Owner, Chef Vineet Bhatia

Born in India in 1967, Vineet Bhatia was born into an educated middle class family in Bombay. His first passion in life was aeroplanes followed by his mother’s first love, cooking. Education : He studied at catering college in Bombay from 1985 until 1988. Gained an economics degree 1989. Qualified and trained at Oberoi. Mr Bhatia grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot, but he was turned down for military service because he was too small. He ended up on a hotel management course almost by accident, going against the family tradition of becoming a doctor or lawyer. Career : Vineet arrived in London in 1993 and found fame at Star of India. In 1999 Claudio Pulze bought the Vineet Bhatia-headed Zaika, which in 2001 became the joint first Indian restaurant to win a Michelin star . Leaving there he opened Rasoi Vineet Bhatia in June 2004 with his wife and gained a Michelin Star in 2006. Numerous awards and consultancies. 2003 gained agreement with British Airways for in-flight meals. Opened Safran Restaurant at Le Touessrok Hotel on Mauritius in December 2002 and awarded 'Best Resort Food in the World' by Tatler in 2004. In 2001, Vineet consulted for the opening of Mushq at the Manor – India’s first boutique hotel in Delhi. Since 2002, Vineet has been a consultant for Tantra a highly successful restaurant on Sunset Boulevard LA, California. Mr. Bhatia opened his second Rasoi in Mauritius in October 2007, adding to a group that includes Indego in Dubai and Agni in Moscow and is launching the London flagship of Urban Turban, a tapas-style restaurant he hopes will blossom into a global chain.. He has a flurry of openings in the Middle East planned for next year(2010) and, in March, returns to his home city of Mumbai to open a restaurant at a Moberoi hotel. He is negotiating consultancy projects with hotels in Abu Dhabi and is looking at deals in Bahrain, Morocco and Europe. Mr Bhatia has recently published Rasoi: New Indian Kitchen (Absolute Press, £30), his first cookery book. Awards : Evening Standards' 'Chef of the Year' 2004 ; Best In Britain (BIBA) Restaurant Personality of the Year 2001 ; ITV Indian Resuarant of the Year 2005 ; Best in Britain Award (BIBA Top 30) 2005-2007. Mr Bhatia is only the second British chef, after Gordon Ramsay, to hold Michelin stars in more than one country.