Dreams dont just turn into reality -- they require hard work, persistence and passion. Munaf Kapadia, a contestant on Fox Lifes reality series "Grilled" proved it right with his undying entrepreneurial spirit, innovative culinary expertise and sharp business acumen as he emerged as the winner of the show -- and pocketed a staggering Rs 1 crore.
Munaf Kapadia, who won reality TV series "Grilled", says the show was a crash course in restaurant management for him. He is looking forward to start working on setting up his two-and-a-half-year-old concept of The Bohri Kitchen with the prize.
He received mentorship and an investment of Rs 1.5 crore for his food start-up The Bohri Kitchen by food and beverage tycoon Riyaaz Amlani, who is also CEO of Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality Pvt Ltd.
"The show was a crash course in restaurant management for me. From purchasing to planning to cooking to service and marketing, the show offered invaluable experience on many things that one needs to know to run a successful restaurant business. It truly was a win-win situation for me," Kapadia said in a statement.
"On one hand, it's great publicity to be on the show, on the other hand it also tests you in every possible way if you are capable of running a food business. The competition tested all of us on various parameters like handling people, leading a team, menu planning, costing, kitchen management and so much more," he added.
Kapadia is currently in talks with Amlani to finally set up and expand his two-and-a-half-year-old concept of The Bohri Kitchen.
The Fox Life show's finale, involving a three-fold challenge, happened on Monday.
The first part of the challenge was menu construction where finalists presented the entire menu of their restaurants. The second was to present two of their signature dishes (one vegetarian, one non-vegetarian) in which they were judged solely by the diners at the restaurant. The final challenge was the decision-making round where the finalists had to convince the judges with their innovative business pitches.
The 10-part reality series premiered in October with 12 aspiring food entrepreneurs battling to make their food business dreams turn into reality. Apart from Amlani, the show's judges included Vishal Dadlani and Sarah Todd.