Spurred by the pandemic, chef Deepanker Khosla of Bangkok’s Haoma launched the No One Hungry campaign, demonstrating a desire to nurture and a more humble business approach
“Helping people has nothing to do with how much money you have. It is all about empathy. The least I can do as a chef is to cook,” says Indian-born chef Deepanker Khosla, who transformed his Indian fine dining restaurant, Haoma in Bangkok, into a soup kitchen when the global pandemic hit Thailand. Khosla’s mission was to keep those at the bottom of the pyramid fuelled.
With experience operating a 100% green food truck as well as one of the world’s most eco-friendly restaurants where, as a champion of inclusivity almost all of the staff members he employs are migrants, the chef realised that sustaining humanity is as crucial as sustaining the environment in the midst of a global pandemic. Without any support from the government and with limited welfare policies, migrants and the jobless were hit hardest as Covid-19 took hold. To keep society sustained, Khosla took up the responsibility, with the power of his kitchen knife, to provide for the needy.
It all started in March 2020, when the government announced the first-ever lockdown only 48 hours in advance, asking restaurants to close and cutting off the means of support for many. With piles of food left in the kitchen, Khosla decided to hand meals over to the homeless near the railway station. The number of people seeking help was huge—500 refugees were queuing for the 120 meals he had on hand.
There’s a saying in India: “No matter what happens, when there is a flood, earthquake or a storm, the mother’s door never shuts.” Khosla was—and continues to be—determined to be that “mother” and to care for the underprivileged and overlooked. It is this simple intention that keeps him going, now almost 18 months into his #NoOneHungry Campaign. The team prepares 500 meals for the homeless, the out-of-work and those in need three times a week.
