Ranveer Brar is the Indian chef, television personality and restaurateur behind Bungalow, the New England Indian restaurant in Watertown (Greater Boston), Massachusetts, and one of the most recognised faces on Indian cookery television through MasterChef India, where he is judge on Season 9 premiering 5 January 2026 on Sony LIV. Born 8 July 1978 in Lucknow in the Uttar Pradesh state of northern India, Brar trained at the Institute of Hotel Management Lucknow before apprenticing under Ustad Munir in the Awadhi kitchens of the city, the traditional cuisine centre that shaped his later approach to cooking.
Brar became the youngest executive chef in India at age 25 at the Radisson Boston hotel in 2003, and he later returned to India to lead kitchens at the Radisson and The Claridges New Delhi. He opened his own US restaurant Bungalow in Watertown, Massachusetts in early 2024 (the restaurant approaches its second anniversary in early 2026). In 2025 he was featured speaker at Restaurant India 2025 in Mumbai (November 2025), and the Odisha government appointed him brand ambassador for traditional temple cuisine. For MasterChef India Season 9 he serves as judge alongside Vikas Khanna and Kunal Kapur in a season themed Pride of India.
TL;DR
- Indian chef born 8 July 1978 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Trained at Institute of Hotel Management Lucknow; apprenticed under Ustad Munir in Awadhi kitchens
- Youngest executive chef in India at 25 (Radisson Boston, 2003)
- Opened Bungalow Watertown (Greater Boston) in early 2024; 2nd anniversary early 2026
- MasterChef India judge since Season 6 (2019); Season 9 premieres 5 January 2026 on Sony LIV
- 2025: Odisha government brand ambassador for traditional temple cuisine; Restaurant India 2025 speaker
Ranveer Brar key facts
| Born | 8 July 1978, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Training | Institute of Hotel Management Lucknow; Awadhi kitchens under Ustad Munir |
| Flagship restaurant | Bungalow, Watertown (Greater Boston), Massachusetts, USA (opened early 2024) |
| Television role | MasterChef India judge since Season 6 (2019); Season 9 premieres 5 January 2026 on Sony LIV |
| Co-judges 2026 | Vikas Khanna and Kunal Kapur (MasterChef India Season 9, Pride of India theme) |
| 2025-2026 | Odisha government brand ambassador for temple cuisine; Restaurant India 2025 speaker in Mumbai November 2025 |
Early life and training of Ranveer Brar
Brar was born on 8 July 1978 in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh and one of the historical centres of Awadhi cuisine, the royal Mughal-era cookery tradition built around slow-cooked meats, biryani, kebabs and richly spiced vegetable preparations. His family has Punjabi Sikh heritage, and his early childhood food memories blend Awadhi Lucknow street food with Punjabi home cooking. Brar has described his teenage interest in cookery as deliberately unconventional for his family’s middle-class professional context, and he has spoken in multiple interviews about his decision to pursue cooking over alternative career paths.
Brar enrolled at the Institute of Hotel Management Lucknow, one of the Indian government hotel-management schools, and graduated in the late 1990s. The decisive cultural training came parallel to his formal schooling: a street-kitchen apprenticeship under Ustad Munir at the Tunday Kababi in Lucknow, one of the famous Awadhi kebab institutions. The Ustad Munir training gave Brar the Awadhi technical foundation, including the slow-fire kebab technique, the biryani dum layering, and the traditional Awadhi spice profiles, that would shape his later career.
After graduating, Brar worked at Radisson hotels in India before being posted to the Radisson Boston in the United States in the early 2000s. At age 25 in 2003 he became executive chef at the Radisson Boston, widely reported as the youngest executive chef in India at the time, though the appointment was in the United States. He returned to India later that decade and led kitchens at The Claridges New Delhi and other Indian hotel restaurants before transitioning into television through MasterChef India.
Ranveer Brar career timeline
- 8 July 1978: Born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Late 1990s: Graduates from Institute of Hotel Management Lucknow
- Late 1990s: Trains in Awadhi kitchens under Ustad Munir at Tunday Kababi in Lucknow
- Early 2000s: Joins Radisson hotels in India
- 2003: Becomes executive chef at Radisson Boston at age 25 (reported as India’s youngest executive chef)
- Mid-2000s: Returns to India; leads kitchens at The Claridges New Delhi
- 2011: Transitions into television with appearances on Indian cookery programmes
- 2013: Hosts The Great Indian Rasoi on Zee Khana Khazana
- 2015: Hosts Thank God It’s Fryday and other Indian food programmes
- 2019: Joins MasterChef India as judge from Season 6
- 2021: MasterChef India Season 7
- 2023: MasterChef India Season 8
- Early 2024: Opens Bungalow in Watertown (Greater Boston), Massachusetts
- 2024: Continues MasterChef India and Indian digital cookery presence
- November 2025: Featured speaker at Restaurant India 2025 in Mumbai
- 2025: Appointed brand ambassador by the Odisha government for traditional temple cuisine (Odia cuisine)
- December 2025: Zee Connect exclusive interview (Zee TV Middle East)
- 5 January 2026: MasterChef India Season 9 premieres on Sony LIV with Pride of India theme; Brar judge alongside Vikas Khanna and Kunal Kapur
- Early 2026: Bungalow Watertown reaches 2nd anniversary
- 2026: Bungalow continues operating; MasterChef India Season 9 continues through its run
Ranveer Brar signature style: Awadhi cuisine and Indian regional rediscovery
Brar’s central argument, developed under Ustad Munir in the Lucknow kitchens and refined across two decades of restaurant and television work, is that traditional Indian regional cuisines, particularly Awadhi, Punjabi and now the Odia temple tradition he has been appointed to promote, are worthy of serious fine-dining treatment and serious public education. His approach emphasises the slow-cooking traditions of the Mughal-era royal kitchens, the biryani dum layering technique, the kebab slow-fire method, and the aromatic spice layering that defines Awadhi cooking specifically.
The second defining element is the long run on MasterChef India since Season 6 in 2019. Through Seasons 6, 7, 8 and now 9 (premiering 5 January 2026), Brar has been one of the three rotating judges alongside Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapur, Garima Arora and others. The continuity makes him one of the most consistent Indian cookery-television faces of the past seven years, alongside Sanjeev Kapoor‘s long Khana Khazana run and the wider Indian cookery-television cohort.
The third pillar is cultural-ambassador work. The 2025 appointment by the Odisha state government as brand ambassador for traditional Odia temple cuisine (the food served at the Jagannath Temple in Puri and related regional traditions) positions Brar in an unusual role: chef-as-cultural-promoter for a specific regional Indian foodway. The Restaurant India 2025 speaker role in Mumbai in November 2025 extends the public voice into industry leadership. Within the current Indian fine-dining cohort Brar sits alongside Gaggan Anand (Gaggan Bangkok) as one of the defining figures.
Notable Ranveer Brar dishes and work
Several Brar dishes and formats have become reference points in contemporary Indian cookery television and restaurant work. The Awadhi biryani preparation using traditional dum technique, the shammi kebab made with slow-fire method from Ustad Munir’s Tunday Kababi tradition, and the Lucknowi galouti kebab have been defining set pieces across his television appearances and at Bungalow Watertown. His approach to Odia temple cuisine through the Odisha ambassadorship has introduced dishes like dalma (lentil and vegetable curry), pakhala (fermented rice) and a range of traditional temple preparations to broader audiences. Brar cookbooks and media work include ranges of digital cookery content, multiple Indian-channel programmes, and the continuing MasterChef India judging role.
Ranveer Brar awards and recognition
- 2003: Becomes executive chef at Radisson Boston at age 25 (reported as India’s youngest executive chef)
- 2013: Hosts The Great Indian Rasoi on Zee Khana Khazana
- 2019: Joins MasterChef India as judge from Season 6
- 2021-2024: Continues as judge across MasterChef India Seasons 7 and 8
- Early 2024: Opens Bungalow in Watertown, Greater Boston, Massachusetts
- November 2025: Featured speaker at Restaurant India 2025 in Mumbai
- 2025: Appointed brand ambassador by Odisha government for traditional temple cuisine
- December 2025: Zee Connect exclusive interview on Zee TV Middle East
- 5 January 2026: MasterChef India Season 9 premieres with Pride of India theme on Sony LIV
- 2026: Bungalow Watertown reaches 2nd anniversary; MasterChef India judging continues
Ranveer Brar impact on Indian cookery television and fine dining
Brar’s most concrete contribution is the seven-year continuous run on MasterChef India from Season 6 in 2019 through Season 9 premiering 5 January 2026. The continuity makes him one of the most consistent faces on Indian cookery television over the period, alongside the other rotating MasterChef India judges and Sanjeev Kapoor‘s long Indian cookery-television legacy from Khana Khazana. The MasterChef India role has made him one of the most-recognised chef figures in India during the streaming-era Indian television boom.
The second contribution is the Awadhi cuisine promotion. Brar’s Lucknow training under Ustad Munir and his continuing advocacy for Awadhi cookery in Indian restaurant and television work have kept the royal Mughal-era cookery tradition of his home city in public view during a period when Indian fine dining has increasingly focused on other regional traditions.
The third contribution is the 2025 Odisha state-government ambassadorship for temple cuisine. The appointment positions Brar as cultural promoter for a specific regional Indian foodway, a relatively unusual role for an Indian celebrity chef, and extends his public voice into regional food-heritage preservation. Within the current Indian chef cohort he sits alongside Vikas Khanna (Bungalow NYC, MasterChef India Season 9 co-judge) and Gaggan Anand (Gaggan Bangkok) as defining figures in contemporary Indian fine dining internationally.
Ranveer Brar FAQ
Is Brar on MasterChef India?
Yes. Brar has been a judge on MasterChef India since Season 6 in 2019, and continues in the role on Season 9, which premieres 5 January 2026 on Sony LIV with a Pride of India theme. His Season 9 co-judges are Vikas Khanna and Kunal Kapur.
Where is Brar’s restaurant?
Bungalow is located in Watertown, Greater Boston, Massachusetts, and opened in early 2024. The restaurant approaches its second anniversary in early 2026. It is not the same restaurant as Vikas Khanna’s Bungalow in East Village, New York, though the two are sometimes confused due to the shared name.
Who trained Ranveer Brar?
Brar trained formally at the Institute of Hotel Management Lucknow and apprenticed under Ustad Munir at Tunday Kababi in Lucknow, one of the famous Awadhi kebab institutions. The Ustad Munir training gave Brar the Awadhi technical foundation that has shaped his entire subsequent career.
Was Brar India’s youngest executive chef?
Yes, widely reported. In 2003 at age 25 Brar became executive chef at the Radisson Boston in the United States, a position he held after working his way up through Radisson hotels in India. The appointment is widely cited as India’s youngest executive chef at the time, though the specific venue was in the US.
What is the Odisha cuisine ambassadorship?
In 2025 the Odisha state government appointed Brar brand ambassador for traditional Odia temple cuisine, specifically the food served at the Jagannath Temple in Puri and related regional traditions. The role positions Brar as cultural promoter for a specific regional Indian foodway, unusual for an Indian celebrity chef.
What is next for Ranveer Brar
MasterChef India Season 9 premieres 5 January 2026 on Sony LIV and continues through its run. Bungalow Watertown reaches its second anniversary in early 2026 and continues operating. The Odisha ambassadorship and digital cookery work continue. His public Instagram (@ranveer.brar) is the best source for current updates.
