How Chef Saransh Goila Turned Nostalgia Into A Culinary Empire

In the pantheon of Indian comfort food, few dishes evoke as much passion—and as many fiery debates—as butter chicken. And yet, somehow, Saransh Goila has managed to elevate this North Indian staple from a Saturday-night indulgence to a global culinary brand, one that’s as at home on a Fulham FC matchday menu as it is in a Mumbai delivery kitchen.

But Goila’s rise isn’t the typical kitchen-to-restaurant pipeline. It’s more road-trip travelogue meets reality TV grind, seasoned with childhood nostalgia and a good pinch of self-reinvention. This is a man who grew up binging on Khana Khazana, documented recipes in a school notebook, and once cooked 20 parathas for a family wedding at 14. It’s also the same man who trained at Barry John’s acting school, then later judged MasterChef Australia with a bowl of smoky, tomato-forward butter chicken that would go on to challenge Westernised versions of the dish head-on.

Goila Butter ChickenSaransh Goila

“In the beginning, I never even liked butter chicken all that much,” he laughs over our call, recounting how the now-iconic recipe was born not out of passion but popular demand. “But it grew on me—so I’d say it chose me.”

In this candid conversation with Esquire India, he opens up about early doubts, favourite dishes, his acting stints, and the art of never letting your butter chicken get lost in translation.

Excerpts from a conversation.

What made you want to become a chef?

Saransh: I started cooking when I was about 13—it was just a hobby I picked up watching my grandfather and mom in the kitchen. Back then, in the late ’90s, kitchens were considered a women-centric space, so seeing my grandfather cook really got me interested. I’d watch Sanjeev Kapoor’s Khana Khazana with him and my mom and even kept a recipe notebook. Food was a big part of family bonding—birthdays weren’t about fancy restaurants but about exploring street food gullies, and I think that sparked my love for flavour.

At 14, I helped make over 20 parathas at a family wedding, and that’s a story my family still loves to tell. Cooking felt natural, instinctive—like an art form I connected with. After 12th grade, while my mom wanted me to do biotech, I secretly enrolled in hospitality courses and skipped the engineering exams. My dad, thankfully, was on board. I got into several top culinary schools, and chose IHM Aurangabad because it was part of the Taj Group. I did my Honours in Culinary Arts there and graduated in 2008.

And so the journey began!

You’ve cooked in professional kitchens, you’ve cooked for the camera, and now stadiums—it’s been a long ride. Which version of you enjoys cooking the most?

Saransh: I think, at my core, I’m meant to share food stories and teach people about Indian cuisine. So while I’ve loved working in professional kitchens, I enjoy teaching recipes the most. It’s fulfilling because it’s not just about cooking—it’s about passing on knowledge and sharing my Indianness with the world. When something you’ve learned becomes part of someone else’s kitchen, that’s deeply satisfying. That’s the version of me I enjoy the most.

Saransh GoilaChef Saransh Goila

Okay but, why butter chicken?

Saransh: When it comes to that particular recipe, I always say it chose me. It was born out of experimenting with age-old classics and adapting them for the modern world. I wanted to cut down on the dairy, the richness, and also make it nuanced enough that my vegetarian parents could enjoy it. The base gravy is actually vegetarian—only when you add tandoori chicken does it become non-veg, unlike traditional Indian curries where the meat is cooked in the sauce. So I worked on that gravy, and just kept tweaking it until it felt right.

Even though I cooked a lot of regional recipes at my pop-ups, this dish always stood out. As a Delhi boy, butter chicken had to be on the menu, but I didn’t even talk about it much—yet it was always what people raved about at the end. That’s when I realised this version was special. People weren’t eating butter chicken the way they used to—it felt outdated. While experimenting, I unintentionally gave it a modern identity. And people loved it.

It started as a hashtag—#GoilaButterChicken—coined by folks at my Mumbai pop-ups. And then in 2016, I decided to go for it. I opened my first delivery kitchen in Andheri, where I lived. That’s how it all began.

But is butter chicken your favourite dish? 

Saransh: Absolutely not. It is a dish that I like. And if you gave me a good butter chicken, I would very happily eat it with a nice crisp garlic naan or soft and romali roti. But it's not my favourite dish. I was brought up in a vegetarian family. So ironically, I gravitated towards vegetarian dishes a lot. So things like sindhi kadhi or aloo tuk I absolutely love.

One milestone that still feels surreal when you think about it?

Saransh: I think it has to be MasterChef Australia, because it’s a show most of us grew up watching and, at some point, aspired to be part of. The fact that I got to be there as a guest judge still feels surreal. I never set it as a goal, so when it happened, it was a total surprise. It reminded me how much timing and luck play into life, alongside hard work. Not many people get that kind of opportunity.

It also marked a shift in my career. That’s when the brand started becoming bigger than me, and it was humbling to realise that something you create can be more loved than you, the person.

MasterChef Australia

And can we talk about your Netflix cameo recently? How was it being a chef on The Royals?

Saransh: That was honestly my little secret dream. You share parts of yourself with the world, but some things you keep close—and for me, that was acting. I actually trained at Barry John’s Acting Studio in 2010 when I took a short break from cooking. I even went for a few auditions afterward, but quickly realised acting demands a whole different kind of resilience.

So, when The Royals came along, I grabbed the opportunity. I auditioned, and Rangita, the producer, along with casting director, were excited to cast a real-life chef. I was thrilled to play a part. I got tons of messages from around the world, and the most heartwarming one? “You can actually act!” That made me super proud.

Speaking of Premier League—how does it feel to take something innately homegrown and then give it a seat in one of England’s oldest clubs?

Saransh: We launched Goila Butter Chicken as a delivery kitchen in London three years ago, during the pandemic. The goal was simple: change how butter chicken is perceived and served there. In places like Brick Lane, chicken tikka masala is practically the national dish, but we felt there was room for the OG butter chicken—less soupy, not just cream, tomato, and sugar with grilled chicken. We wanted to offer something more authentic and layered.

One day, Fulham Football Club reached out to us about opening a kitchen at their newly revamped stadium overlooking the Thames. They wanted Indian food in the mix, and instead of doing their own version, they believed in bringing an Indian brand on board. That vision was incredible to us.

We’re playing with the format: butter chicken burgers, rice bowls, even butter chicken poutine—all stadium-friendly. We didn’t want something cumbersome like naan-and-gravy-only. The soft launch was great, and now that we’re live since June, we’re selling 500–600 portions on match days. It’s surreal to see an Indian brand thriving in the Premier League.

What’s next for you?

Saransh: It’s a tough one, honestly. Since the brand has scaled so rapidly, I’m now taking time to track back and work on food shows—my first love. I’m developing both fictional and non-fictional food content, whether it’s IPs on YouTube or OTT. I want to share Indian food stories with the world, and we’re working on a few formats for that.

At the same time, I’m travelling to Fulham for the store launch and focusing on growing GBC. We’re at 110 kitchens across 40 cities and looking to scale to 200 over the next two years. That, of course, is a big part of the work too. It’s a lot, but it’s fun. The goal is to keep creating and learning along the way—and that’s what I’m focused on.