Ranveer Brar is an Indian celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, TV show judge, food columnist, and actor. He has appeared as one of the judges in various seasons of the cooking reality show MasterChef India.
Wiki/Biography
Ranveer Singh Brar was born on Wednesday, 8 February 1978 (age 44 years; as of 2022) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. He hails from Kotla Raika, Punjab. His zodiac sign is Aquarius. He did his schooling at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Lucknow. He then pursued his graduation in hotel management from the Institute of Hotel Management, Lucknow. In his childhood, he used to accompany his grandfather in gurudwara. There used to love watching people while making langar. He was once asked by one of the cooks at a gurudwara to make sweet rice for the langar. In an interview, he shared how he developed an interest in cooking. He said,
One thing led to another, and by the age of 17, I had discovered that there was much more to food than what I had been introduced to within my community and neighbourhood. Having spent many idle hours discovering old Lucknow with my friends, in Nakhas and Akbari Gate, I began to enjoy the legacy, the respect, and the stories that were interwoven with food. I worked with a kebabwala for 8-9 months.”
Ranveer Brar’s old photos
In an interview, he shared that the local kebab vendors in Lucknow inspired him to become a chef. He then started assisting one of the vendors named Munir Ustad in Lucknow. Initially, his family was not happy with his decision. Later, they started supporting him and enrolled him in IHM, Lucknow to earn a degree in hotel management.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Family
Ranveer belongs to a Jatt Sikh family of farmers.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Ishwar Singh, worked at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. His mother’s name is Surinder Kaur. He has a sister named Shalu.
Ranveer Brar with his father
Ranveer Brar with his mother
Ranveer Brar with his sister
Wife & Children
On 14 July 2013, he got married to the Indian chef Pallavi. The couple met for the first time at a hotel’s kitchen where Ranveer was an executive chef and Pallavi was a chef. Soon, they became friends and fell in love with each other. Ranveer then proposed to Pallavi for marriage while having dinner, which was cooked by him. The proposal was held at Marco Islan, Florida. The couple had a Maharashtrian wedding. The couple has a son named Ishaan Brar.
Ranveer Brar and his wife
Ranveer Brar with his son
Signature
Ranveer Brar’s signature
Career
Chef
In January 1999, he started working as chef de partie at Taj Management Training Program. After working there for almost two years, he worked as a sous chef at the Taj Group of Hotels in New Delhi and Goa. He worked there for two years. In 2003, he joined Radisson, Noida, as an executive chef. In 2005, he left his job at Radisson and started working at Claridges Hotel as an executive chef. He worked there for two years, and in 2007, he started a restaurant named BANQ in Boston, as an executive chef. Later, the restaurant was closed permanently. After working there for two years, he started working as a corporate chef at One World Cuisine Hospitality Group in Boston. After working there for around three years, he started working as a senior executive chef at the hospitality company Accor. He worked there till December 2014. He has also worked at Oberoi hotels.
Restaurants
In December 2016, he started a vegetarian restaurant named TAG – GourmArt Kitchen. In 2017, he started another restaurant named Mayura in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, which was later closed.
Ranveer Brar at his restaurant TAG – GourmArt Kitchen
Host
TV Show
Ranveer has hosted many Indian cooking shows such as Breakfast Xpress & Snack Attack, The Great Indian Rasoi Seasons 1 & 2, Health Bhi Taste Bhi, Food Tripping along with Chef Gautam Mehrishi, Northern Flavours – Meethi Masti.
Ranveer Brar in The Great Indian Rasoi
In October 2018, he hosted the travel and food show ‘Station Master’s Tiffin’ aired on Living Foodz and based on the Indian Railways.
Ranveer Brar in Station Master’s Tiffin
In 2019, he worked as a host in the TV show ‘Himalayas the Offbeat Adventure,’ in which the cuisine of local tribes was showcased.
Ranveer Brar in Himalayas the Offbeat Adventure
He has also hosted three seasons of the cooking show ‘Thank God Its Fryday’ (2014–2016), aired on Zoom channel.
Ranveer Brar in Thank God Its Fryday
Ranveer has worked as a judge in MasterChef India season 4 (2015), MasterChef India season 6 (2019), and MasterChef India season 7 (2022).
MasterChef India season 6 (2019)
A few more cooking and eatery shows hosted by Ranveer are Rasoi ki Jung Mummyon Ke Sung (2017) and Raja Rasoi Aur Andaaz Anokha (2019).
Rasoi ki Jung Mummyon Ke Sung (2017)
Digital Series
Ranveer has also hosted cooking-based digital series such as Ranveer On The Road (2016; Twitter), Maa ki Baat With Ranveer Brar (2019; YouTube), and Home Made Love (2019; TLC).
Ranveer Brar in Maa Ki Baat With Ranveer Brar
Author
In 2016, he launched his autobiography titled ‘Come Into My Kitchen.’ In 2017, he authored a book titled ‘A Traditional Twist.’
Ranveer Brar’s book A Traditional Twist
Actor
Ranveer has appeared as an actor in a few Hindi web series like ‘Femme Foodies’ (2017), ‘The Buckingham Murders’ (2022), and ‘Dum Laga Ke India’ (2022).
Femme Foodies
In 2022, he worked as an actor in the Amazon Prime Video ‘Modern Love: Mumbai’ in the episode ‘Baai.’ In the series, he played the role of Rajveer, a gay character.
Modern Love Mumbai
Other
Ranveer has been working as a mentor at 4 Indian universities including the IIHM group of institutions for a very long time. He has curated menus for various restaurants like heritage Alila Bishangarh, FLYP @ MTV, Thomas Cook, and Royal Caribbean. In 2015, he launched an artisan line of meal kits in association with Haute Chef. Ranveer has hosted various cooking workshops organised by Ranveer Brar Culinary Academy in association with Luxe Drive Live campaign. In 2016, he launched a premium patisserie ‘English Vinglish’ in Mumbai.
Awards & Honours
- 2017: Indian of the Year Award for Chef and TV Host of the year
- 2018: LFEGA ‘Food Entertainer of the Year’ award
- 2021: Outstanding Contribution to the Food and Beverage Industry by Food Connoisseurs India Convention
- 2022: People’s Choice Culinary Icons of the Year award
- 2022: Pinkvilla Style Icons Award for Super Stylish Chef
Others
- Honorary member at the James Beard Foundation (recognised by the same for his culinary contribution)
- Recognised for his contribution to various cuisines by several institutions such as AIWF, AICA, and the Mayor of Boston
- Handled banquets at the Rashtrapati Bhawan and at the Prime Minister’s residence
- As of 2022, he is India’s youngest executive chef at a five-star hotel at age 25.
Net Worth
In 2019, his net worth was Rs 4.99 crores.
Favourites
- Food: Kebabs, Biryani, Khichdi, Murgh Choley, Dahi Phulki
- Cooking Ingredient(s): Ghee, Coriander Leaves
- Eating Destination(s): Street food of Benaras, Lucknow, Kolkata, Thailand
- Cuisine(s): Italian, Lucknowi
- Quote(s): The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved — loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves” by Victor Hugo and “The wise are wise only because they love. The fool are fools only because they think they can understand love” by Paulo Coelho
Facts/Trivia
- In an interview, Ranveer shared that he was the first earning member of his family after his father. He further shared that once he had only Rs 5000 in his bank account.
- In an interview, he talked about his signature dish. He said,
I’d rather call it the most intriguing dish I love to cook, it’s the Dora Kebab. It has a delicate balance of flavour and aroma, the kebab is held together by a silk thread (Dora) and the thread must be deftly pulled out in a single stroke. Lucknawi cuisine will always be close to the heart, followed by the food of Kolkata. In the international arena, Italian is my favourite – to eat and cook.”
- He has been associated with various brands such as Mercedes-Benz India, Bertolli Olive Oil, Gadre Marine Export Pvt Ltd, Philips India Kitchen Appliances, and Victorinox.
- Ranveer Brar has uploaded his recipes on his official website and self-titled YouTube channel. In 2019, he launched his mobile app in collaboration with Hungama Digital Media.
Ranveer Brar’s YouTube channel
- He follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- He is an avid animal lover and once had a pet dog named Bo.
Ranveer Brar with his pet dog
- In 2022, the prison department and National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBD) roped in Ranveer to provide tips for cooking meals in jails across Uttar Pradesh. In an interview, the Director General of Prisons, Anand Kumar said,
Lucknow-born chef Ranveer will coach prisoners to try new recipes for their meals. The chef will explain to them how to make multiple healthy recipes from the existing food on the platter and called it a historic initiative to make the prisoners of UP self-reliant.”
- In his leisure time, he loves to read books, watch movies, and hang out with his family.