Vikas Khanna Shares How A Visit To A Krishna Temple In Udupi Made Him A ‘Patriot Of Indian Cuisine’

There are moments of epiphany that change not just our lives, but who we are. For Chef Vikas Khanna, that moment came at a Krishna temple in Udupi, just when he had nearly lost hope of getting into WGSHA Manipal to study Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management in 1991. Here’s what happened.

How Chef Vikas Khanna Became A ‘Patriot Of Indian Cuisine’

Chef Vikas Khanna recently took to Instagram to share how a visit to a Krishna temple in Udupi transformed his life and deepened his understanding of Indian cuisine. In his post, he recalled travelling to Manipal in 1991 for his final interview at WGSHA to study Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management. However, the interview didn’t go as planned. Disheartened, he visited the Krishna Temple in Udupi, hoping for a miracle.

It was at that temple that the chef’s life changed forever! “It was there, while receiving prasad (sacred food), that my understanding of Indian cuisine changed forever,” he wrote. Having spent most of his life in Punjab, he shared that his only reference to coconut had been coconut laddoos. But tasting Ananas Menaskai at the temple made him fall even deeper in love with India’s culinary soul, an experience that, he says, turned him into a true “patriot of Indian cuisine.”

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Ode To The Iconic Dish At Bunglow

Chef Vikas Khanna went on to share that in that very moment, he made a promise to Lord Krishna, that if he secured admission, he would bring those flavours back to his banquets in Amritsar. He recalled returning to Manipal and waiting outside the college, still holding on to hope.

“Later that day, my Principal, the late Mr. Sunderash Prasad, walked up to me and said, ‘I can teach you everything, but not passion. Let’s train you to open your air-conditioned hotel.’ And I became the last student to be chosen for the sixth course,” he shared—truly a goosebumps-worthy moment.

In his caption, he added, “Who knew that this humble sacred food would one day challenge every French sauce I studied in my culinary journey? And who knew that, 35 years later, it would become my most iconic dish across the world.” And that’s how Ananas Menaskai, the dish he once tasted as prasad in a temple in Udupi, eventually found its way onto the global stage at his renowned New York restaurant, Bungalow.

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The chef shared that he continued visiting the Krishna Temple, even learning to sing prayers in the local language as a way to thank the Almighty.

Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/vikaskhannagroup & X/TheVikasKhanna