Synopsis

Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna's Bungalow Hospitality Investments has partnered with New York's Kolkata Chai, a brand dedicated to authentic Indian chai. This strategic alliance signifies a significant step for South Asian cuisine in the US. Kolkata Chai's signature Masala Chai will be featured across Bungalow's NYC restaurants, with collaborative menu items planned. This move positions both entities as leaders in the growing mainstream acceptance of Indian food.

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New York: Bungalow Hospitality Investments, co-founded by Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna, and New York-born chai brand Kolkata Chai have entered into a strategic partnership, highlighting a new chapter for South Asian food in the US.

Kolkata Chai Co. was founded in 2019 by siblings Ani and Ayan Sanyal with a focus on introducing "millions of Americans to authentic Indian chai," a press release said on Saturday.

Kolkata Chai operates cafe locations in New York City and sells a full line of chai blends and concentrates through its own channels and national retail.

Kolkata Chai has announced its partnership with the newly formed Bungalow Hospitality Investments, co-founded by Khanna and restaurateur Jimmy Rizvi.

The deal includes a "strategic investment into Kolkata Chai and an exclusive menu integration across Bungalow Hospitality Management's growing portfolio of restaurants in New York City," the press release said.

Beginning this summer, Bungalow Hospitality Management's New York City restaurant portfolio, including 'GupShup' and soon-to-open 'Punjab Meet House', will feature Kolkata Chai's signature "Masala Chai" across their menus. The partnership will also yield a series of limited-time collaborative menu offerings this fall.

In 2024, Emmy Award-winning actor and comedian Hasan Minhaj joined Kolkata Chai as an investor and business partner, amplifying the brand's reach through content, media and cultural storytelling.

Describing Khanna as a pioneer for Indian cuisine on a global stage, Minhaj said that to have him join the Kolkata Chai family is a "genuinely exciting moment" for the company.

Bungalow Hospitality Investments, led by Khanna and Rizvi, is a newly formed investment and partnership platform dedicated to building, mentoring, partnering and investing in the next generation of food and hospitality brands.

Kolkata Chai is the group's inaugural investment, a decision driven by Khanna's personal connection to chai and his endorsement of Kolkata Chai's approach to craft and authenticity, the release added.

It said the announcement comes at an "inflection point" for South Asian food and beverage in the United States.

"Indian cuisine and its derivatives are increasingly entering the mainstream," from restaurant openings to a new wave of South Asian Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands on grocery shelves, the release said, adding that Kolkata Chai and Bungalow Foods, a product CPG line co-founded by Khanna and Rizvi, are positioning themselves as "category leaders at the centre of that movement".