On this teacher's day special series, we are featuring India's best teachers and trainers across different fields. We are extremely happy to have celebrity chef Mr Sanjeev Kapoor in our series. Sanjeev Kapoor is by far the most popular and arguably the best "Cooking trainer" in India today. He appeared in Indian Television with the cookery show 'Khana Khazana' and instantly became famous in Indian Kitchens and with women across India.
Sanjeev Kapoor's simple ways of teaching, unique yet delicious recipes and his everlasting smile makes the whole experience of watching and learning from him a fantastic one. He has written tons of books, has appeared in countless TV shows and has hundreds of Youtube videos against his name. His TV show Khana Khazana has completed more than 800 episodes being telecast nonstop since its inception - the longest running TV show in any category on any channel. He was selected among the top 5 celebrity chefs across the world for a show on CNN.
We are proud to have such a celebrity taking a shot at our questions and taking time from his busy schedule to answer those. You are an absolute star when it comes to cooking. Can you tell how little about your journey of learning Cooking? My foray into the kitchen started when I was around 7-8 years old. I used to watch my father and mother cook together and then my elder brother Rajeev started cooking too. I simply copied them.
When did you formally start teaching Cooking? Tell us about your first experience. All through my career as a chef I have been a student! I am constantly learning and evolving even now. My show on TV Khana Khazana was my first exposure wherein I had to demonstrate the recipe to an audience which was not live! So I simply did what came naturally to me, talked naturally, and reached out to the audience, explaining everything in very simple words. I think this clicked, and you could say that I started ‘teaching’ cooking about 17 years ago.
When you look back at your success, what do you think helped you reach the stardom in cooking and winning hearts of millions of women across India? I have been the face of Khana Khazana for many years now. The secret of its non stop airing is very simple: I give the audience what they want.
Do you have to be foodie to love cooking? What has been your experience like? People who love to cook, might not eat that much! In my case too, I love food and cooking and I do taste everything I make, though not gorge on it. I think foodies might not like to cook…but it is difficult to segregate the two.
Every woman (and some men too!) feel themselves a cooking expert in their own kitchen. How do you make them at ease while showing/teaching your cooking expertise? I feel that people who are open minded will be good learners. That explains everything, doesn’t it?
What's the secret behind your everlasting smile :) My joy in what I do.
What is the next big thing you’re looking forward to? My new restaurants and expansion of the existing ones, the Food channel 24X7, my magazine….and my new books, and new episodes of Khana Khazana. That’s always exciting.
What would be your message to budding chefs and students in India on Teacher’s day? For budding chefs: follow your dream, never fear hard work, keep learning, and take small steps to success. It cannot happen overnight. To students: be open minded, make mistakes and learn from them and do not compartmentalize education. Learning is a continuous process.
One can read everything about Sanjeev Kapoor and what is his organization is up to on their website www.SanjeevKapoor.com . You can buy Sanjeev’s books and food products from their online store.
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