Indian abroad
The cookbook he’s signing is ‘How to Cook Indian for the International Audience’. Said to have taken the west by storm, it was listed as one of the ‘Summer Cookbooks of the Year 2011’ by New York Times among other accolades.
“The perception is that cooking Indian food is complicated. A single dish can use 10-15 ingredients and it can be challenging so that’s why I wrote this book – it’s in a simple, modest language, looks easy and feels easy – chances are you won’t fail,” he says.
Kapoor is used to tailoring his menus to different cultures and palates, a task perhaps even more challenging in his new Dubai Signature outlet, at Melia Dubai, considering the culturally-diverse customer base in the emirate.
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“You create a menu which would hopefully please many different people and you’ve got to make sure every person in the restaurant has been trained very well and understands what should be sold to who,” explains Kapoor.
“So we have our set formula for that but it isn’t always that easy because taste is so personal. An Indian like me may not eat very spicy food but there could be some English guy who wants very hot food, so then there’s a lot of skill that goes in when the order is being taken,” he adds, emphasising the importance of good waiting staff.
Kapoor’s passion for Indian food is infectious, as intended. He passes it on through television, books and his string of restaurants. In September 2011, Kapoor announced plans to reach 100 restaurants through his franchise firm Indian Cookery Pvt. At the time, he already had 25 restaurants open in three countries.
For him, it all started at the India Tourism Development Corporation where he enrolled on a kitchen management programme. His early career took him around India in various hotel kitchens before his first executive chef role at Centaur Hotel in Mumbai.
His bright smile, bubbly personality and cooking skills soon earned him a loyal following within the Indian community.
Having tasted fame on a local level, Kapoor realised he could achieve much more with recognition on an international level and so embraced every opportunity for publicity, but the launch of his television cookery show ‘Khana Khazana’ signalled a turning point in his career.
“When I started in the industry I worked in different hotel restaurants and was very well known back then, but only within the community. When you have a medium which is as large as television, things change, and you’re in homes and it’s not thousands of people who know you, it is millions,” explains Kapoor.
But with that level of recognition comes responsibility, he tells Caterer Middle East.
“There are many things you can do [with fame] because it brings a lot of responsibility. I create solutions for problems because I can reach out to many more people. The food I’m serving is the same but I can do many more things [to improve the industry], which is very satisfying. The joy of giving is much better than receiving,” says Kapoor.
Alongside championing quality Indian cuisine worldwide, Kapoor is using his publicity to empower Indian women through cooking.
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