Meet the Judges of Master Chef India 2 !!!

Chef Vikas Khanna

Chef Vikas Khanna grew up in Amritsar and was inspired by his grandmother’s culinary skills. It was at his grandmother’s side that he began his lifelong apprenticeship to learn the intricacies of Indian cuisine. He started his own catering business, Lawrence Gardens, at the age of 17 and the business is thriving till date. Upon his graduation from the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Vikas went on to train under renowned chefs of  Taj Group of Hotels, Oberoi, Leela Group and many more. Vikas is the Executive Chef of the highly regarded Junoon Restaurant, a multi-million dollar project, written about widely by the New York press.  The Cafe Rubin Museum of Himalyan Art with Vikas’s menu has been named the Best Asian restaurant in New York. He has authored several books including The Spice Story of India, Modern Indian Cooking and his latest Flavors First, that released on Aug 15th, 2011.  Vikas, also is the creator of The Holy Kitchens, a series of documentary films that explore sharing food in different faiths. Vikas made his way to the United States and has worked with some of the most honored chefs in America. He has received glowing reviews from the media, his gastronomic peers, and also recognition from the James Beard Foundation.  Richard Gere, Tyra Banks, Sir Salman Rushdie, Harrison Ford, Christina Hendrix, Martha Stewart and ace tennis player Andre Agassi are among the many elite to have dined at Vikas’s restaurants and enjoyed the master’s divinity. In the past, Vikas has cooked for galas and events honoring President Bill Clinton, Madonna and Mohammad Yunus, among others. This year,  July 29, 2011, Vikas has cooked a Saatvik meal for the Dharmic Seva Conference for Hindu American Seva Charities at the White House. Chef Ajay Chopra Chef Ajay Chopra, Executive Chef, The Westin Mumbai Garden City, is that culinary maestro whose culinary genius is known in the country and abroad. He was the co judge along with Akshay Kumar on Master Chef India Season 1. At the Westin Mumbai he is responsible for the food and beverage operations of the hotel which includes" Prego" the finest Italian restaurant in Mumbai , "Kangan" which is acclaimed for its breath taking north west frontier food, "Seasonal Taste" the 24 hour multi cuisine restaurant and a huge banquetting operations. At the Westin Ajay's food phenomenon is relating food to the new world. With contemporary menus and his  love for progressive food he has already made a mark in the food capital of India , "Mumbai". Ajay humbly began his career with the Cecil Oberoi in Shimla and later went on to complete the finest culinary and management training program at the Oberoi Center for Learning and Development (OCLD) and emerged a gold medalist. His first assignment as a chef was  Kandahar, Indian  specialty restaurant at the Oberoi New Delhi where he gave an edge to the Indian cuisine served and savoured by the Delhi Palette. Ajay was also responsible for the hotel’s large banqueting operations as well as the coffee shop. After his stint in Delhi ,Ajay moved to the J.W Marriott in Mumbai as the chef de cuisine of Lotus Cafe, the busiest and the largest coffee shop of Mumbai. Ajay then headed  Saffron at the JW as the chef de cuisine which is a hub of "A" listed bollywood celebrity bellies like Amitabh ji , Akshay kumar, Ajay Devgan, Saif ali khan and many more. After about a ten year stint in India Ajay  decided to venture west and reached London. In London, Ajay was the Executive Head Chef of the acclaimed Mint Leaf chain of restaurants, which was a benchmark in Modern and sophisticated Indian Dining . During his tenure in London Ajay took Mint Leaf to newer culinary  heights in Indian cuisine. Mint Leaf has over the last 7 years enjoyed critical acclaim for its ability to re interpret classic Indian dishes in a contemporary fashion. During his culinary trail in the United Kingdom, Ajay was voted amongst the eight best Indian chefs of London . At his stint at Mayfair he  has brushed shoulders with the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Angela Harnet. Ajay is an outgoing and fun loving person; he loves to meet new people. He is greatly committed to taking Indian cuisine into the progressive domain and constantly experiments with new ingredients and flavors. His repertoire of food and his attitude are his strengths. Chef Kunal Kapur Acclaimed amongst the talented flock is the culinary maestro Chef Kunal Kapoor,  who has taken a way forward in managing specialty restaurants  with his passion and flair for cooking.  Chef Kunal (Executive Sous Chef, Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon) is recognised amongst the Best Chefs in India by National Weekly Magazine - India Today. Recently he was adjudged as the “Gourmet Guru” by the Food & Nightlife Magazine, i.e. He has been honored as one of the Top 15 chefs of India. All the restaurants he has managed so far have been successful to evoke the tastes and memories of divine food. It’s an exemplary fact that his last three restaurants (that he managed as the Head chef), have won best restaurant awards in their respective categories. These restaurants are Made in India at Radisson Hotel, Noida, Delhi, Dhaba at the Claridges and Twice at Diya at The Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon. He was also invited as special judge to host an episode of Masterchef America, alongside Legendry Chef Gordon Ramsay. His career high was when Mr. Jiggs Kalra, the Czar of Indian Cuisine anointed him as the “Next Big Guy In Kebabs & Curries in India.” He is the winner of a silver medal at aahar and a bronze medal in HORECA, Kuwait. He is also the proud chef of “DIYA” the speciality Indian restaurant, which has won the Best Indian restaurant twice in a row in Gurgaon and rated amongst the top 5 Indian restaurants in Delhi and Delhi NCR. Chef Kunal also looks after the specialty menu for SPECTRA and Banquet operations. He is a degree holder from the Institute of Hotel Management Chandigarh and started his career from the Taj group of hotels. Having spanned his culinary repertoire in Indian cuisine across banquet operations, theme dinners, outdoor catering, creative menus, buffet set-up, Chef Kunal's credentials are seen in numerous awards and medals he has achieved in a career spanning more than a decade. He has an in-depth understanding of North-West Frontier, Punjabi, Awadhi, Dakshin, Italian, European and Goan cuisines and super specialisation in Indian Curries and Kebabs.  Chef Kunal who is quoted as…. `Rightly dubbed master of what he does’, is passionate about two things - Food & Travel.  He has been a judge cum host along with bollywood actor Akshay kumar, on India’s first reality based food, Masterchef India and has reprised his role as judge in Season 2 of MasterChef India.