Rs 1,000 Crore Business! Son Of A State Bank Of India Employee, This Small Town Boy Turned Out To Be A Culinary Prodigy, And One Of World's Richest Chefs

In a world where doctors, engineers, MBAs and government employees are the most revered professions, there is one man who acting alone, transformed the humble profession of a chef into one of the fashionable and sought-after professions. Sanjeev Kapoor, a well-known celebrity chef, businessman and TV personality proved to the world that a "Bawarchi" can compete fiercely with all the high-profile jobs in the world. 

Sanjeev Kapoor has carved a unique niche in the Indian culinary world, having done everything from becoming the first chef in the world to operate a 24-hour food and lifestyle channel called FoodFood to winning the Padma Shri and owning over 50 restaurants.

Sanjeev Kapoor’s Ascent To Prominence 

Sanjeev Kapoor's rise to fame, prosperity, and status as one of India's wealthiest chefs was founded on only one principle: making the right choice when presented with opportunities. The only criterion for this small-town Ambala boy to become a chef was that the career should be creative and had something unique to offer him. 

Sanjeev Kapoor Birth, Family, Education

Sanjeev Kapoor was born in Ambala in 1964. Sanjeev attended school in places where his father, who worked at the SBI, was transferred, including Delhi, Meerut, and Saharanpur. Sanjeev completed his 12th grade at the Delhi Government School. He planned to pursue a career in architecture, but destiny had some other plans for him.

How Sanjeev Kapoor Got Into The Hotel Management Programme?

During the 1980s, one of Sanjeev's friends Jasmit Singh, was filling out the application for hotel management. Sanjeev also filled out the hotel management form taking inspiration from his friend. Sanjeev got admission to the Pusa Institute of Hotel Management after performing well in the interview.  He gained knowledge about cuisine, serving, catering, accounting, etc. throughout his hotel management training. In an intriguing turn of events, Sanjeev served pineapple juice to thousands of competitors during the 1982 Asian Games as part of his training in catering and food service.

How Sanjeev Kapoor Became India's Most Sought After Chefs?

Sanjeev Kapoor has always been a trailblazer in the industry. He was a firm believer in going the extra mile. Sanjeev's career is built on two pillars: creativity and innovation. He ascended to the top of the culinary world using these two ladles. Sanjeev joined ITDC Hotels in 1984 after receiving his degree. When he was in charge of the ITDC Varanasi chef staff, he was only 27 years old.

Sanjeev Kapoor's life was completely changed by an offer from Zee TV to host a cooking show. Zee TV cooking program's moniker, "Khana Khajana," was suggested by Sanjeev. The response to the show was incredible. Being broadcast in 120 nations, it became the longest-running programme of its kind in Asia and had more than 500 million viewers in 2010.

Sanjeev Kapoor eventually became India's top chef. Millions of food lovers, housewives, and aspiring chefs around the world started looking up to him. In 2011, Sanjeev Kapoor launched Food Food channel, a 24-hour food and lifestyle channel. He started Turmeric Vision Pvt. Ltd., his own production company. Kapoor introduced his Wonderchef cookware brand. Furthermore, he founded Sanjeev Kapoor Restaurants. An ET report had previously mentioned that Sanjeev Kapoor's ventures are valued at over Rs 1,000.

Sanjeev Kapoor’s Several Awards

Sanjeev Kapoor is the recipient of the Padma Shri Award. At World Food India 2017, New Delhi, he live-cooked 918 kg of khichdi to set the Guinness World Record. He was awarded the "Best Chef of India" National Award by the government. He has also received two ITA Awards. 

Sanjeev Kapoor’s Personal life, Marriage, Children

Sanjeev Kapoor is married to Alyona, who works for him in his company. They have two daughters.