Chef Sanjeev Kapoor to aspiring chefs on Teacher’s Day: Do what you’re afraid of

A teacher is more than just an educator in school or college; they could be mentors in your profession, guides you meet along the journey of life or role models you may want to ape. They shape minds and mould their students’ outlooks. One such person in the culinary work is Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, who has worked with and trained several chefs throughout his extensive career. He has acted as a mentor for some of the biggest celebrity chefs as well.
For Teacher’s Day today, we spoke to him about two of his “students” — Chef Kunal Kapur and Pastry chef Pooja Dhingra. While he says both of them are brimming with talent, he goes on to share how he bonded with the two in different ways.
During a flight from New York, Kunal and I were on the same plane when we got talking and I pushed him to start his YouTube channel. We spoke for around three hours. He was hesitant and asked me ‘How did you start?’. I said, ‘I didn’t know anything about this world. I just put my foot in the door, that this is a new opportunity and I think it will grow.’ Later, when he tasted success, he told me, ‘Sir mujhe phele sunna chaiye tha.’ We also spent a lot of time together on the set of Masterchef India and he is keen to learn.
I have known Pooja since she was a child as her father and I worked together, and we kept in touch. She is such a talented chef and I’ve seen her grow up. When she started Le15 Patisserie, she sent me the first batch of her macaroons. While the product was fantastic, I was happier to see the packaging as I felt that India was ready for her high-quality desserts. I was happy and so proud of her. Initially, when she was a lot younger, most of the guidance I gave her was through her father – it was second-hand advice – as he used to always tell me what Pooja was working on. Now, she is not shy and will directly ask me (laughs).
When we ask him about the responsibility of guiding chefs who look towards him, Chef Sanjeev bashfully responds, “I only share my experience, what has helped me or hasn’t worked out for me. My advice to all aspiring chefs is to just do the things they might be afraid of. The worst thing to happen will be that they fail. But it is a new world we are chartering. We don’t know what will happen or which road we may go down, not unless we try.”
The senior chef and restaurateur goes on to share his motivation behind building the chef community in India. “I have always believed that Indian food is the best cuisine in the world. And I was everyone to know it. So, whether I am speaking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our President Droupadi Murmu or at the United Nations, I will be there talking about this subject.”
This is a massive responsibility — spreading the love and knowledge of Indian food around the world — that the chef has undertaken. However, he isn’t alone. “When I began, I was alone. Can I keep doing this alone? No. But I have an army now, I need everyone to be with me. Or I would be fighting a lone battle. And it’s not a charity, we create business opportunities and everyone is benefiting from this dream,” Chef Sanjeev ends.