Chef Kunal Kapur on Teacher’s Day: Chef Sanjeev Kapoor taught me all the basics

“I have known Chef Sanjeev Kapoor for 14 years,” says Chef Kunal Kapur, likening him to an “elder brother” and calling him an “open book”. On Teacher’s Day today, Kunal adds, “He will mentor and guide you just like one, too. Phoolon ke maala jo hoti hai, usme khoob saare phool hai — mai hoon, Vikas Khanna hai, Pooja Dhingra hai, Ranveer Brar hai, Ajay Chopra hai, aur bahut chefs hai. Aur jo phoolon ko ikattha kar ke rakte hai, woh Sanjeev Kapoor hai.”
“When I was a college student in culinary school, on a tight budget, I used to watch Sanjeev’s shows on TV. At that time, buying cookbooks was too expensive and we didn’t have YouTube. I used to write down his recipes and make notes of the tips he would give. It was like having a free recipe. Unknowingly, he has taught me all my basics,” shares the chef, who now has developed a strong bond with Sanjeev – something he holds dear.
The restaurateur has become someone Kunal goes to when seeking guidance, whether in his professional or personal life. “I can confide in him. Whenever I need his opinion on something I am working on, I know I can just pick up the call and talk to him. It is just that easy. There is no formality whatsoever,” elaborates the 44-year-old.
The Delhi-based chef also credits Sanjeev for pushing him to begin his journey in the digital world. “It was sometime in 2011-2012 when social media and digital channels weren’t too common. We were on the same flight and were talking when he told me, ‘Promise me, the first thing you do when you get off this plane is to start your own YouTube channel. Don’t worry, just do it; how much effort, time and money it might take, just do it. You won’t repent it.’ And he was right,” shares Kunal.
And while Sanjeev may inspire “confidence to go down a new and uncertain path”, Kunal also clarifies that the former also has no qualms in honestly speaking his mind. “He is one of the few people I know who are 100% honest. So, he will also tell you that you’re wrong, without sugarcoating the truth. But it doesn’t come from a place of malice or jealousy,” explains the young chef.
And having spent so many years shadowing the television personality, it is bound to have rubbed off on Kunal, too: “He brings inclusivity to the table. While some people will keep things to themselves, ki agla banda aage nikal jaye, he isn’t like that. Sanjeev works in a top-down approach. He wants everyone to grow and it is all about building a community of chefs, together. That’s my biggest takeaway from him.”
Stepping away from tradition, Kunal shares how his grandfather, father and uncle were “Sunday cooks” and loved to make the kitchen their own. The chef grew up watching them enjoy their time cooking and they also pushed him to find his footing in the culinary world as well.

He says, “My father was a passionate foodie and a very good cook. He, along with my granddad and uncle always encouraged me and the other men in our house that they should learn how to cook. In our typical Punjabi orthodox family, when I was growing up, it was considered a good thing if the boy entered the kitchen rather than the girl.”
In an interesting case of role reversal, he says that the girls were pushed to study and excel in school and careers. “This is why all my sisters are going amazing in their careers and might explain why I became a chef,” Kunal wraps up.