Vikas Khanna's Transformative Story

NEW YORK, June 22, 2017 — The celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, an Indian immigrant to the United States who overcame homelessness to cook for a Michelin-starred restaurant, describes his remarkable journey at Asia Society. Khanna appeared in conversation with Asia Society Executive Vice President Tom Nagorski. (1 hr., 17 min.)

Program followed by Reception

Vikas Khanna has already earned a Michelin star, been voted “New York’s hottest chef,” "10 Legendary chefs of all time who have revolutionized our eating habits by Deutsche Welle" and produced a 1,200-page masterpiece book UTSAV capturing the heritage, festivals and cuisine of his native India — hand-painted, gold-gilded copies of which have been presented in person to Barack Obama, Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, and Queen Elizabeth II. Soon the Indian-born celebrity chef’s inspiring personal journey — from a child with club foot in Amritsar to penniless American immigrant to successful Manhattan restaurateur — will come to the big screen. The film is titled Buried Seeds, directed by Andrei Severny and based on the book of the same name.
 
Asia Society is pleased to welcome Khanna — known to many as “India’s favorite chef,” and known to us as a member of our “Asia 21” Young Leaders network — to our New York stage, to discuss his passion for food, his unique recipe for the American Dream, and much more.

Speaker
Vikas Khanna is one of the most beloved Indian chefs in the world. An award-winning Michelin-Starred chef and host of the highly rated prime-time shows MasterChef India, Twist of Taste, and Mega Kitchens on National Geographic, Khanna has been a guest chef on Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen, as well as The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and MasterChef Australia. He has hosted events for President Barack Obama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Pope Francis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many other world leaders and celebrities. Khanna has received rave reviews from The New York Times, Condé Nast and Wall Street Journal. He has authored more than 25 books including the Magnum opus- UTSAV, which was auctioned as the World's Most Expensive Cookbook and is the creator of Holy Kitchens and Kitchens Series of Gratitude Documentaries. He is the goodwill ambassador for the Smile Foundation and supports the cause of nutrition in India. He lives in New York City.