Vikas Khanna says he’d been a sculptor if not a chef

The celebrity chef picks Facebook as the best app to connect with people

All about Vikas

Sun sign: Scorpio

Date of birth: November 14

Place of birth: Amritsar

School/College: Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal

First break: Opening Lawrence Gardens Banquets when I was 17

High point of your life: Being invited by India’s PM Office and the White House to speak at an entrepreneurship summit

Low point of your life: Losing my father

If you weren’t a chef, you would have been...?

A farmer or a sculptor.

What would we find in your fridge right now?

Yogurt, eggs and fruits.

Two things you can do better than cooking…?

Writing and travelling on a budget.

The best thing about being a celebrity chef is…?

It helps you connect with a majority of people and showcase your food to the world.

Most chefs are known to be screaming and shouting in the kitchen. What are you like?

I’m pretty calm in my life and in my kitchen too.

Your most and least favourite film based on food is...?

Ratatouille (2007) is the best film. The worst would be The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014). It hurt me to see the way Indian cuisine was stereotyped.

If you were an ice cream, what flavour would you be?

Vanilla. Having worked on vanilla farms, I respect their pollination and growth a lot.

The best thing about Indian food is...?

Its diversity.

Your greatest extravagance...?

Truffles and saffron.

One thing people don’t know about you is…?

I am a natural sculptor. I can carve stone, wood and mould clay.

The most mouth-watering dish you created for someone is...?

Ghee roast.

The best app to connect with people is…?

Facebook.

Your strategy in a crisis...?

Stay calm. Most of the noise disappears.

Vikas’s favourites

Street food place: Chandni Chowk 

Cuisine: Tibetan and North-Eastern

Celebrity chef: Sanjeev Kapoor 

Comfort food: Khichri

Restaurant: Sasumaa in Surat

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From HT Brunch, December 3, 2017

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