'I knew about the MBE but couldn’t share for 10 days!’

Popular chef, Vineet Bhatia, talks to us after it was announced that he will be honoured with the prestigious MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), which will be handed to him by King Charles II, soon.

Chef, restaurateur and author Vineet Bhatia has become the first Michelin-starred chef of Indian origin to be awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). The Indian-origin chef will be bestowed with the honour by King Charles II, the monarch of the United Kingdom. Bhatia has been awarded the honour for his “services to UK cuisine, hospitality, and international trade”.

Chef Vineet Bhatia will be awarded with the MBE this year(Bhatia)

“I was told by the British ambassador in Dubai about the MBE around December 18-19. So I was sitting on this piece of news for a good 10 days before I could share it with the rest of the world. I had only told my wife and my two boys about it,” proudly shares Bhatia.

Recently back from a luxury cruise to Antarctica, where he worked his magic, Bhatia dedicated the achievement to his mother and his wife, two women who, he says, have been instrumental in helping him achieve his dreams: “I lost my mother during the pandemic, and I wasn’t even there for her funeral. But I am sure she must be looking down and beaming with pride.”

Bhatia is also the first Indian-origin chef to receive a Michelin Star, and he has two at the moment. But he insists that receiving an MBE is much more special. “Of course, getting a Michelin Star is always special and extremely close to my heart. But receiving an MBE is an acknowledgement of all I have done in my life. It’s not just for my cooking and culinary skills, but also my passion to forge relations and create markets because of it. I never got into it to win awards, but to help build a community and bridge gaps between countries,” Bhatia signs off.