Celebrity Chef Atul Kochhar Clearly Didn't Anticipate That an Anti-Islam Tweet Can Land Him in Deep Trouble
Michelin-star chef Atul Kochhar's apologies are not working.
Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar. (Reuters)
Atul Kochhar, an Indian-origin chef, who usually faces the heat in the kitchen, perhaps didn't except things to go so bad when he accused Priyanka Chopra of not respecting the sentiments of Hindus. He definitely did not expect to get fired by Dubai’s JW Marriott Marquis Hotel.
Kocchar is quite a celebrity. He has served piping hot samosas and khichdi on a luxury cruise headed to freezing Antarctica, he has cooked personalised meals for Prince Charles, he has been invited to meet The Queen during the Indian President's official visit, he was also the first Indian chef to receive Michelin star-- not once but twice. Kochhar has been incremental in putting India on the global culinary map.
Perhaps, that's why he thought he could get away with an anti-Islam tweet?
Kochhar joined the long list of people who trolled and attacked actor Priyanka Chopra and ABC network over an episode of the TV series Quantico.
Chopra, on Sunday, issued an apology for hurting sentiments of Hindu, for an episode that showed "Indian nationalists" planning to carry out a terrorist attack in Manhattan and frame Pakistan for it days before a summit on Kashmir.
“I’m extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise. I'm a proud Indian and that will never change,” Chopra tweeted.
Kochhar decided to take a dig at Chopra's apology. "It's sad to see that you have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorised by Islam over 2,000 years. Shame on You (sic)," he tweeted on Sunday.
However, after being faced with angry reactions, he deleted the tweet and put out an apology, saying the “major error” was “made in the heat of the moment on Sunday”. “There is no justification for my tweet ... I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded around 1,400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many,” he wrote.
The Islamophobic tweet created furore on social media, with Twitterati calling for firing the chef. Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted, "You (Kochhar) have offended me... As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement."
The chef and the restaurateur's communal and hateful comments towards Muslims resulted in the termination of his services at the award-winning Rang Mahal India restaurant he operated at Dubai’s JW Marriot Marquis Hotel.
"Following the recent comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar, we have taken the decision to end our agreement with him for Rang Mahal. With the termination of our agreement, Chef Atul will no longer be associated with the restaurant," Bill Keffer, general manager of JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, was quoted as saying by Gulf News.
Kocchar is quite a celebrity. He has served piping hot samosas and khichdi on a luxury cruise headed to freezing Antarctica, he has cooked personalised meals for Prince Charles, he has been invited to meet The Queen during the Indian President's official visit, he was also the first Indian chef to receive Michelin star-- not once but twice. Kochhar has been incremental in putting India on the global culinary map.
Perhaps, that's why he thought he could get away with an anti-Islam tweet?
“I’m extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise. I'm a proud Indian and that will never change,” Chopra tweeted.
Kochhar decided to take a dig at Chopra's apology. "It's sad to see that you have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorised by Islam over 2,000 years. Shame on You (sic)," he tweeted on Sunday.
However, after being faced with angry reactions, he deleted the tweet and put out an apology, saying the “major error” was “made in the heat of the moment on Sunday”. “There is no justification for my tweet ... I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded around 1,400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many,” he wrote.
The Islamophobic tweet created furore on social media, with Twitterati calling for firing the chef. Popular commentator and Arab journalist Khaled Almaeena tweeted, "You (Kochhar) have offended me... As a person who loves India its people no matter what their caste or creed. As a secular and liberal, it truly is a horror statement."
The chef and the restaurateur's communal and hateful comments towards Muslims resulted in the termination of his services at the award-winning Rang Mahal India restaurant he operated at Dubai’s JW Marriot Marquis Hotel.
"Following the recent comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar, we have taken the decision to end our agreement with him for Rang Mahal. With the termination of our agreement, Chef Atul will no longer be associated with the restaurant," Bill Keffer, general manager of JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, was quoted as saying by Gulf News.
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