A celebrity chef’s advice to inspiring entrepreneurs
Columbia Business School recently hosted celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, who was just named to the Time 100 most influential people, where he shared his journey of success.
Vikas Khanna, who grew up in Amritsar, Punjab, is now a Michelin-starred chef and host of MasterChef India. Khanna has built a career out of bringing people together with food and introducing Indian
flavors to US diners, first at Junoon, where he earned the restaurant a Michelin star, and most recently as owner of the wildly popular New York City restaurant Bungalow.
In a fireside chat with Lulu Chow Wang ’83, founder and CEO of Tupelo Capital Management, Khanna traced his journey to success, offering advice to MBA students and aspiring entrepreneurs. Once they reach leadership roles, he said, they must advocate for their cultures and communities. “We have to adapt to something to fit in. But once you fit in, you have a responsibility to educate people who make decisions on our behalf. Who are given the right and positions to judge the subcultures or small ethnic cultures,” he told the audience of about 300. “Tomorrow you’ll be in a position where you have the position and power to change things. Change.”
Watch the full conversation here.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
