Atul Kochhar

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Atul Kochhar

Born	Birth date missing Jamshedpur, Eastern India
Rating(s) Michelin stars
Current restaurant(s) Benares Vatika Ananda
Previous restaurant(s) Tamarind Oberoi Hotel (New Delhi)
Official website
http://www.atulkochhar.com/

Atul Kochhar is an Indian-born British chef. Born in Jamshedpur in northern India, Kochhar was trained and worked at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi.

Biography

In 1994, he was appointed head chef at the Tamarind restaurant, in Mayfair, London. By the age of 31, he became the first Indian chef to be awarded the Michelin star.^[1]

In 2002 Atul joined Marks and Spencers as a consultant chef and advised on their Indian food range. In the summer of the same year he left Tamarind to start his own restaurant.

Atul Kochhar now owns an elite restaurant, Benares. Its menu reflects his passion for food from all areas of India and a setting to rival the most elegant of restaurants in London.

Never complacent with the quality of his work, he returns to his homeland whenever possible to research new recipes and ingredients. His acclaimed cookbook "Indian Essence" is the product of one such trip and he is currently working on a second book on Indian vegetarian food. His recipes have appeared widely in magazines and newspapers, and he demonstrates regularly on food shows in the United Kingdom and abroad. He lives in west London with his wife and daughter. He also teaches Indian cookery at the nearby Thames Valley University.^[2]

Recently, he has represented South-East England in the BBC's Great British Menu. Kochhar beat renowned chef Gary Rhodes in order to represent the South-East in the final round. In The 2007 Series, Atul again triumphed in the heat against Stuart Gillies. Atul got through on the second series National final with a Spicy John Dory with mushy peas and a chutney, and a Main Course of a Spicy Rack of Lamb but failed to reach Paris.

In January 2007, Atul's new restaurant, Benares, won a Michelin star as well.

Atul competed again in the BBC's Great British Menu in 2008, losing out in the London and South-east heat to Jason Atherton.

In 2009, Atul opened two restaurants including Vatika in Wickham Vineyard, Hampshire, and Ananda in Dublin, Ireland.

Atul Kochhar has signed a deal with P&O Cruises to launch a fine-dining restaurant on board the company’s new superliner, the Azura, in 2010. The chef will operate a restaurant called Sindhu, which signifies the river Indus, and is sometimes taken to mean "meeting point" or "fusion" in Hindi, serving his signature modern British dishes with an Indian twist. Kochhar said that launching a restaurant aboard a P&O ship was a "Dream come true. My restaurant on Azura will be called Sindhu, and that’s what my cuisine is, an amalgamation of British and Indian, so it’s just the right name. I’m a great believer that good food is often simple food, so that will be the best thing to give".^[3]

On 20 March 2010 Atul Kochhar received the TMG Cordon Bleu Award at his restaurant in Mayfair, London for his educational contribution in bringing South Asian cuisine to the mainstream. The award was presented by Senior TMG Judge and Barrister Safina Haleema along with the TMG Committee.

In April 2010 he became the executive chef of Colony on Paddington Street.^[4] Atul Kocchar announced he was leaving the business in June 2011 to focus on other interests. The split was described as amicable.^[5]

References

External links

• Benares Official site
• Vatika Official site
• Ananda Official site
• Tamarind Official site