Imaginary Rain

by Khanna, Vikas

• ISBN13: 9780143455356
• ISBN10: 0143455354
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2023-09-19
• Publisher: Ebury Press

Summary

Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna's 40th book is his first novel—the tale of a Manhattan chef and her return to her motherland

Prerna, a woman now in her fifties, has been running an Indian restaurant in downtown Manhattan for two decades. She is on the cusp of a midlife crisis, and her life indeed unravels when she suddenly loses her son, her lease, and with these, her passion for cooking as well. Caught in the grip of newly awakened emotions, Prerna finds herself confronted by many haunting questions from her past, which take her back to her motherland, India. And so begins an intensely personal struggle that will lead Prerna to forgive herself, escape her past and rediscover her true passion for cooking.

This novel is a celebration of life as well as an immigrant's story of survival, forgiveness and moving on.

Author Biography

Vikas Khanna is one of the most beloved Indian chefs in the world. An award-winning Michelin-Starred chef and host of the highly rated prime-time shows MasterChef India, Twist of Taste and Mega Kitchens, Khanna has been a guest on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen, as well as The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and MasterChef Australia.

He has hosted events for former president Barack Obama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Pope Francis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many other world leaders and celebrities. Deutsche Welle listed Khanna as one of the world's ten most iconic chefs of all time.

Khanna has received rave reviews from the New York Times, Condé Nast and Wall Street Journal. He is the goodwill ambassador for the Smile Foundation and supports the cause of malnutrition in India.

He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Contents
Prologuexi
Once Upon a Time In New York City
1.Saffron and Curry Leaves in Statenisland3
2.On the Ferry, on the Subway10
3.AGoodmorning at The Curry Bowl18
4.AGift forNazim27
5.Last Lunch at The Curry Bowl31
6.The Good DoctorAnnu42
7.CapturedMoments47
8.The LastMessage57
9.Karan’s Court71
10.Return to StatenIsland78
11.Waking up toNothing85
12.The Strongest Seeds91
13.Road to Freedom96
14.Test Drive101
15.TheMehra Family110
16.Musicians at the Fountain117
17.Brothers-in-Law inArmchairs124
18.Sister to Sister133
19.The Dinner142
20.TheMorningAfter152
21.On the Bench with Siri andKris159
22.City of theUncelebrated163
23.News of aParticular Spice173
24.Midnight inIndia183
25.White Like Coconut188
26.Temple ofRain192
AFew YearsLater
27.AMichelin Star, the Seed of Chefkrishna199
28.ANeedle in aPile ofMail, in the Taurus208