everyone in the delegate ate vegetarian food on that day including the king of the UAE.

What you do in your free time? From your tweets, it seems you are a globetrotter. Am I right? Any favourite destination?

Australia has been a favourite from quite sometime. Besides that, I still have a lot of places on the globe to cover. Also, whenever I’m in India and free, I like to play the drums/guitar and sing as well. Music is also an integral part of my life!

Please advise some useful cookery books authored by you so that the readers could get to know some in-depth knowledge of the art of cooking.

I’ve always sworn by books of KT Achaya and Harold McGee. So, its quite obvious that I would recommend these to anyone and everyone who wants to get an in-depth knowledge about various aspects of food.

Have you ever thought of exploring other fields such as Politics, Bollywood or anything else?

Politics – no! Bollywood – I have a little, and if given a chance again, then why not again!

Please give some success tips to the youths who want to do something big for the nation.

Be courageous to take challenges head-on! Alongwith this, being truthful and patient, believing in yourselves and dreaming big are somethings that can help you achieve what you want to!

Finally, please let us know that one special dish which you consider your most favourite?

Any dish that my mother cooks is my favourite. The evergreen kadhi chawal rules the roost!

What are your future projects?

A lot is happening in my restaurant vertical SK Restaurants and there’ll be many new projects coming soon, all over the world. Besides this, I think I should keep things under wrap to let it come out as a surprise!

Thank you very much Sanjeev Kapoor Sir.

Wishing you lots more success and good luck for your future endeavors. Keep rocking and keep inspiring 🙂