“My hands know what my heart feels”: Chef Ranveer Brar on identity, failure, and feeding the soul
From a young boy watching langar being cooked at a gurdwara in Lucknow to becoming one of India’s most celebrated chefs, Ranveer Brar’s journey is a masterclass in staying rooted while reaching for the stars.
In a candid conversation on Hindustan Times’ The Impossible Show with Ritesh Agarwal, Chef Brar reflects on the many chapters of his life—his upbringing in Lucknow, his spiritual connection to food, and the bruising failures that shaped his success.
Lucknow: The quiet rebel that made him
“There’s a subtle rebelliousness in Lucknow,” Brar says with a smile. “It says what it has to say without being loud about it.” For the chef, the city isn’t just a birthplace—it’s the texture of his identity.
Raised in a modest household, Brar’s early brushes with food came not from fancy kitchens but from service. “My grandfather used to take me to the gurdwara every Sunday. I’d sit by the langar area, watching, listening, absorbing. That was my first school.”
At just ten years old, he cooked his first meal—a batch of jaggery-laced sweet rice—for the community. “They called me langari after that,” he laughs. “But more than anything, I felt the magic of food. It connected me to something deeper.” Watch the full episode below,
Failures, forks in the road, and the power of skill
Despite early acclaim—becoming the youngest executive chef in India—Brar’s story took a hard turn when his Boston-based restaurant shut down. “I walked into the restaurant and got handed a legal notice and a $5,000 cheque. Just like that—it was over.”
But it wasn’t despair that followed. It was quiet resolve. “My friend told me, ‘Ranveer, you can make money even with an egg stall. Your hands know your skill.’ That stayed with me.”
Brar’s belief in his work, and the faith of those around him, helped him rebuild. “Sometimes, when you lose faith in yourself, others carry it for you. That’s the currency I was unknowingly building.”
Family, values, and the art of observation
Brar is a poet at heart—his words laced with nostalgia and nuance. When he speaks of family, it’s not just about kinship but character building. “Values aren’t taught, they’re caught,” he says. “A joint family teaches you to observe, to absorb. My acting, my storytelling—all come from those childhood observations.”
Even today, his belief in India’s greatest institution—the family—remains unshaken. “Outside India, people rely on laws and systems. Here, so many problems are solved within the four walls of a home.”
Spirituality and the soul of cooking
Ranveer Brar doesn’t see food as just sustenance. “Cooking is seva,” he says. “Whether you’re at a temple, a wedding, or a restaurant—it’s an offering.” His faith, deeply spiritual and rooted in gratitude, forms the bedrock of his approach to life.
He recalls how, as a child, he would “bargain” with God. “I cooked for the langar. Now make sure there’s no power cut during the India match!” he chuckles. “That was my trade. And somehow, it worked.”
Building a legacy beyond himself
Today, Brar is more than a chef. He’s a mentor, an entrepreneur, a cultural ambassador for Indian cuisine. But he’s quick to add, “I’m not the benchmark. I’m just the gate-opener.” In partnership with The Impossible Show, Brar announced the launch of the Ranveer-Ritesh Fellowship—a program that will support aspiring chefs with seed funding to chase their culinary dreams.
His message to young chefs? “This industry needs more believers. If we’ve made it this far with effort and intent, imagine where you can go with the same.”
