Recently, we came across a case where several people accused celebrity chef René Redzepi, known for Noma in Copenhagen, of abuse. Amid this, Kunal Kapur revealed in a podcast that he was also abused during his initial cooking career by seniors, which shocked us. Read on to know more.
Kunal Kapur Reveals He Faced Abuse In His Early Career
In the podcast Table 1 with Vir Sanghvi, Indian celebrity chef Kunal Kapur revealed the dark side of becoming a chef. He shared that during his early days, senior chefs would openly say things like, “Tum kabhi chef nahi banoge.” He added that getting scolded or even physically hit by chefs was quite normal back then, and he also experienced it.
We have also heard similar accounts before, including from cases like celebrity chef René Redzepi, who later publicly apologised for his past behaviour.
Kunal Kapur then shared an incident from his training days saying, “it was okay to hit chefs”. He said that once he received an order for an aloo dish, but there was no cooked potato available, so a senior asked him to get potatoes from the pantry. He quickly boiled and cut them. However, the dish was returned by a customer, who complained it was undercooked.
At that time, Kunal was still a beginner and didn’t know that the slight resistance while cutting meant the potatoes were not properly cooked. Later, after speaking to the customer, the senior chef came back and hit him. However, Kunal Kapur revealed that the job was everything to him, so he just “gulped down” and didn’t say anything.
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How Abuse Shaped His Behaviour In Cooking Shows
During the podcast, the MasterChef judge also revealed that the harsh words used in hotel kitchens cannot be used on cooking shows. He explained that most participants come from non-hotel backgrounds and are not used to such environments. He added that when you are on a show judging dishes made by people who pour their heart into cooking, it is not right to dismiss them with harsh words.
The chef himself did not like the way he used to behave earlier, so he decided to change. He started giving people suggestions on how they could improve and encouraged them to come back with better, more delicious dishes next time. He also noticed how much people appreciated his feedback.
What are your thoughts on this? Tell us in the comments below!
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Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/ @chefkunal
FAQs
Was Kunal Kapur abused?
Yes, in this initial cooking career Kunal Kapur was abused by the senior chefs.
Is hitting junior chef normal in cooking industry?
In a podcast, Kunal Kapur revealed that it's very much common for senior chefs to hit junior chefs.
Why Kunal Kapur no longer use hard words for participants in cooking shows.
Kunal Kapur no longer uses harsh words on cooking shows because he feels participants come from non-hotel backgrounds and deserve encouragement instead of criticism.