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Atul Kochhar
Atul will be speaking on -
Atul Kochhar is one of the most critically acclaimed chefs in Britain and the Chef Patron behind the highly acclaimed Indian restaurant and bar, Benares in Berkeley Square.
Atul was the first Indian chef to receive a Michelin star for his time at Tamarind and he has since repeated the feat by winning a Michelin in January 2007 at Benares, announced in the 2007 Michelin Guide to Great Britain and Ireland.
Born in Jamshedpur in Eastern India, Atul embarked on his cooking career at The Oberoi group of Hotels in India. In June 1993 he graduated to the five star deluxe Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi. Here Atul worked as a sous chef in one of the five restaurants in the hotel, supervising a team of 18, raising the standards in the kitchen.
In January 1994 he moved to the fine dining restaurant of Bernard Kunig, one of the finest Hilton chefs and in November Atul’s reputation brought him to London to open Tamarind in Mayfair. By January 2001, at the age of 31, Atul became the first Indian chef to be awarded the coveted Michelin star. His creative and innovative edge has won Tamarind huge accolade, publicity and a large following. Tamarind's success is mainly due to its unique blend of classical and modern cuisine. At Tamarind Atul changed the perception of Indian food in UK. For the first time in London Indian food was being recognised to take the elite ranks with other cuisine of the world. Since then many other restaurants have followed to enhance the cuisine.
In June 2002 Atul joined Marks and Spencer as consultant chef for their Indian range. Soon after joining, the Indian range was awarded seven Q awards in honour of its outstanding quality. In August that year, Atul left Tamarind to set up his first Independent venture, Benares which opened on 30th April 2003.
Benares represents Atul’s most ambitious venture to date, with a menu that reflects his passion for food from all areas of India and a setting to rival the most elegant of restaurants in London. Inspired by the holy city of Benares, on the banks of the river Ganges, Atul Kochhar offers a gastronomic journey that redefines the perception of Indian food thus Benares has established itself as one of the finest restaurants in London, winning accolades for its delicately spiced food and striking design.
Renowned for the vibrancy of his food and the subtlety of his spice mixes, Atul is scrupulously faithful to the origins of each recipe. Never complacent with the quality of his work, he returns to his homeland whenever possible to research new recipes and ingredients. The presentation may lean towards modern European styles, but the heart of each dish can be traced to individual households across India.
His acclaimed cookbook Indian Essence, a collection of strikingly original and beautifully presented recipes, is the product of one such trip and he is currently working on a second book on Indian vegetarian food.
As well as being the first Indian chef ever to receive one star Michelin in 2001 Atul has been awarded ‘The Restaurant Personality of the Year 2001’ by BIBA – Real Curry Guide and this year was awarded 'Outstanding Contribution to the Curry Industry' at the 2005 British Curry Awards.
Atul’s recipes have appeared widely in magazines and newspapers, and he demonstrates regularly on food shows in the UK and abroad. He lives in west London with his wife and daughter.
