From Amritsar's lanes to TIME's 100, Vikas Khanna's journey comes full circle
Vikas Khanna, the Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur has been named in TIME 100 Most Influential People 2026, marking a significant moment not just for him, but for Indian cuisine on the world stage.
Chef Vikas Khanna has been named in the TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2026, a list that, this year, also features actor Ranbir Kapoor, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, YouTube chief Neal Mohan and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
In an emotional Instagram post, Khanna called it “a moment for Indian cuisine, for our culture, for every story that began in a humble kitchen,” tracing his journey from “the narrow lanes of Amritsar” and the langars of the Golden Temple to one of the world’s most influential platforms. “This is not just my journey,” he wrote, dedicating the honour to “every hand that believed, and every plate that carried a story forward.”
Speaking to PTI from New York, where he now runs his restaurant Bungalow, the chef framed the recognition in a deeply personal, and political, way. The label “curry boy”, once used as a slur for South Asians, has, for him, come full circle.
Khanna, who previously helmed the Michelin-starred Junoon, said the honour also felt like a tribute to his late sister, whose birthday coincided with the day he first heard the news. “I felt that my sister is still fighting for me from up there,” he told PTI.
His inclusion comes under the “Innovators” category, with French chef Eric Ripert writing his profile for TIME. Ripert described Khanna as a chef with an “extraordinary heart” whose work goes beyond food, using cuisine as a vehicle for storytelling, memory and cultural pride.
For Khanna, though, the recognition ties back to a long-standing mission: pushing Indian cuisine forward globally—not just through visibility, but through rigour.
“I received the Michelin star eight times, but I didn’t feel the cuisine was moving forward,” he said, adding that he consciously chose to stay rooted in his restaurant rather than chase celebrity.
At 54, Khanna sees this moment as bigger than personal validation. It signals a shift in how Indian food, and by extension, identity, is perceived globally.
Or as his post quietly put it: from a boy rolling rotis in Amritsar to a seat at one of the world’s most influential tables.
(With inputs from PTI)
Chef Vikas Khanna has been named in the TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2026, a list that, this year, also features actor Ranbir Kapoor, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, YouTube chief Neal Mohan and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
In an emotional Instagram post, Khanna called it “a moment for Indian cuisine, for our culture, for every story that began in a humble kitchen,” tracing his journey from “the narrow lanes of Amritsar” and the langars of the Golden Temple to one of the world’s most influential platforms. “This is not just my journey,” he wrote, dedicating the honour to “every hand that believed, and every plate that carried a story forward.”
Speaking to PTI from New York, where he now runs his restaurant Bungalow, the chef framed the recognition in a deeply personal, and political, way. The label “curry boy”, once used as a slur for South Asians, has, for him, come full circle.
Khanna, who previously helmed the Michelin-starred Junoon, said the honour also felt like a tribute to his late sister, whose birthday coincided with the day he first heard the news. “I felt that my sister is still fighting for me from up there,” he told PTI.
His inclusion comes under the “Innovators” category, with French chef Eric Ripert writing his profile for TIME. Ripert described Khanna as a chef with an “extraordinary heart” whose work goes beyond food, using cuisine as a vehicle for storytelling, memory and cultural pride.
For Khanna, though, the recognition ties back to a long-standing mission: pushing Indian cuisine forward globally—not just through visibility, but through rigour.
“I received the Michelin star eight times, but I didn’t feel the cuisine was moving forward,” he said, adding that he consciously chose to stay rooted in his restaurant rather than chase celebrity.
At 54, Khanna sees this moment as bigger than personal validation. It signals a shift in how Indian food, and by extension, identity, is perceived globally.
Or as his post quietly put it: from a boy rolling rotis in Amritsar to a seat at one of the world’s most influential tables.
(With inputs from PTI)
