Chef Vikas Khanna has often talked about his initial days in New York, when he had just started out on his journey to be a professional chef.
However, recently, he shared an old letter that he had written to his grandmother during the early days in New York. And it is a stark reminder of what we all go through when we first move away from home, in the pursuit of our dreams.
In the letter, he talks about how the brightness of New York leaves him feeling a little lost, and while he works hard to ‘fit in’ and find an identity, he is still not fond of the food or the winters.
Its American food, I find it very bland. But I work very hard to fit in. One dishwasher is from Mexico, he is very nice to me. Reminds me of home. New York is very big and very bright and I feel invisible and lost. Winters here hurt my bones. The rain does not have any fragrance. The sweater you knitted keeps me warm. Somedays I feel that I will never find my identity here but I will keep going to make you proud one day. Promise.
His heartfelt note won over the internet, with people commending him for the hard work and effort it took to turn his dreams into reality.
You can read the complete letter here:
For most of us in the pursuit of dreams, our families are the force that keeps us going through long nights and failures. And Vikas Khanna’s letter was a beautiful reminder of that powerful family love.