Ranveer Singh Brar (born 8 February 1978) is an Indian celebrity chef, television personality, author, restaurateur and actor. He is known as the host of several television food shows, and as a judge in MasterChef India, After graduating from a hospitality institute in Lucknow, Brar stepped into the culinary career, now spanning more than nearly three decades.
Born in Lucknow, India, into Jat Sikh family to Ishwar Singh and Surinder Kaur, Brar was inspired by the local Kebab vendors in Lucknow at a young age which led him to pursue his love for food. He did his schooling from HAL school Lucknow. His passion to learn the art led him to volunteer as an apprentice to one of them, Munir Ustad.
Though his family initially resisted, they finally gave in, leading Brar to join Institute of Hotel Management, Lucknow, for a more formal initiation into the culinary world.
Brar's career began with the Taj Group of Hotels, starting with the Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi. In 2001, at Fort Aguada Beach Resort, he opened "Morisco" a seafood restaurant, "il Camino" an Italian restaurant and "Fishtail" a small open air barbeque eatery.
After this, he was back in Delhi in 2003, this time, as part of the newly opened Radisson Blu Hotel, Noida. Coincidentally, he also shot to fame as the youngest executive chef of his time in the country at the age of 25.
Fate beckoned him overseas when he left for Boston, Massachusetts at a friend's invitation. He and his team were inspired to open "Banq", a fine-dining Franco-Asian restaurant. Banq won numerous awards including the Best New Restaurant in the World by the magazine "Wallpaper". (The restaurant is now permanently closed.)
Following this, he was appointed Corporate Chef for the One World Hospitality Group, one of the oldest restaurant groups in Boston.
A twist of fate however brought him back to India, this time to Mumbai, where he joined Novotel, Juhu Beach, as the Senior Executive Chef.
Chef Brar's flair for conceptualizing and curating menus and holistically, restaurants, led to his association with the MTV India chain of restaurants, launched by Viacom 18 consumer products wing. FLYP @ MTV, the first restaurant opened in Delhi in mid-December 2015, with the next launch in Chandigarh, and the third instalment in Mumbai fall of 2017.
Mumbai also saw the launch of Brar's premium patisserie called English Vinglish in the spring of 2016, featuring fusion Indian desserts, breads and bakes, which were all vegetarian.
Mumbai's fine-dining space soon welcomed Brar's all-vegetarian artisanal restaurant in December 2016, called TAG Gourmart Kitchen by Ranveer Brar, as well as the restaurant Mayura (now closed) in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada in 2017. Brar was responsible for the F&B conceptualization for the restaurants at the heritage property Alila at Bishangarh by Alila Hotels and Resorts He was brought on board Royal Caribbean International for curating gourmet Indian food on two of their cruise liners on their Singapore sailings. He also associated with Thomas Cook India for curating the menu for niche Indian travelers traveling abroad. Brar toured different cities in India alongside Mercedes-Benz India via the Ranveer Brar Culinary Academy, hosting cooking workshops and demos pan India, as part of the former's Luxe Drive Live campaign. In September 2023, Ranveer opened an Indian restaurant in Dubai Festival City Mall named Kashkan. The restaurant offers a pan-Indian menu that spans the length and breadth of the country, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
Zee Khana Khazana / Living Foodz / Zee Zest
He has hosted various cookery shows on Zee Zest (formerly known as Zee Khana Khazana Channel and Living Foodz):
Breakfast Xpress & Snack Attack
The Great Indian Rasoi Seasons 1 & 2
Food Tripping along with Chef Gautam Mehrishi.
Northern Flavours - Meethi Masti
Station Master's Tiffin: In October 2018, he hosted a unique travel and food show based on Indian Railways for Living Foodz