Vikas Khanna is an Indian-American Chef, Restaurateur, Philanthropist, & Author. Besides, he is a famous name in the field of filmmaker, cookbook writer. He is also famous as one of the judges of the Star Plus series MasterChef India.

Early Life and Parents of Chef-Khanna

Vikas Khanna was born on November 14, 1971, in Amritsar, India. He is 48 years old as of 2019 and his birth sign is Scorpio. His father’s name is Davinder Khanna while his mother’s name is Bindu Khanna. He was born to parents as a second child.

By nationality, he is Indian nationality and belongs to an Asian ethnical background. He has two siblings Nishant Khanna (brother) while Radhika Khanna (sister).

The celebrity chef, Vikas was born misaligned within his legs and feet. As a result, he was not able to run until the age when he was 13.

Educational Background of Khanna

Vikas studied at the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration and graduated from there in the year 1991. After that, he studied at GD Goenka University located in Gurgaon, Haryana, India.

He received an honorary doctorate and his global reach as a chef. Also, he has studied at Cornell University, Culinary Institute of America, and New York University. Khanna stands at a height of 6 feet with an average weight of 82kg. His body measurements are 40-32-12 inches.

Is Vikas Khanna Married Or Single?

Vikas Khanna is yet to get married. As of now, he is single and he is looking forward to having a family one day.  According to some online sources, there was a rumor that Khanna was in a relationship with Shipra Khanna, the winner of the second season of Master Chef India.

Currently, he lives in New York City, New York with his family.

What is the Net Worth & Salary Of Vikas Khanna?

The Indian Michelin star Chef, Vikas Khanna has a net worth of $75 million dollars as of 2019. According to some online sources, his salary is $1,000,000 per year, $83,333.33 per month, and $19,230.77 per week. Similarly, he earns $2,739.73 per day, $114.16 per hour, $1.9 per minute and $0.03 per second. 

Vikas also earns a good amount of money through his books. As an author, he has written numerous books including Ayurveda – The Science of Food and Life, The Spice Story of India, Modern Indian Cooking, Hymns from the Soil – A Vegetarian Saga, and many more.

Professional Career as a Chef

Michelin star chef Vikas Khanna has served for several five stars hotels in India including the Taj Hotels, Oberoi group, Welcome group, and Leela Group of Hotels. After working for some years in India, he moved to New York and worked at the Cafe at the Rubin Museum of Art.

He was interested in cooking from an early age but he learned cooking from his idol grandmother. By the age of 17, he established Lawrence Gardens Banquets to host weddings and family functions.

In 2009, he along with Rajesh Bhardwaj started a restaurant named Junoon in Flatiron, Manhattan, in New York. The restaurant is only an Indian restaurant in New York City to be awarded the Michelin Star consecutively for seven years. The signature dishes of Junoon’s include Tandoori Octopus, Lal Mirch Ka Paneer, and Shahi Lamb Shank.

Also, Vikas got the opportunity to work with some of the famous and award-winning chefs of the world like Gordon Ramsay, Eric Ripert, Bobby Flay and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Today the restaurant is managed by executive Chef Akshay Bhardwaj.

Television Shows

As the host of Master Chef India in 2011, he appeared in the 2nd season to 5. In the recent season 6, he appeared as the judge along with the other two judges Ranveer Brar and Vineet Bhatia that premiered on 7 December 2019. Similarly, all the season was broadcast on Star Plus.

In the 6th season of Master Chef Australia in 2014, he appeared as a guest judge. In the four seasons of the Fox Life’s TV program Twist of Taste, Vikas appeared as the host of the show. He also featured on the episodes of the finale of Hell’s Kitchen as a judge as well as an Indian-cuisine specialist.

Throughout his successful career, Vikas appeared in several shows including the Gordon Ramsay TV show titled Kitchen Nightmares as a Consultant chef, as a judge on the TV show titled Throwdown! with Bobby Flay as well as a guest chef on The Martha Stewart Show.

Documentary Series

Vikas made a documentary series titled Holy Kitchens. The series is based on the bond between faith and food. It was presented at different universities like Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, and Oxford Universities and as well as in Film Festivals.

He also made a documentary titled “Kitchens of Gratitude” which was released on January 4, 2019, at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The film was later showcased at the 69th Cannes Film Festival at Marche du Film.

The story of the film is based on the daily struggles faced by the ancient city of Banaras, India for their survival for food on the streets. The film received the Director’s Vision Award at the 16th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart and as well as the award of Best Feature Film at the Dallas International Film Festival.

His Books

Some of his books which he has written are in below: