Sanjeev Kapoor, a leading Indian chef and a household name for many families in the Subcontinent, has signed franchising agreement with a Saudi company to open three-premium brand Khana Khazana and a chain of eight Yellow Chilli restaurants across the Kingdom. At a joint press conference in Riyadh Thursday, Kapoor said that under the agreement Catering Services Corporation (CSC) a solely Saudi-owned company will open three Khana Khazana restaurants one each in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam for upscale customers. Eight outlets of Yellow Chilli, Kapoor's another brand for Indian cuisine, will be opened one each in Makkah, Madina and two each in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The Yellow Chilli will target medium-income group customers that include both Saudis and other expatriate communities in Saudi Arabia. Fine dining has been taken to a new level, he said and at Khana Khazana and the Yellow Chilli chain of restaurants every meal will be prepared to order by expert chefs and served with a smile by an enthusiastic service team. “It is our quest to offer the ultimate and most authentic Indian cuisine to Indians living in different parts of the world. We already opened our franchises in a number of countries in the Middle East. Now we are opening in Saudi Arabia. We look forward to warmly welcoming you to your nearest Khana Khazana and the Yellow Chilli restaurants soon in Saudi cities,” Kapoor said. He said during his two-day stay in Riyadh he will do some research work on the Saudi food by personally visiting a number of restaurants and discover the Saudi taste. While in Saudi Arabia Kapoor, the most celebrated face of Indian cuisine today, said he will create recipes that satisfy the taste buds of Saudi citizens. Kapoor, a TV show host, author of cookbooks, architect of a unique range of food products and winner of numerous culinary awards, said Khana Khazana and Yellow Chilli restaurants will not be mere places for dining but offer different items such as Indian spices, pickles, vegetable paste and cookbooks that the diners can take home. He said his franchises in Saudi Arabia will offer diet food for those diners including diabetes and others that are on dieting for various health reasons. The diners will relish healthy food such as deserts without sugar and all culinary preparations at quite affordable prices, he said. Othman Aba Hussain, CSC managing director, Dhiaf Ullah, managing partner and Said Mohamed, Executive Manager were also present. Othman said CSC has signed a 10-year contract with Sanjeev Kapoor and during the first five-year period his company will invest SR10 million for opening the chain of Khana Khazana and Yellow Chilli restaurants in major Saudi cities. According to Kapoor a chef without a restaurant is like an artist without a canvas.
