An Interview With Martita Mestey
Be patient with success. No one told us that just getting a job in the hotels will be a mechanical job in many ways. To create a path of entrepreneurship is going to require lots of patience and learning.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Vikas Khanna.
Vikas Khanna is an internationally acclaimed Indian American chef, film maker, and author. He is a James Beard nominee and one of the first Indian chefs to be awarded a Michelin Star in the U.S. He has been featured amongst the 10 most influential chefs in the world by Deutsche Welle and Gazette Review. He is the host of MasterChef India, Twist of Taste and Mega Kitchens on National Geographic. Author of 38 award winning books, including UTSAV (World’s most expensive cookbook) and the creator of documentary series Holy Kitchens and Kitchens of Gratitude. He founded the Museum of Kitchen Arts, which is home to thousands of India’s unique kitchen tools and equipment, located at his alma mater, WGSHA, Manipal, India. His restaurants, Kinara and Ellora in Dubai are rated as Favorite Indian restaurant by Conde Nast. His initiative, Feed India, served more than 65 million meals during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Last Color marks Khanna’s debut as a film writer and director which was eligible for OSCARS race for Best Feature, 2020.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restauranteur or chef?
I was inspired by the community kitchens of Sikh Temple known as Gurduwaras, especially The Golden Temple. I used to visit there with my grandma, and I was so inspired by the way everyone brings produce from their farms or donates grains and other ingredients. My grandma used to tell me that this is the highest service to the divine — feeding people. It stuck in my heart the way people connected through preparations, cooking, serving, eating, cleaning … it was all sacred to me. This is when I decided that I will dedicate my life to this profession.
Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?
I grew up in a very typical North Indian home in Amritsar, where every day cooking was a ritual. I knew just the dishes which were famous in my hometown and thought until I was 16 years old that this is all the world eats. I learned most of the dishes I cooked were in in my city until I went to Udipi in South India and tasted authentic Southern Indian cooking for the first time. This moment changed my entire life and path of cooking. I had never imagined these flavor combinations and techniques. I was blown away, and it became my foundation for understanding and exploring the diversity of Indian regional kitchens.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that has happened to you since you became a chef? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
I remember that I started a small catering business in the back of our house with my grandma and mother. We did not have a roof in the kitchen, and while we were hosting our first big dinner, it started raining and the power was cut off. I remember this night so clearly as the small generator could not carry the load and kept tripping. That single moment of watching my Ma restart the generator was very important in my life. Every time I am passing through a dark phase, I know she will find a way to bring the light back.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? How did you overcome this obstacle?
As Oprah says: “A better choice of work is lessons in failure.” I know that coming to the U.S. without a plan or a job was a tough decision. Just the initial journey of understanding the difference in culture was hard. Learning that I am on my own was a tough moment. Luckily, I had my younger sister who believed in my career more than me helped a lot. I look back and look at the lowest moments and the biggest learnings.
In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?
I think the basic keys to great cooking are passion, patience, observation and execution. We have to qualify passion to discipline. A great dish should represent generations of continuity and memories and yet should be able to bridge the gap of generations. It should be philosophical, but moving forward and holding on to the roots is very important too. Success means nothing if it does not include the ancestorial heritage.
Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?
Khichdi. It’s the soul food of India. It’s similar to risotto or porridge, but it can’t be defined. It is a combination of lentils, rice, spices, vegetables, pappadum, pickle, onions and lots of comfort, healing power and love.
Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?
I have spent years travelling all over India and Asia. I keep a very tight journal throughout the trips on what I observe for food, techniques, rituals and ingredients. It is always the memories that help me to create a dish in my own way. I think it comes as per the projects and the theme.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?
We have an amazing book, “Sacred Foods of India,” which is with Akshaya, India’s first-ever platform that brings the Metaverse, NFTs, and Digital Twin together. It focuses on the foods served in temples, synagogues, Mother Teresa’s kitchens, mosques and gurudwaras, which are from their holy kitchens. I am also working on a children’s book about dogs and being different. We are working to begin our one-of-a-kind restaurant in New York which will focus on totally new dishes from Asia. We have a documentary film, “Barefoot Empress,” heading to the Academy race which focuses on the education of girls in India and empowerment of widows.
What advice would you give to other chefs or restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?
Burnout is a part of the game, it’s inevitable. Lots of people, many hours, a game of fire and knives. But I advise not to let the part that serves people burn — the joy of connecting people together through your restaurant and dishes. We need to protect that part that got us into the industry as a new love.
Thank you for all that. Now we are ready for the main question of the interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Chef” and why? Please share a story or an example for each.
1. Be patient with success. No one told us that just getting a job in the hotels will be a mechanical job in many ways. To create a path of entrepreneurship is going to require lots of patience and learning.
2. Read the contracts. This advice is for every chef and every artist. When you are bright and focused, don’t forget to read the contract.
3. New York is a tough city. The competitiveness of the city is amazing, and to endure it you have to have the skin of an elephant and the heart of a poet.
4. Spend time with your parents. No one, no one, told me that this industry would consume my time and I would stay focused on my work and the pressure of it, and forget that my parents are getting old too. I agree that 24/7 commitment of running Michelin Star kitchens will take everything you have. But don’t forget those who got you this far.
5. Most Importantly, find happiness. No one told me that I will be so consumed by my kitchens and management work, that I will forget to be happy. Find something that gives you peace and gravity. It could be bird watching or biking in central park or learning photography or writing poetry. Learn to develop something that cleanses your mind. Trust me, it will bring your cooking to the next level too.
What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?
In Kinara by Vikas Khanna, we have dried lemon marinated grilled shrimp with French radish salad. It’s like a work of art and the flavors are great.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Since 2011, I have been working tirelessly for three missions: empowerment of widows, girls’ education and malnutrition. These are the causes very close to my heart, and I wish I continue to work on them using all my creative mind and influence. We recently went to U.S. Congress to pass a global bill on empowerment of widows, and my films support girls’ education and my books support a lot of feeding programs in India.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much, and we wish you only continued success.
Michelin-Star Chef Vikas Khanna: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Chef was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.