Harpal Singh Sokhi

Harpal Singh Sokhi is a celebrity chef from India. As a chef, he worked with multiple hotel and restaurant chains, before launching his own chain – The Funjabi Tadka – in 2013. He has hosted the cooking show Turban Tadka, and is the Director of Turban Tadka Hospitality.

Harpal Singh Sokhi grew up in Kharagpur (West Bengal), where his father worked with the Indian Railways. He has two older sisters and one brother. He studied at the South Eastern Railway Mixed Higher Secondary School. He was inspired to become a chef by his mother's cooking. His father traveled a lot for work, and encouraged his kids to try a lot of different cuisines. His brother also cooked food at a langar.

Inspired by the academic atmosphere in Kharagpur (which is home to an IIT), Sokhi initially wanted to pursue engineering, but was not good at studies. He also expressed interest in joining the Indian Air Force, but by the time he decided to apply, he had crossed the maximum age limit. He came to know about the hotel management career from a friend who studied in Siliguri. Sokhi's brother encouraged him to appear for the hotel management entrance exam, and Sokhi enrolled at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Bhubaneswar in 1984.

In 1987, Sokhi completed his diploma in catering from IHM Bhubaneswar. He started his career as a trainee cook at The Oberoi in Bhubaneswar. At 27, he became an executive chef.

Sokhi spent several years in learning different international cuisines. He learnt Hyderabadi cooking from Ustad Habib Pasha and Begum Mumtaz Khan. He also did research on Ayurveda-based food to see how cooking can improve nutritive value of the food.

He went on to work as a chef with several restaurants, including:

Sokhi has conducted cooking schools at Regent Jakarta and The Peninsula Manila. He has also organized Indian food festivals internationally.

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