He has been named the "Hottest Chef of America" by People magazine and has won a Michelin star for his restaurant in New York, but there was a time when people made fun of Vikas Khanna's accent and threatened to chop his fingers just because of his nationality. 

The Michelin-starred celebrity chef looked back at his journey and recalled his struggles when he became part of "TED Talks India Nayi Soch" for an episode, a statement from the Star Plus channel said.

"In 2001, the owner of the hotel where I was working, used to put me down in every way possible by saying that I was good for nothing. At every point in time, he would scare me, insult me and make fun of my accent," Khanna said. 

Recalling one incident, he said, "One day, just for fun, he spat in my coffee and everyone started laughing at me. Few days later, he got very drunk and picked a big knife to cut my fingers. It was that day that I ran out of that place and realised that my struggle isn't going to be easy."  

The episode will air on Sunday. 

(Source: IANS)