Atul Kochhar
First Indian chef to win a Michelin star, who opened Benares Madrid in 2015 as a spinoff of his Mayfair restaurant.
- Restaurants
- 1
- Born
- 1969 · Jamshedpur
Atul Kochhar, born in 1969 in Jamshedpur, India, became the first Indian chef in the world to win a Michelin star in January 2001, for Tamarind in London's Mayfair. He opened his own restaurant Benares nearby in 2003, adding a second Michelin star in 2007, and launched Benares Madrid on Calle Zurbano in September 2015 as a Spanish spinoff. He left Benares London in 2018 after 15 years as chef-patron; Benares Madrid is still open, with chef Luis Ojeda running the kitchen.
From @chefatulkochhar on Instagram
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Biography
Early years
Kochhar was born in 1969 in Jamshedpur, India. He trained at the Institute of Hotel Management in Chennai before joining the Oberoi Group of hotels in 1989, becoming a sous chef at the five-star Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi in 1993.
Career
Kochhar moved to London in 1994 to work at Tamarind in Mayfair, and in January 2001, at age 31, became the first Indian chef in the world to be awarded a Michelin star. In 2003 he opened his own restaurant, Benares, on Berkeley Square, winning a second Michelin star in 2007. In September 2015 he launched Benares Madrid on Calle Zurbano in the Almagro neighbourhood as a spinoff of the London original, describing it as a chance to bring pan-Indian street food influences to a tapas format, and to use pork and beef, meats he hadn't cooked with in London, to fit the Spanish palate. In 2018 Kochhar left Benares London after 15 years as chef-patron, and the restaurant lost its Michelin star months later. Benares Madrid carried on without him, with chef Luis Ojeda now running its kitchen. Kochhar has since built a new portfolio of restaurants in the UK, including Kanishka in Mayfair (2019) and Sindhu in Marlow.
Philosophy
Benares Madrid fused Spanish produce with Indian technique, tandoor-oven dishes like Old Delhi-style tandoori chicken alongside monkfish with crab croquettes, an approach Kochhar described as following the same philosophy as the London original while adapting to local ingredients.
Atul Kochhar in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Atul Kochhar’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·First Indian chef in the world to hold a Michelin star, Tamarind London (2001)
- ·Second Michelin star, Benares London (2007, held until 2018)
Frequently asked
Who founded Benares Madrid?
Atul Kochhar, the first Indian chef to hold a Michelin star, opened Benares Madrid in September 2015 as a spinoff of his London restaurant of the same name.
Does Atul Kochhar still run Benares Madrid?
No. Chef Luis Ojeda now runs Benares Madrid's kitchen, and Kochhar also left his flagship Benares London in 2018 after 15 years as chef-patron.
What cuisine does Benares Madrid serve?
Modern Indian cuisine that fuses Spanish produce with techniques like tandoor cooking.
Where is Benares Madrid located?
Benares is on Calle Zurbano in Madrid's Almagro neighbourhood.
Does Atul Kochhar have a Michelin star?
He was the first Indian chef in the world to win one, at Tamarind London in 2001, and added a second at Benares London in 2007, but he left Benares in 2018 and it lost the star soon after.
Where did Atul Kochhar train?
At the Institute of Hotel Management in Chennai, then with the Oberoi Group of hotels in India from 1989, before moving to London in 1994.
What other restaurants does Atul Kochhar run?
Since leaving Benares in 2018, he's built a portfolio of restaurants in the UK, including Kanishka in Mayfair and Sindhu in Marlow.