Vikas Khanna in pagdi visits Golden Temple after winning Michelin Star: ‘Grateful to every single guest...’

Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar, days after his New York restaurant ‘Bungalow’ won the Michelin 2024 Bib Gourmand Award.

While he has previously received the Michelin Star 8 times, Khanna had said this one “felt different”.

Khanna wore a turban (pagdi) as he bowed “in gratitude” at the sacred Sikh pilgrim. He said he had visited the Gurudwara almost a year ago to “seek blessings” for his Bungalow Chef Jacket.

The MasterChef India judge shared a video on Instagram offering a glimpse into his visit to the Golden Temple with his mother, Bindu Khanna. He said, “Almost a year ago, I visited the Golden Temple to seek blessings of my Bungalow Chef Jacket. Today, I visited to bow in gratitude.”

“I’m grateful to every single day, to every single guest, to every single memory Universe gave me. I spend 364 days working nonstop, sometimes 16 hrs a day.”

In the video, Khanna and his mother can also be seen performing ‘sewa’ as they peeled potatoes and made rotis for ‘langar’.

Watch the video here:

Cherishing the time he spent with his mother at the Golden Temple, the celebrated Indian chef said, “I wanted this time with my Maa as “everything should begin with her, everything 2025”.”

Michelin 2024 Bib Gourmand Award

Vikas Khanna had dedicated the Michelin 2024 Bib Gourmand Award for ‘Bungalow’ to her sister, Radhika Khanna.

Radhika, a prominent fashion designer, author, and entrepreneur, passed away in 2022 after battling lupus for many years.

While sharing the news of the award, Khanna had said, “I felt that it was for some higher purpose, it was like a tribute, it was like a promise to my land and to my people. To my sister,” he added.

From Hollywood star Anne Hathaway to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, 'Bungalow' has attracted the presence of celebrities across the world.

‘Bungalow’ will be Vikas Khanna's last restaurant 

Talking to news agency ANI, Vikas Khanna, voted as “New York's hottest chef”, said Bungalow is his last restaurant. 

“I'm cooking 16-18 hours a day. I'm in the restaurant all the time. It's my last tribute... I've been cooking for over 40 years. I will use my I'll use my energy to create something even more different, more,” he said.

He told ANI that Bungalow was his sister's dream. “This was not even my dream.” 

Sharing that he has been asked several times about when he'd open his restaurant in India, Khanna said, “The answer is no. I say the energy you get in a restaurant is when you stand on your own. And it's very important that in a foreign land, the most competitive market on the planet Earth you are holding the Indian Flag there.”

So far, Khanna has hosted four US Presidents, cooked for the White House and famed dignitaries around the world.