Interview: Chef Hardik Beri From 20 Rupee Bhel Puri to Michelin Kitchens

In the world of food, some journeys begin with silver spoons and culinary schools, and others with street corners, handwritten recipe books, and a child’s curiosity. Chef Hardik Beri – Executive Chef at Juliette Ristorante & KiCo’s story is the latter—a narrative stitched together with memories of ten-rupee notes, bustling markets, and the unmistakable aroma of bhel puri. Today, he stands as a chef whose menus weave classical techniques with modern flair, but at his core, he’s still the boy who fell in love with food under the watchful eye of street vendors and his mother’s kitchen.

There’s a certain nostalgia in the way he recalls his beginnings. “That 20 bucks was my evening favourite,” Hardik laughs. “I could eat whatever I wanted, and even today, when I go back home, the same vendors still stand there. They recognise me, and there’s a bond that’s never gone away.” It wasn’t just eating that fascinated him; it was watching. “I used to stand and observe the bhel puri guy, how he held his container, how he mixed everything. Later, when I was working at Cricket in Soho, London, we had this coriander chutney bhel puri on the menu. And I made it exactly how he did fast, efficient, authentic. You could dish out five plates in under 30 seconds.”

For a long time, Hardik believed his passion came from late nights watching culinary shows on TLC, Discovery, and Food Network, hours spent absorbing chefs like Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, and Gary Mehigan. “I was fascinated by how much one profession could hold conceptualisation, creativity, precision. The whole process of taking an idea, turning it into a dish, and plating it with thought, that blew my mind.”

But as he grew older, he traced his roots back home. “My mom has always loved cooking. She had this handwritten recipe book filled with trials and notes. She would bake, she would cook, and even today, she still experiments with new recipes. That’s where the seed was planted, even before I realized it.”

His professional journey taught him resilience. “The biggest lesson was to keep things professional. In kitchens, lines blur quickly. But it’s never personal it’s just work. If a chef is shouting at you or pointing out what you’re messing up, you can’t take it to heart. That lesson came hard for me, but once you accept it, you learn to move forward.”

And forward he did carving a philosophy that blends Michelin precision with his own creative instincts. “There are some standard dishes on my menus that feel like my go-to. I love doing something classical but presenting it in a modern way so the guest goes ‘wow.’ Like using potato to create the scales of a fish that fascinates people. Or our charmoula fish, where we play with a monochrome outlook using one colour in different textures and profiles. It’s simple, but it feels explosive on the plate.”

Ask him for advice and he keeps it unfiltered. “Keep your head down, keep working. Be disciplined. Show up every day like it’s a new day, and aim to be better than you were yesterday. That’s the only way to grow.”

And if he ever thinks about doing things differently? Hardik shakes his head. “Not really. Every mistake, every lesson, every burn and cut in the kitchen it all brought me here. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Because for Chef Hardik Beri, the journey from a 20-rupee bhel puri to Michelin kitchens, has always been about one thing: honouring the simple beginnings that made him fall in love with food in the first place.