Chef Vikas Khanna's restaurant, Bungalow, in New York, has gained widespread popularity in a short time. Besides attracting celebrities and food enthusiasts from all around the world, it has also won several culinary accolades. On his Instagram page, Chef Vikas Khanna often shares musings about not only present-day highlights but also what inspired him to establish the restaurant in the first place. In the past, he has often spoken about his late sister, Radhika Khanna, in association with Bungalow. More recently, he also revealed how his mother, Bindu Khanna, played a part in this part of his journey.
Chef Vikas Khanna posted a throwback photo of himself dining with his mother and sister at a restaurant. In the caption, he said that it captured "the day when the two most powerful women in my life gave me the vision for Bungalow." Chef Vikas recalled how he once asked his mother where she wanted to go out for dinner. His mother didn't reply, but his sister told him, "Maa feels that in Indian restaurants she is made to feel like an outsider... made to feel less." She added, "Maa, only your son can change this. He is our Karma Yogi. But only if he truly wants to."
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Chef Vikas Khanna explained that this moment "shook" him and made him realise what he had unwittingly neglected to do so far. Although he had managed to secure several victories in his career, he felt that he had not yet honoured his roots. He wrote, "It was a reflection on my journey - I had received every award, every recognition... and yet failed to build the very foundation of my craft: honouring mothers and my own people. It felt like a wake-up call. The one person I thought I was fighting all my wars for & for her dignity & honour... I had unknowingly alienated. And so, this became my purpose. (sic)"
This realisation is what eventually led Chef Vikas Khanna to conceptualise his New York restaurant as a welcoming space for all. He stated, "Every night at Bungalow, when I escort hundreds of parents to their tables, I do my very best to make them feel respected, cherished, and honoured." He also cited a quote he had recently come across in a book that declared, "Species feel safe only in a place where their mothers feel safe." He noted, "That truth stays with me. I pray for strength... and for my Maa's health... so I can continue this journey of honouring her, and through her, every mother who walks through our doors."
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Before this, Chef Vikas Khanna shared a heartfelt post about how Bungalow is a tribute to his late sister. "Love and grief are often born from the same place," he wrote, going on to explain how her memory lives on through his work. She died after battling lupus three years ago. Chef Vikas often speaks about her continuing influence on him and has shared several anecdotes in this regard. Read more about how Chef Vikas Khanna's restaurant was conceptualised as a shrine to her.