‘I’ could’ve been an architect’

Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor reminisces about his choice of alternate profession, says it was a stroke of luck that led him to becoming a chef

Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor was recently in Pune to judge a live cooking competition, was happy and overwhelmed to see the enthusiasm and zeal in the audiences. Reminiscing his initial days of cooking, he says, “My earliest cooking memories are of making perfectly round chapatis when I was just seven or eight years old. I remember my family was pretty impressed with how they turned out.”

Recalling memorable meals, he has had over the course of time, he says, “There have been too many meals that I cherish for different reasons, but every time, my entire family is at the dining table together, we always have a memorable time. There’s nothing better than sharing some great food with your loved ones, and it always ends with smiling faces.”

When asked about his choice of becoming a chef, he lets in a secret. He says, “I could’ve probably been an architect because that was the initial plan. Then, by a twist of fate, I applied for hotel management at The Institute of Hotel Management in PUSA, New Delhi. And my life changed.”

In India, most people have become accustomed to different cuisines. But ask him if he thinks the Indian taste buds have become accustomed to different tastes and he says, “There has been so much exposure in the past few years and it has resulted in people experimenting with different flavours and tastes. Today, you can have every imaginable ingredient delivered to your door step, there are a ton of restaurants that serve authentic international cuisines and of course you can just take off on a food holiday to a destination where the cuisine excites you. However, at the end of the day, I think we always come back to Indian food – it’s where we find comfort.”

At the end of the day, I think we always come back to Indian food — it’s where we find comfort SANJEEV KAPOOR, CHEF