Debakumar Dash

When God has a plan… From selling bhatura chole at Vivek Public School in 1989, to opening Lawrence Garden Banquet from the back of my house in Amritsar in 1990. In 1991, I chose culinary arts— a decision that embarrassed almost everyone except my grandmother. There were years of humiliation I rarely speak about. Moments that nearly broke me. In 2000, when my banquet was torn down, I almost gave up. Instead, I moved to the United States and started over. Cleaning homes. Selling food on the streets of TriBeCa. Sleeping at Grand Central. Experiencing homelessness at NYC Rescue. Sleepless nights. Being called “Curry Boy” on the 7 train. And still, I kept going. From there… 8 Michelin stars. Then losing myself again. Then starting over—one last time as a promise to my sister—with Bungalow. And now… TIME100 Most Influential People in the World 2026. I’m still trying to process it. The journey continues.