Kunal Kapur facts for kids

Kunal Kapur (born September 18, 1979) is a famous Indian chef and restaurateur (a person who owns and manages a restaurant). He is best known for being a judge on the popular cooking show MasterChef India.

Early Life and Education

Kunal Kapur was born in New Delhi, India, to a Punjabi family. He went to St. Francis de Sales School. From a young age, he loved cooking and decided to make it his career.

To learn more, he studied Hotel Management at the Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Management Catering & Nutrition in Chandigarh. He learned many of his first cooking skills from his father and grandfather.

Besides cooking, Kapur is also interested in cars, technology, and traveling.

Career as a Chef

Kapur started his professional career around the year 2000 with the Taj Group of Hotels. He later became the Executive Sous Chef at the Leela Kempinski hotel in Gurgaon.

His cooking skills have earned him a lot of praise. In January 2008, a magazine called India Today named him "The Best Indian Chef" in New Delhi. He has also had the honor of cooking for important world leaders. He prepared a special Satvik meal (a type of vegetarian Indian food) for India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel.

He also cooked for 42 first ladies during the India-Africa Summit and held a fun, interactive cooking class for them.

Restaurant Business

Kapur opened his own restaurant called "Quarter Plate" in Noida. The restaurant is known for mixing traditional Indian tastes with new and modern cooking styles to create a unique dining experience.

Famous Television Shows

Kunal Kapur is a well-known face on television. He has appeared on many cooking shows.

• MasterChef India: He was a popular judge on this cooking competition for seasons 1, 2, 3, and 5.
• MasterChef US: He was invited to be a guest judge on the American version of the show in its second season.
• Pickle Nation: In this series on the Living Foodz channel, Kapur traveled across India to discover the country's most interesting pickles and the stories behind them.
• Thalis Of India: This show explored why food in India is often served on large platters called thalis. Kapur traveled to learn about the different kinds of thalis.
• My Yellow Table: He hosted this popular food show for four seasons on the channel NDTV Good Times.
• Curries Of India: This series on Living Foodz looked at the history of Indian curries and what influenced them.
• Foodie Comes to America: Filmed in New York and California, this show followed Kapur as he explored how Indian food has become popular in the United States.

Awards and Special Recognition

Kapur has received many awards for his work in the food industry.

• He earned a place in the Limca Book of Records for building the largest chocolate tower in India.
• He won The Indian Television Academy Award for Best Jury/Anchor for his role on Junior MasterChef India.
• He received the Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship from John Key, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, for his work in food.
• He won the Epicurean Guild Award for Best Food Entertainer in 2017 for his show Thalis of India.
• He was given the Most Enterprising Brands & Leaders of Asia Award by WBR India.
• In 2023, he won the Pinkvilla Style Icons Award for Stunningly Stylish Culinarian of the Year.

Helping the Community

Kapur uses his skills to help others. He is a brand ambassador for United Ways Delhi, an organization that helps people through education and health programs. He trains young people who are unemployed, teaching them cooking skills so they can start their own small food businesses.

He also works with the National Association of Street Vendors in India to help improve the food and cleanliness of street food sellers.