Chef Vikas Khanna on seventh heaven after cooking for PM Narendra Modi

Celebrated chef Vikas Khanna is still in seventh heaven after cooking for Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his big US tour, never mind the Indian flag controversy that followed after. While Khanna tells us that he's been trying for years to "bring about a renaissance with Indian food", his dinner on September 24 for the Fortune 500 CEOs with Modi was memorable. Khanna says that there were no diet specifications issued by the Ministry. "I wanted to tell the world about the range of Indian food, which can be elevated to fine dining." The most remarkable part for Khanna was at the end. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi hugged me and said: 'You have made me very proud.'"

The dampener came after — the PM was accused of insulting national pride by signing a flag that Khanna presented him, to be gifted to US President Obama later. Quizzed about how Khanna felt over the whole furore, his rep told ETPanache, "The government has asked Chef Vikas Khanna not to share the details on the same." Hoist by his own petard, and all that.