‘My Success is India’s Plate on the World Table’

Celebrated chef, author and humanitarian Vikas Khanna has once again put India on the global map, earning a place in TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2026. An emotional Khanna reflects on the honour, the struggles of being dismissed as “just a chef,” the unwavering faith of his mother, and why silence from his peers has saddened him. Yet, true to form, he insists the recognition belongs not to him alone, but to India, its cuisine and the team that stood beside him.

Excerpts from an interview:

Vikas, you’ve again made India proud. How do you feel?

Thank you, it is still sinking in. Think of the elimination of possible names… there are so many powerful people who must have voted in my favour.

On the other hand, there must have been many who said, “What has he achieved? What is there to celebrate in a chef whipping up dishes?” I have faced these naysayers all my life.

How does it feel when people still say there is no great art involved in cooking?

I say everything that a man or woman creates — whether it is a flower planted in a pot or a housewife in the kitchen preparing food for her family — is a work of art. When I decided to become a cook, I was ridiculed, heckled and bullied back home. My mother believed in me. Today, when I heard about my name in the TIME list, I tried to explain to her what it meant, how many people must have been shortlisted and eliminated.

She must be so proud of you.

She doesn’t really understand what it means. But she knows her son has achieved something that makes her happy. She can hear the happiness in my voice. I feel very blessed. Congratulatory messages are pouring in from all quarters. Everyone, from the Obamas to my close friends has congratulated me. But you know what makes me sad?

Not a single word of congratulations from any of the chefs. I don’t understand this. My success in taking our food abroad is something I share with all my chef brothers. Maine jo bhi kiya woh sirf mere liye nahin hai.

I am happy that I got a chance to represent our country on a global platform. I don’t see my success as my own. It is the success of my team.

Where do you go from here?

Wherever my destiny takes me. Wherever my mother’s blessings take me.