An easy smile, a familiar presence and an instinctive way of reading a plate, Kunal Kapur walks into the room much like he does on MasterChef India, observant and assured. Midway through the meal, there’s a pause after a spoonful, followed by a quiet nod. It brings back the memory of watching him taste and judge dishes on screen. Only this time, it’s right at the table.
And in the middle of it all, Kapur slips between host and chef, turning a simple afternoon into a tête-a-tête about all things food, the first being about the evolution of India’s food culture. As a long-time judge on MasterChef India, he has had a front-row seat to this change. Pointing to how access has changed everyday cooking, he says, “We are not cooking the same food we were 15 years ago. An avocado then was a prized possession, costing `400-500. Today, it’s in our homes and you’re making avocado on toast without thinking twice. There was a time you didn’t cook Asian food at home, but now, you’re trying different dishes. ”
With more access, content and local cooking classes popping up, home cooks are now far more confident with experimentation. This exposure has expanded the boundaries of what is possible on platforms like MasterChef India. Challenges are no longer limited to familiar territory and contestants are willing to step outside their comfort zones. “In the earlier season, people were not as prepared for what was coming. Now they’ve seen the format, watched international versions, and surprise us,” says Kapur, who was in the city ahead of the launch of his restaurant, Pincode.
And yet, for all the change, his approach to cooking remains grounded. Innovation, he believes, doesn’t start with doing something new; it starts with understanding what already exists. “To move forward, you have to go back,” he says, stressing how important it is to know the origin of a dish before reinterpreting it. There are elements that cannot be altered, while others allow room for creativity, and this equilibrium is what gives food meaning, preventing it from becoming change for the sake of change.
The influence of social media is impossible to ignore. It has become a space where trends take form, where chefs and home cooks alike find inspiration and where audiences engage with food in ways that go beyond the kitchen. “Food is a performing art. People enjoy watching it. Are they still going to cook it? No, but they still engage with it,” he adds. This engagement often circles back into the kitchen. He points to dishes like Champaran mutton, which gained traction online before making their way into the menu. “I saw it trending a few years ago and thought we should do it,” he shares.
The conversation also touches on the less-visible side of the industry. Recent challenges like the LPG crunch have forced restaurants to rethink their operations and Kapur speaks candidly about adapting – shifting to induction-based cooking, investing in new equipment and retraining teams. “In our industry, one problem ends and another appears. This one was big. It’s a reminder that behind every seamless dining experience lies constant adjustment,” he says.
And then comes a thought that feels closest to the heart of it all, something he has learnt over the years in kitchens and on television. “The show has taught me to be humble, to understand that good food and good chefs can come from anywhere. You don’t need to be qualified; what has been handed down in our homes, and if we do that right, we are already master chefs in our own mind,” he says. Ask him if fellow chefs Sanjeev Kapoor and Vikas Khanna, who are part of the MasterChef legacy, will drop by, he smiles, “Hopefully. They are like my brothers. I would love to host them.”