Vikas Khanna: It was a very big deal to light up the Empire State Building

He’s cooked for the Obamas and other top politicos, written over 40 culinary books and now, Vikas Khanna has another accolade to add to his list — the Indian Michelin-star chef became the first Indian chef to light up the Empire State Building on May 7. Chef Vikas Khanna lit up the iconic Empire State Building in green on May 7, to highlight the cause of fighting hunger In an exclusive chat, Vikas, who's thrilled at this, says, “When I got the news of the honour, it felt like a very big deal, like being part of history. As somebody who grew up in Amritsar and as an immigrant, the reference of the Empire State always used to be the symbol of America, it’s iconic and this means a lot.” The Michelin-star chef who felt proud to be selected for this achivement, also recalls how special his mother's words were to him ‘I have been scarred 1,000 times’ The prestigious achievement is also a perfect gift before Mother’s Day as Vikas recalls his mother’s words before the ceremony. When I had lost my biggest inspiration, supporter and best friend — my sister, it was my mom who held me tight and helped me through that.” ‘People will find ways to stop you, just keep going’ The 52-year-old who has been in the US for the last 30 years, is not just a successful chef and restaurateur, but he has another important role – to fight hunger in his work with City Harvest.