Vikas Khanna & His Amazing Journey from Being Homeless to Opening Junoon in New York

Vikas Khanna, a known face to all Indian households. You would have seen him hosting Master Chef India. But there is lot more to know about Vikas Khanna, the man who is passionate about the art of cooking. He says “The Power of Food is really spiritual. It not only brings the whole family together on the same table, but also brings the whole world together”.

I have read, understood & recorded the Indian entrepreneur’s journey but Vikas Khanna stands out to be special in terms of Persistence, Dedication & sheer hard work. Vikas Khanna life is so amazing & inspiring that every individual have know about him.

Bringing you the article “Vikas Khanna & His Amazing Journey from Being Homeless to Opening Junoon in New York”

When Vikas Khanna was known as Vikku-

Vikas Khanna with his Mother

Vikku was born in Amritsar (typical Punjabi) with misaligned legs and feet, he was not able to run until he was 13. The neighboring kids used to tease him as a ghost(as he had misaligned legs), he used to come home crying & his mother used to console him by saying “Your Special” & she used to tell him if someone says you’re ghost tell them “Thank You Angel”. She taught him the art of gratitude. At the age of 13 years, Vikas Khanna was able to overcome disability.

[Some Interesting info: In 2011, People Magazine refers him as “The Hottest Chef of America” & listed him under “Sexiest Men Alive”]

The Calling….

Vikas Khanna with his Granny

He realized early in life that he wants to cook and his cooking foundation school starts at his granny’s kitchen, where Viku’s granny (his inspiration) thought him to cook. He learnt how to roll the bread in Amritsar Golden temple’s Langar (Sikh Community Kitchens). At the age of 17yrs Vikku and his mother went school to school selling chhole-bhature to make living. With this hardship helped to gain a contract from school principal to make 580 sweaters that would help them to raise Rs. 15,000 & with this contribution Vikas started his own banquet and catering business by name “Lawrence Gardens”, which served Kitty-party Punjabi women and soon it was well known catering services in Amritsar.

[Some Interesting info: Today at Junoon, some menu shows the price at $300 which is equal to the money he started “Lawrence Gardens”. Destiny has its own cards to play]

Turning Point in his Life..!!

At the age of 25yrs, Vikas travels to Manipal, Karnataka from his home town Amritsar to get final admission in Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration. He had already failed in two rounds of interview, but he continued to answer all the questions asked by the interviewer’s in a humble a way. He told all about his kitty party business like how he made 3 types of channas, with Rs. 20 he offered thums-up, bathura and ice cream. He also spoke about his dream to open an air-conditioned hotel.

The interviewer kept laughing and Vikas continued with his Punj-indi (Punjabi + Hindi). One of interviewer stopped him in between the conversation and asked him to try next year.

But Vikas kept on requesting them to give one chance, when he realized that he is been rejected, then he told to the panel “don't worry Sirji. I knew it that you were all laughing at me from the beginning, but I will still open a AC hotel, one day."

Vikas was sitting outside corridor of the interview room and thinking what to do next, then Mr. Sunderash Prasad (Principal) walks toward him and said “You know that I can teach you everything, but I can't teach you about the most important essential "Passion", Rest is all easy. Waiting to eat in your hotel one day, get in the college now."

[Some Interesting info: Though Vikas Khanna wasn’t able to cook food for Mr. Sunderash Prasad (Principal) as he passed away in 1992 but Vikas named his restaurant in New York as “Junoon” -means passion]

The Spiritual Connect…

It's very important in our life time to be connected with spirituality. The successful business tycoons, entrepreneurs, industrialist are all have connected to spirituality at the early age in life and are successful. Recently Mark Zuckerberg in Town hall Q&A with PM Narendra Modiji told to the world that he had been to Temple in India (Neem Karoli Baba's Ashram at Uttarakhand) upon suggestion of Steve Jobs in order to connect with the company mission.

In New York, Vikas Khanna experiences the spiritual connect. This happens when he closed down the third restaurant & was mounted with bills to be paid, he is locking the restaurant door and he receives a call from his friend Tashi, who tells him His Excellency Dalai Lama is in town so would you like to hear him. Vikas went to Dalai Lama's lecture (he doesn't know what made him to go but he went for the lecture). 

He stands in last in the line…Dalai Lama walks towards him & touches Vikas Khanna's forehead & handovers silk cloth to him. The divine touch, made Vikas Khanna to start again with the new hope.

Vikas Khanna being jobless not knowing what to do in life...calls his Mom late in night after returning from Dalai Lama lecture & tells her that he want to finish the project “Return to Rivers” the cookery book which covers the cuisines of Himalayan belt. Her Mom books the ticket from New York to Bhutan.

The real Journey of Vikas Khanna starts here, he travels all over the Bhutan and Tibet. He roams around the places, meets people, and learns the different culture & various cuisines. For his project he takes the picture of different cooking styles & records in his laptop. One day, he forgets the laptop at chai thela in mountains of Bhutan & gets into a cab…After a while the cab stops & later he sees the old woman may be at the age of 60’s holding laptop in her hand & tells him he had forgot in her stall. Vikas Khanna thanks her for her act of kindness, today the actual book “Return to Rivers” has 2600 pages covering different cuisines of Himalayan belt. The “Return to Rivers” was possible because of that old lady.

Travelling on unknown path..!!

 On Dec 25, 2000 Vikas walks down the Canal Street in Broadway with $3 in his pocket, without any food & shelter. It was a Christmas Night. Vikas was shivering as his cloths wear drenched in rain. Lady on the streets walks toward Vikas & gives a blanket and says to Vikas “Happy Christmas”. Vikas with the blanket walks further, he sees a big queue & upon questioning he gets to know it’s a New York Rescue Mission (NYRM) for Homeless. Vikas takes shelter in homeless. It’s very difficult to think about a homeless shelter & people leaving there. Nobody wants to go and experience the feeling of being homeless. For Vikas it was ok to fail & being unemployed in New York.

Later he worked for “Salaam Bombay” restaurant very close to the WTO crash site. Vikas used to put a small buffet every afternoon for the people who are working at the site. And also holding placard with the picture of a “Sikh guy offering food to a child” this was the representation of New Yorkism. Usually it’s said that Americans appreciate those who openly express about their culture & who they are as individualism. Vikas was representing the culture of India in a foreign land at the time of post 9/11 incident.

Birth of Junoon…

In 2007, Vikas gets a call from Chef Gordon Ramsay to appear in his show “Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares” to develop the restaurant “Dillions” which is in the hands of irresponsible management. Vikas Khanna renames the restaurant as “Purnima” and runs the restaurant till 2010. Meanwhile one of Vikas Khanna’s friends sees the show “Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares” and shares the common vision of opening a restaurant “Junoon”.

Today Vikas Khanna is a celebrity Chef. He hosted dinner party at White House. Recently he prepared 7 course meals for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CEOs of top global companies.