Asma Khan, Owner & Chef, Darjeeling Express
Season 1, Episode 1, Jan 20, 2021, 08:58 PM
Our guest today is the founder of Darjeeling Express; the chef, restaurateur and author Asma Khan – described by Grace Dent in the Evening Standard as a “force of nature: bold, funny, talented, philanthropic and unstoppable.” Darjeeling Express began as a private supper clubs for friends – before becoming a critically-acclaimed restaurant and the hottest ticket in town – taking Soho by storm and receiving attention from around the world. In 2019, she became the first British chef to feature on Netflix’s Emmy-award winning series Chef’s Table, and with accolades such as Business Insider’s ‘coolest person in food and drink’, this is one express that is very much on track.
Asma Khan moved to Cambridge from Calcutta in 1991. After completing her law degree, Asma went on to do a PhD in British Constitutional Law at Kings College London. Cooking was her passion and Asma registered for a food business, which began life as a supper club in her home in Kensington in 2012. In 2015, she opened a pop-up in Soho to much acclaim, and Darjeeling Express the restaurant opened its doors in June 2017. She has been voted ‘Female Entrepreneur of the Year’ at the Asian Restaurant Awards and ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ in the Asian Women of the Year Awards. Her debut cook book Asma’s Indian Kitchen was published by Pavilion on 4th October 2018.