Firsts are always special. To mark Robb Report’s first anniversary, we take a walk down memory lane with chef Vikas Khanna, revisiting the firsts that have shaped his extraordinary journey—from arriving in New York in December 2000 with little certainty about what lay ahead, to finding his place on the global culinary map.
Over the years, Khanna has transformed his deep-rooted connection with India, its cuisine and its traditions into a global language. His New York restaurant Bungalow, which opened on what would have been his late sister Radha’s 50th birthday, is perhaps the most personal expression of that journey—bringing the flavours, stories and spirit of India to the world.
Yet, as Khanna reflects on his firsts, it is clear that his story is not simply about achievements. It is about the people who shaped him, opened doors for him, the failures that taught him to persevere, overcoming the many challenges, and the realisation that everything in his life was shaping him for something bigger. From his memories of Amritsar, his grandmother’s wisdom, and his Indianness—would become his greatest strengths, as well as his stepping stone into the world of gastronomy.
Today, his ambition remains as expansive as ever: to create something from India that becomes a permanent part of global culture. In his own words, “I no longer want to fit into the world. I want to take India to the world.”
Vikas Khanna (VK): I will never forget my first real opportunity in America. I came to New York with very little certainty about what the future would hold. I had dreams, but dreams don’t come with instructions.
That first opportunity made me feel that perhaps there was a place for me here. It wasn’t about a title, money, or recognition. It was simply the feeling that someone had seen something in me before the world did. That gave me the courage to keep going.
VK: I celebrate them with gratitude. I call my mother. I remember my Biji (grandmother), my sister Radha, and all the people who carried me when the journey was difficult.
Even today, when something extraordinary happens, my instinct is not to celebrate the achievement itself. I think about the people who made it possible. For me, gratitude is the greatest celebration.
VK: I still feel I am at the beginning. The first I am most excited about is creating something from India that becomes a permanent part of global culture, something that outlives me. I want the next generation to inherit a world where Indian cuisine, artisanship, rituals, and storytelling are not seen as exotic, but as essential contributions to world culture. That would be a beautiful first.
VK: That somebody opening the first door for you can change the entire direction of your life. But once that door opens, you have a responsibility: work hard enough to deserve the opportunity, and when you are able, hold that same door open for someone else.
VK: Mrs Sabharwal was one of the first people to truly open a door for me in America. When I arrived here, I didn’t know anyone. She became much more than my first employer. She believed in me, supported me, and gave me a sense of belonging at a time when I desperately needed one.
I often think of Lord Krishna and Yashoda Maa. The person who gives you life is divine, but the person who nurtures you and protects you along the journey can also become family. That is what she became for me.
VK: Loneliness. Rejection. Starting again from zero. When you come to a new country, nobody knows your history. Nobody knows what you sacrificed to get there. You have to introduce yourself to the world again.
I overcame it through work. I kept cooking. I kept learning. I kept showing up. There is something very powerful about consistency. Eventually, the doors that remain closed become less important because you learn how to build your own.
VK: I remember many failures more clearly than successes. Failure taught me not to confuse rejection with destiny. Something not working today does not mean it was the wrong dream. Sometimes your timing is wrong. Sometimes your approach is wrong. Sometimes you simply have more to learn. Failure also gave me empathy. When you have struggled yourself, you recognize struggle in other people much faster.
VK: Opening Bungalow. I would experience March 23, 2024 again in a heartbeat. We opened Bungalow on what would have been my sister Radha’s 50th birthday. So it was never simply another restaurant opening for me. It carried grief, love, memory, and hope all at once. That first evening, watching people walk through those doors and seeing India represented with such pride, I knew we had created something bigger than a restaurant. I would relive those few hours just to feel that emotion again.
VK: Coming to America for the first time. I arrived in New York in December 2000. That journey changed everything. It taught me independence, humility, and resilience. Most importantly, distance from India made me understand India more deeply. Sometimes you have to leave home to understand what home has given you. Everything I create today is, in some way, connected to that journey from India to America and eventually from India to the world.
VK: The first time I realised that the things I had once considered my limitations could actually become my greatest strengths. My accent, my memories of Amritsar, the food I grew up eating, the rituals I witnessed, my grandmother’s wisdom, my mother’s kitchen, my Indianness. There was a time when I thought I needed to move away from these things to succeed globally. Instead, I discovered that going deeper into my roots gave me my strongest voice. That surprised me, and it changed the way I looked at success forever.