Vineet Bhatia

Last updated

Vineet Bhatia
MBE
Vineet Bhatia INYDA.tif
Bhatia at his Dubai restaurant
Born9 December 1967 (1967-12-09) (age 56)
EducationThe Oberoi School of Hotel Management
SpouseRashima Bhatia
Children2
Culinary career
Cooking styleModern Indian
Website vineetbhatia.com

Vineet Bhatia MBE (born 9 December 1967) is an Indian chef, restaurateur, author, and media personality. He was the first Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star. [1] He opened two Rasoi restaurants, the first in Chelsea, London in 2004, and the second in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2008. Both restaurants received Michelin stars, in 2006 and 2009 respectively, making Bhatia the first and only chef of Indian origin to receive two Michelin stars. [2] Currently, he has eleven restaurants, including his signature restaurant "KAMA by Vineet" in the dining hall in Harrods in London, and appears as a judge on Netflix show The Final Table and judge-host on MasterChef India. He has written two cookbooks, Rasoi: New Indian Kitchen and My Sweet Kitchen.

Contents

In 2021, Vineet was appointed as culinary Ambassador for United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland campaign and at the start of 2023 was awarded an MBE. [3]

Early life

Born in 1967, Vineet Bhatia grew up in Mumbai. He had early ambitions of becoming a pilot since a young age, growing up with daily sounds of planes flying into the nearby Juhu Airport. At the age of 17, having passed the National Defence Exam to join the Air Force he failed to do the same with the required physical test. After this failure Bhatia turned to cooking, inspired by his mother's passion for it. [4]

Career

Bhatia was recruited as a trainee to the Oberoi School of Hotel Management, New Delhi in 1988 where he trained until 1990. He went on to work as Chef de Cuisine at The Oberoi from 1990 to 1993.

He moved to London in 1993, taking on the position of Executive Chef at Star of India, South Kensington. Restaurant critic Fay Maschler of the Evening Standard wrote of him at the time, "Bhatia has lifted the cooking into a new league; providing convincing proof that Indian food is capable of evolving". [5]

In 1998 he and Iqbal Wahhab opened Cinnamon Club, before heading up the kitchen at "Vineet Bhatia" in Hammersmith the following year. AA Gill wrote: "It's shaming to point out, but if Bhatia cooked in the French or Italian vernacular, or came from New York, he would be hailed as a superchef". [6]

Bhatia went on to establish Zaika in 1999, and in 2001 became the first chef of Indian origin to be awarded a Michelin Star and that too in London. He spent a further three years at Zaika before going on his own in 2004 at Rasoi in Chelsea. Critics expected the restaurant to earn a Michelin star soon after opening, [7] and in 2006 it was awarded the second Michelin Star received by Bhatia. Shortly after, he opened Rasoi by Vineet in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2009 the restaurant received a Michelin Star, making Bhatia the only Indian origin 2-star Michelin chef, and one of the few British chefs to have Michelin Stars in more than one country. [8] [2]

In 2011 he hosted a Travel Food Show on "Fox Traveller titled Twist of Taste with Vineet Bhatia. [9] In the show, he travelled across India and gave traditional and popular Indian dishes a makeover.

He opened his restaurant Saffron Lounge in Doha, Qatar, in 2012, alongside his established restaurant in Dubai, Indego. [10] In the same year of this opening Bhatia was also appointed as a culinary ambassador for Qatar Airways to create a new in-flight dining experience. [11] In 2015 he opened his first restaurant in Saudi Arabia, "Maharaja by Vineet" in the Mövenpick Hotel Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. [12] After two years of operation, Maharaja was awarded the best Indian restaurant at the Food & Travel Arabia awards. [13]

In late 2016, Bhatia re-modelled his original restaurant Rasoi in Chelsea, launching Vineet Bhatia London, or VBL for short. Bhatia's plan for VBL was to offer only a multi-course tasting menu. In October 2017, it was awarded a Michelin Star. However, following a disagreement with his partners at VBL, Bhatia decided to close the restaurant and re-focus his efforts elsewhere. [14]

In 2019, KAMA by Vineet, in London, opened in the newly refurbished dining hall at Harrods, making him the only Michelin starred chef at the London department store. [15]

In the same year, it was also announced that Bhatia would be joining the 6th edition of MasterChef India as Judge Host.

In 2021, Bhatia was appointed as culinary Ambassador for GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign. [3]

Bhatia was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to hospitality and international trade. [16]

Social Work

Bhatia has been involved in a series of charitable and social events.

Bhatia has long been championing efforts to bring sustainability into the spotlight in the culinary world. With his recent appointment as a GREAT ambassador to the United Kingdom he has been at the heart of the campaign’s efforts to encourage gastronomical sustainability. Bhatia recently filmed a feature with Dubai One at Expo 2020 Dubai where he toured various pavilions to gather inspiration from their sustainable installations to curate a dish based on their regional offerings.[ citation needed ]

Bhatia’s other social work has also been centred around moulding the next generation and being a source of inspiration. [17] In anticipation of Prince William’s arrival at the UK’s country day celebrations at Expo 2020 Dubai, Bhatia gave students from Gems schools a behind the scenes look into his preparations for the celebratory reception.[ citation needed ]

This year Bhatia was invited to Jumeirah College alongside Simon Penney, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and His Majesty’s Consul General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates to host their 75th annual bake-off in memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and for their student development activities program. [18]

Restaurants

RestaurantLocationYearsRating
Star of IndiaLondon, United Kingdom1993 - 1998
ZaikaLondon, United Kingdom1999 - 20041 Michelin star
SafranBelle Mare, Mauritius2002 - 2006
TantraLos Angeles, United States of America2002 - 2007
RasoiLondon, United Kingdom2004 - 20161 Michelin star
IndegoDubai, United Arab Emirates2005 - Present
IndusMoscow, Russia2006 - 2010
Urban TurbanLondon, United Kingdom2008 - 2010
MaharajaAl Khobar, Saudi Arabia2008 - Present
RasoiGeneva, Switzerland2008 - 20211 Michelin star
B.I.R.DLeeds, United Kingdom2008 - 2013
Saffron LoungeDoha, Qatar2009 - 2018
ZiyaThe Oberoi, Mumbai, India2010 - Present
DhilliThe Oberoi, New Delhi, India2023 - Present
AmariBelle Mare, Mauritius2014 - Present
Maharaja EastRiyadh, Saudi Arabia2015 - Present
RasoiManama, Bahrain2015 - Present
Vineet Bhatia LondonLondon, United Kingdom2016 - 20181 Michelin star
Indego 360Doha, Qatar2018 - 2021
RasoiJeddah, Saudi Arabia2019 - Present
IndyaDubai, United Arab Emirates2019 - Present
KAMALondon, United Kingdom2019 - Present

Notable Events

EventLocationYear
Ponant Cruise - Q ExperiencesThe Arctic2022
Expo 2020 UK National DayDubai, U.A.E.2022
HMS Queen Elizabeth IIIndian Ocean2021
HMS DefenderMumbai, India2021
Ponant Cruise - Q ExperiencesAntarctica2019 - 2022
Reingau Wine & Food Festival [19] Rheingau, Germany2016, 2017, 2019
Base Camp Dining ExperienceMount Everest, Nepal2018
City MealsNew York City, U.S.A.2018
Umaid Bhavan's PalaceJodhpur, India2018
Heart for IndiaGeneva, Switerzerland2018
San Sebastian GastronomicaSan Sebastian, Spain2017
Indian EmbassyParis, France2016
Hangar 7Salzburg, Austria2015
Constance Ophelia HotelSeychelles2015
Palace of VersaillesVersailles, France2015
Dinner in the SkyDoha, Qatar2014
Château St MartinCôte d’Azur, France2014
Taste of DubaiDubai, U.A.E.2006 - 2013
U.S. Trade Counsel DinnerAl Khobar, Saudi Arabia2012
St. Mortiz Gourmet SummitSt. Mortiz, Switzerland2008, 2009, 2011
Abu Dhabi World Gourmet SummitAbu Dhabi, U.A.E.2010
London Eye Dining ExperienceLondon, England2009
World Gourmet SummitSt Moritz, Switzerland2009
Madrid FusionMadrid, Spain2008
Taste of LondonLondon, England2002 - 2004


Books

Bhatia has written two cookbooks:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Ramsay</span> British chef (born 1966)

Gordon James Ramsay is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur, television presenter, and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall and currently holds eight. His signature restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, London, has held three Michelin stars since 2001. After rising to fame on the British television miniseries Boiling Point in 1999, Ramsay became one of the best-known and most influential chefs in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The French Laundry</span> French restaurant in Yountville, California, US

The French Laundry is a three-Michelin star French and Californian cuisine restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in 1978 and designed her menus around local, seasonal ingredients; she was a visionary chef and pioneer of California cuisine. Since 1994, the chef and owner of The French Laundry is Thomas Keller. The restaurant building dates from 1900 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

As with any large town or city, food and drink has played an important role in the commerce and culture of Birmingham, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Rhodes</span> English chef and restaurateur (1960–2019)

Gary Rhodes was an English restaurateur and television chef, known for his love of English cuisine and ingredients and for his distinctive spiked hair style. He fronted shows such as MasterChef, MasterChef USA, Hell's Kitchen, and his own series, Rhodes Around Britain. As well as owning several restaurants, Rhodes also had his own line of cookware and bread mixes. Rhodes went on to feature in the ITV1 programme Saturday Cooks, as well as the UKTV Food show Local Food Hero before his sudden death at age 59.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fergus Henderson</span> English chef

Fergus Henderson is an English chef who founded the restaurant St John on St John Street in London. He is often noted for his use of offal and other neglected cuts of meat as a consequence of his philosophy of nose to tail eating. Following in the footsteps of his parents, Brian and Elizabeth Henderson, he trained as an architect at the Architectural Association in London. Most of his dishes are derived from traditional British cuisine and the wines are all French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vikas Khanna</span> Indian chef

Vikas Khanna is an Indian chef, restaurateur, cookbook writer, filmmaker and humanitarian. He is one of the judges of MasterChef India since its beginning. He is based in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atul Kochhar</span> British restaurateur

Atul Kochhar is an Indian-born, British-based chef and television personality. Kochhar was one of the first two Indian chefs to receive a Michelin star, awarded in London in 2001 whilst at Tamarind. He opened his own restaurant Benares, which won him a second Michelin star in 2007. Since then he has opened several other restaurants: Kanishka in London, Masalchi in Wembley Park, Sindhu Vaasu, Riwaz and Hawkyns in Buckinghamshire and Indian Essence in Petts Wood, Kent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Mina</span> American chef

Michael Mina is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He is the founder of the Mina Group, a restaurant management company operating over 40 restaurants worldwide. He is the executive chef at his two namesake restaurants in San Francisco and Las Vegas, which each have earned a star in the Michelin Guide. He authored his first cookbook in 2006 and has made numerous television appearances.

Jason Atherton is an English chef and restaurateur. His flagship restaurant Pollen Street Social gained a Michelin Star in 2011, its opening year. He was the Executive Chef at Gordon Ramsay's Michelin starred Maze in London until 30 April 2010. In 2014 he co-hosted the Sky Living TV series My Kitchen Rules.

Vineet Bhatia London was a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant operated by Vineet Bhatia in London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pied à Terre (restaurant)</span> London restaurant

Pied à Terre is a Michelin starred French restaurant in Fitzroviain central London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clare Smyth</span> Northern Irish chef

Clare Smyth is a Northern Irish chef. She is the Chef Patron of three Michelin starred Core by Clare Smyth which opened in 2017. Previously she was Chef Patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay from 2012 to 2016, won the Chef of the Year award in 2013, and achieved a perfect score in the 2015 edition of the Good Food Guide. Smyth has also appeared on television shows such as Masterchef and Saturday Kitchen. Smyth also notably catered at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 wedding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Whitebrook</span> Restaurant in the United Kingdom

The Whitebrook, formerly known as The Crown at Whitebrook, is a restaurant with rooms in Whitebrook, 6 miles (9.7 km) south-south-east of Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, near the River Wye and the border with England. The building is thought to date from the 17th century and by the 19th century it was used as a roadside inn. Its restaurant was run by Chef Patron James Sommerin until 2013; it gained a Michelin star in 2007. It contains eight double rooms and a 2-acre (0.81 ha) garden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massimo Bottura</span> Italian chef and restaurateur

Massimo Bottura is an Italian restaurateur and the chef patron of Osteria Francescana, a three-Michelin-star restaurant based in Modena, Italy. It has been ranked No.1 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list twice and is currently part of the Best of the Best list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivek Singh (chef)</span> Indian celebrity chef

Vivek Singh is an Indian celebrity chef, restaurateur, and media personality known for his Indian cuisine. He is the CEO and Executive Chef of four London- based modern restaurants and one Oxford-based modern restaurant. Singh is a regular face on BBC's Saturday Kitchen, and has been featured on television shows including Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Nation, At Home with Rachel Allen, NDTV Good Times – Will Travel for Food and My Kitchen Rules UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Hartnett at The Connaught</span> Restaurant in London, England

Angela Hartnett at The Connaught, also known as MENU, was a restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsay Holdings and run by chef Angela Hartnett. It was located within The Connaught in Mayfair, London. The restaurant was opened following Ramsay's successful opening of Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, within the Claridge's hotel, which is owned by the same equity group. Ramsay had originally been asked to move Restaurant Gordon Ramsay into the space, but suggested that Hartnett should run a new operation there instead. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in the 2004 guide and held it until it closed in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranveer Brar</span> Indian chef

Ranveer Singh Brar is an Indian celebrity chef, Masterchef India judge, author, restaurateur and actor. He is well known as the host of popular Television food shows, actor and as a judge in MasterChef India, alongside fellow chefs Sanjeev Kapoor, Vikas Khanna, Vineet Bhatia, Garima Arora and Pooja Dhingra After graduating from the top hospitality institute in Lucknow, Brar stepped into a successful culinary career, now spanning more than nearly three decades.

Heinz Beck is a German-born, three-Michelin starred chef, and a founder of The Order of the Knights of Italian Cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santosh Shah</span> Nepalese Chef

Santosh Shah is a Nepalese chef based in London, known for competing in the UK's reality cookery TV series BBC MasterChef: The Professionals in 2020. Declared first runner up, Santosh is credited for popularising Nepalese cuisine in the UK and worldwide. In 2021, Santosh once again, competed in the UK's BBC MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch and was declared the winner.

References

  1. Fuhrmeister, Chris (20 November 2018). "Empire-Building Chef Vineet Bhatia Is the Indian Cuisine Expert on 'The Final Table'". Eater.
  2. 1 2 "Vineet Bhatia wins second Michelin star". The Caterer. 18 November 2009.
  3. 1 2 Bhatia, Vineet [@TheVineetBhatia] (9 October 2021). "The name is Bhatia, Vineet Bhatia 🇬🇧 I'm truly humbled to announce my appointment as a culinary Ambassador for the GREAT Campaign for Great Britain & Northern Ireland @GREATBritain https://t.co/ky0URR0NhF #uk #britain #london #britain #british #greatcampaign #ambassador #chef https://t.co/7Fr1LFjYMb" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 January 2022 via Twitter.
  4. "Empire-Building Chef Vineet Bhatia Is the Indian Cuisine Expert on 'The Final Table'". 20 November 2018.
  5. "Vineet Bhatia and his Indian food revolution". Tried & Supplied. 28 May 2017.
  6. "The Raj lives on in our restaurants" . The Independent. 25 March 1999. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022.
  7. "Stars in their eyes". the Guardian. 26 January 2005.
  8. "The Seven Sins of Vineet Bhatia - Chef Patron, Rasoi". www.thecriticsguide.com.
  9. "Twist of taste with Vineet Bhatia". IMDb .
  10. "Saffron Lounge by Vineet Bhatia". 22 October 2018.
  11. "Qatar Airways Ropes in Two-Star Michelin Chef Vineet Bhatia". NDTV Food. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  12. "Maharaja by Vineet presents a fascinating business lunch". Arab News. 25 January 2015.
  13. "StackPath". www.bahrainthisweek.com. 11 April 2017.
  14. "London Diary: Two great Indian chefs bounce back with terrific new restaurants after falling out with their partners". Hindustan Times. 2 October 2019.
  15. O’Loughlin, Marina (28 September 2019). "Restaurant review: Marina O'Loughlin on Kama by Vineet, Harrods, London" via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  16. "No. 63918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2022. p. N27.
  17. "What chef Vineet Bhatia's serving at Expo's UK national day during Prince William's visit'". 10 February 2022.
  18. "MICHELIN STAR CHEF WELCOMED FOR JUMEIRAH COLLEGE BAKE OFF'". 24 November 2022.
  19. Berg, Angela (22 March 2017). "Sternekoch Vineet Bhatia aus London" [Starred chef Vineet Bhatia from London]. Tellerrand-Stories (in German). ISSN   2750-4069 . Retrieved 13 October 2022.