Spotlight on... Atul Kochhar

We sat down with Atul Kochhar, twice Michelin-starred restaurateur and founder of Masalchi in Wembley Park to learn more about his Wembley Park restaurant.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Atul Kochhar. I’m a chef and restaurateur with restaurants across the U.K including Masalchi in Wembley Park.

Can you give us a bit of background as to how you got started?

My interest in cooking started from a very early age growing up in India. My family are from Northern India, but I travelled all around the country picking up many different culinary techniques and cultures. I moved to the UK in 1994 and started at a restaurant called Tamarind. In 2001 I became the first Indian chef to get a Michelin star whilst I was at Tamarind. It was an amazing achievement. I think I didn't sleep for days afterwards. In 2003 I set up my own restaurant called Benares which earnt me my second star in 2007. I continued my journey by opening several award-winning restaurants and today my focus is to continue the success of Atul Kochhar Hospitality Group.

At Masalchi we celebrate not only one Indian cuisine, but all the cuisines of India. That's a big difference, because you cannot put the whole country on one plate. You’ve got to explore it and understand how the food is constructed and the markets and the street vendors are the first place to get inspiration.

What do you want people to know about Masalchi?

Masalchi is an Indian Street food concept and my aim is to be able to reach out to more people, so I want this to be an everyday place for any occasion whenever they're hungry. Masalchi celebrates the exotic abundance of India’s spices with homely food in a relaxed and sociable setting.