A Dream Wedding’s Celebrated Food Connoisseur— Ranveer Brar
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From being the youngest executive chef in a five-star restaurant in India to being a culinary legend whose virtue in the Indian food industry compares to none, Ranveer Brar’s journey in the culinary world was accelerated by his love for Awadhi food.
The young and dynamic face of the Indian hospitality industry—Ranveer Brar has already adorned his cap with various feathers like the honour of being among the ‘Top Ten Chefs’ in the country, as per the Hotelier Magazine. From being a young boy who wanted to explore the streets of Lucknow just for the love of kebabs, to getting the honour of cooking at the James Beard House, New York; Brar has come a long way. Celebrity chef Ranveer Brar has beckoned the helm of Indian home-style cooking in his popular television shows and his book as well.
The roots of his culinary journey lie deep in the streets of Lucknow where the aroma of kebabs is infused in the air and where as a young boy he would roam around just to get a taste of the luscious meat marinated in a specific blend of strong spices. He went against his family to train under Ustad Munir Ahmed, one of Lucknow’s oldest kebab vendors. Since then, he has graduated from Institute of Hotel Management, Lucknow; trained at Taj Mahal Palace Hotel; worked at Radisson Blu, Noida; opened a restaurant—Banq in Boston; and won numerous accolades. His love for Indian cooking has only increased with each of his achievements in the culinary and hospitality world, globally.
At the age of 25, Brar became the youngest executive chef in India to command a kitchen for a five-star restaurant. He had, then, recently returned from Boston after his Franco-Asian restaurant, Banq, had shut down due to slow-economy even after being recognised as the ‘Best New Restaurant’ in the world by The Wallpaper magazine. After his return to India, there was no stopping him. He hosted several popular culinary shows on television including ‘Breakfast Express’, ‘Snack Attack’, ‘Health Bhi Taste Bhi’, ‘The Great Indian Rasoi’ and ‘Thank God It’s Friday’ among others. He has also co-judged ‘Masterchef India’ along with the iconic chefs Sanjeev Kapoor and Vikas Khanna.
Brar released his book ‘Come Into My Kitchen’ in 2016, which became an instant hit among the culinary disciples. He says, “My first real interaction with food was when I was forcibly dragged to a gurudwara at the age of five, and I ended up in the langar area. From being fascinated by the sights, sounds and food, I made meethe chawal for the first time at the age of 13. That’s where I learnt a very valuable lesson for a chef—how to cook for a large group. My tryst with food continued as I ventured through my neighbourhood and wandered the streets of Lucknow, which has its own story to tell. It was the bylanes of Aminabad, The Chowk and the entire stretch of Bawarchi Tola with the real Awadhi cuisine that changed the dynamics of food as I knew it.”