Atul Kochhar

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Atul Kochhar
Born	Birth date missing Jamshedpur, Eastern India
Rating(s) Michelin stars
Current Restaurant(s) Benares
Previous Restaurant(s) Tamarind Oberoi Hotel (New Delhi)
Official Website

Atul Kochhar is an Indian-born British chef.

Born in Jamshedpur in northern India, Kochhar was trained and worked at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi.

In 1994, he was appointed head chef at the Tamarind restaurant, in Mayfair, London. By the age of 31, he became the first Indian chef to be awarded the Michelin star.

In 2002 Atul joined Marks and Spencers as a consultant chef and advised on their indian food range. In the summer of the same year he left Tamarind to start his own restaurant.

Atul Kochhar now owns an elite restaurant, Benares. Its menu reflects his passion for food from all areas of India and a setting to rival the most elegant of restaurants in London.

His recipes have appeared widely in magazines and newspapers, and he demonstrates regularly on food shows in the United Kingdom and abroad. He lives in west London with his wife and daughter. He also teaches Indian cookery at the nearby Thames Valley University.

Recently, he has represented South-East England in the BBC's Great British Menu. Kochhar beat renowned chef Gary Rhodes in order to represent the South-East in the final round. In The 2007 Series, Atul again triumphed in the heat against Stuart Gillies. Atul got through on the second series National final with a Spicy John Dory with mushy peas and a chutney, and a Main Course of a Spicy Rack of Lamb but failed to reach Paris.

In January 2007, Atul's new restaurant, Benares, won a Michelin star as well.

May 2008 - Atul Kochhar is in the regional heat (South East and London) in the Great British Menu, this time competing for the chance to showcase 21st century British Cooking to internationally renowned chefs at The Gherkin in London, hosted by Heston Blumenthal.