Vineet Bhatia

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
Websitevineetbhatia.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.

In 2021, Vineet was appointed as culinary Ambassador for 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]

He opened his restaurant Saffron Lounge in Doha, Qatar, in 2012, alongside his established restaurant in Dubai, Indego.[9] 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.[10] In 2015 he opened his first restaurant in Saudi Arabia, "Maharaja by Vineet" in the Mövenpick Hotel Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.[11] After two years of operation, Maharaja was awarded the best Indian restaurant at the Food & Travel Arabia awards.[12]

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.[13]

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.[14]

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.[15]

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.

Bhatia’s other social work has also been centred around moulding the next generation and being a source of inspiration.[16] 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.

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.[17]

Restaurants

Restaurant Location Years Rating
Star of India London, United Kingdom 1993 - 1998
Zaika London, United Kingdom 1999 - 2004 1 Michelin star
Safran Belle Mare, Mauritius 2002 - 2006
Tantra Los Angeles, United States of America 2002 - 2007
Rasoi London, United Kingdom 2004 - 2016 1 Michelin star
Indego Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2005 - Present
Indus Moscow, Russia 2006 - 2010
Urban Turban London, United Kingdom 2008 - 2010
Maharaja Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia 2008 - Present
Rasoi Geneva, Switzerland 2008 - 2021 1 Michelin star
B.I.R.D Leeds, United Kingdom 2008 - 2013
Saffron Lounge Doha, Qatar 2009 - 2018
Ziya Mumbai, India 2010 - Present
Amari Belle Mare, Mauritius 2014 - Present
Maharaja East Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2015 - Present
Rasoi Manama, Bahrain 2015 - Present
Vineet Bhatia London London, United Kingdom 2016 - 2018 1 Michelin star
Indego 360 Doha, Qatar 2018 - 2021
Rasoi Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2019 - Present
Indya Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2019 - Present
KAMA London, United Kingdom 2019 - Present

Notable Events

Event Location Year
Ponant Cruise - Q Experiences The Arctic 2022
Expo 2020 UK National Day Dubai, U.A.E. 2022
HMS Queen Elizabeth II Indian Ocean 2021
HMS Defender Mumbai, India 2021
Ponant Cruise - Q Experiences Antarctica 2019 - 2022
Reingau Wine & Food Festival[18] Rheingau, Germany 2016, 2017, 2019
Base Camp Dining Experience Mount Everest, Nepal 2018
City Meals New York City, U.S.A. 2018
Umaid Bhavan's Palace Jodhpur, India 2018
Heart for India Geneva, Switerzerland 2018
San Sebastian Gastronomica San Sebastian, Spain 2017
Indian Embassy Paris, France 2016
Hangar 7 Salzburg, Austria 2015
Constance Ophelia Hotel Seychelles 2015
Palace of Versailles Versailles, France 2015
Dinner in the Sky Doha, Qatar 2014
Château St Martin Côte d’Azur, France 2014
Taste of Dubai Dubai, U.A.E. 2006 - 2013
U.S. Trade Counsel Dinner Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia 2012
St. Mortiz Gourmet Summit St. Mortiz, Switzerland 2008, 2009, 2011
Abu Dhabi World Gourmet Summit Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. 2010
London Eye Dining Experience London, England 2009
World Gourmet Summit St Moritz, Switzerland 2009
Madrid Fusion Madrid, Spain 2008
Taste of London London, England 2002 - 2004


Books

Bhatia has written two cookbooks:

  • Rasoi : New Indian Kitchen, 2009, ISBN 978-1906650193
  • My Sweet Kitchen, 2016, ISBN 978-0995543102

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. "Saffron Lounge by Vineet Bhatia".
  10. "Qatar Airways Ropes in Two-Star Michelin Chef Vineet Bhatia". NDTV Food. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  11. "Maharaja by Vineet presents a fascinating business lunch". Arab News. 25 January 2015.
  12. "StackPath". www.bahrainthisweek.com. 11 April 2017.
  13. "London Diary: Two great Indian chefs bounce back with terrific new restaurants after falling out with their partners". Hindustan Times. 2 October 2019.
  14. O’Loughlin, Marina. "Restaurant review: Marina O'Loughlin on Kama by Vineet, Harrods, London" via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  15. "No. 63918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2022. p. N27.
  16. "What chef Vineet Bhatia's serving at Expo's UK national day during Prince William's visit'". 10 February 2022.
  17. "MICHELIN STAR CHEF WELCOMED FOR JUMEIRAH COLLEGE BAKE OFF'". 24 November 2022.
  18. 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.
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