Kunal Kapur (born 18 September 1979) is an Indian chef and restaurateur known for hosting and judging ''MasterChef India''.

Early life

Kapur was born in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

to a Punjabi family. He studied at St. Francis De Sales School and pursued higher education in Hotel Management from Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Management Catering & Nutrition,

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which a ...

. From a very early age, Kapur took a liking to cooking and pursued it to become one of the most well-known chefs in India. He trains underprivileged and unemployed youth in cooking and helps raise funds to make their own sustained food business together with United Ways Delhi. He is also passionate about automobiles, technology, travel, fashion and history.

Career

Having taken early lessons about cooking from his father and grandfather, he began his career around 2000 with the Taj Group of Hotels. Currently, he is the Executive Sous Chef at the Leela Kempinski in Gurgaon. In January 2008, he was rated as "The Best Indian Chef" in New Delhi by

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new o ...

, and he was titled as "The Next Big Guy in Kebabs and Curries in India". He was given an opportunity to present Satvik cuisine to Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...

and German Chancellor

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

. He also cooked for 42 first ladies on the India Africa Summit besides an interactive cooking session with them during their recent visit to India.

Television

* ''MasterChef India'': He has hosted and judged the popular cooking competition reality television series in Season 1, Season 2, Season 3 and Season 5. * ''

MasterChef America ''MasterChef'' is an American competitive cooking reality television series that premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox on July 27, 2010. Based on the MasterChef (British TV series), British series of the same name and produced by Endemol ...

'': He was invited as a guest judge in

Season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also

* {{disambig ...

. * ''Pickle Nation'': This 18-episode series on Living Foodz explores the age old pickles & pickling stories of India. Kapur travels across India to bring out the most unique pickles and related stories. * ''Thalis Of India'': The tradition of serving food in big thals or platters has a reason & significance. Kunal demystifies the different thalis of India as he travels to unravel them. * ''My Yellow Table'': Kapur has hosted the popular food series from Season 1 to Season 4 on

NDTV Good Times ''Goodtimes'' is the flagship channel of Lifestyle & Media Broadcasting Ltd. It was launched in September 2007. Rebranding Goodtimes underwent a makeover in November 2013 to redefine the lifestyle entertainment category codes once again. Fro ...

. * ''Curries Of India'': This show explores the history and influences on Indian sub-continent which shaped its curries. Aired on Living Foodz, this food and travel series has 22 episodes that brings out the culinary journey of the classic curries. * ''Foodie Comes to America'': Shot entirely in New York and California, it discovered the journey of Indian food in USA. It aired on

Times Now Times Now is an English news channel in India owned and operated by The Times Group. The channel launched on 23 January 2006 in partnership with Reuters. It is a pay television throughout India. Until 2016, it was India's most popular and the m ...

and captured Kapur's travel and culinary journey showcasing the best Indo- American cuisine.

Awards and achievements

* Kapur's name was cited by the Limca Book of Records for creating India's largest Chocolate Tower. * He is the recipient of The Indian Television Academy Award for the Best Jury/Anchor for Junior MasterChef India. * He was awarded the Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship, by the Prime Minister of New Zealand,

John Key Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 2006 to 2016. After resigning from bo ...

in the field of Food & Beverage. * He won the Epicurean Guild Award for Best Food Entertainer in 2017 for ''Thalis of India''. * The Most Enterprising Brands & Leaders of Asia Award by WBR India. * Pinkvilla Style Icons Awards for Stunningly Stylish Culinarian of the Year in 2023.

Associations

* Kapur is the brand ambassador for United Ways Delhi, a non profit organization that focuses on improving lives by education, income and health. His role as an ambassador is to train under-privileged youth in food production and educate them with the right kitchen skills and techniques to help them in becoming small-scale entrepreneurs/food hawkers. * Kapur is in the league of Elite Star Chefs in German Airlines Lufthansa, where he has customized menus for first and business class passengers. * He works closely with National Association of Streer Vendors in India to improve the lives and quality of food and sanitation of food hawkers in India. * He also promotes healthy cooking and is closely associated with Avanza Avocados for the same. * Kapur is associated with

Tupperware Tupperware is an American home products line that includes preparation, storage, and serving products for the kitchen and home. In 1942, Earl Tupper developed his first bell-shaped container; the brand products were introduced to the public in 1 ...

and has recently launched two of their new products in Delhi. * He is also a part of Passion Trails. Organized by

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

, he takes food enthusiasts on culinary adventures around the country.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapur, Kunal Indian chefs People from New Delhi Living people Chefs of Indian cuisine 1979 births