Outside of the kitchen, Vivek is a dedicated supporter of several charities including Action Against Hunger, Find Your Feet, Mosaic, Wooden Spoon, and the Asian Restaurants Skills Board.

With a particular interest in helping and mentoring young people from deprived communities, Vivek will get stuck in wherever he can, whether it’s hosting a charity dinner, an awards ceremony or inviting local school children to his restaurants to experience the hospitality industry first hand.

Vivek is a member of the Asian Restaurant Skills Board, which supports the Mastara Chef initiative. Their goal is to raise awareness and promote career opportunities in Asian and Oriental cuisine by offering apprenticeships in some of London’s finest Indian restaurants. The Cinnamon Club also host ‘a day in the life’ experiences with the Mosaic charity, where young students spend a day in the kitchens with Vivek to give them a feel for the heat of the kitchen!

Further afield, Vivek went to Chhattisgarh in India a few years back to visit families that have benefited from aid provided by the Curry for Change initiative. Vivek has supported the charity ever since and has hosted a number of fundraising events at his restaurants.

“Action Against Hunger is incredibly grateful to have Vivek as our chef ambassador. He has loyally supported the charity for many years and is always happy to help us raise vital funds. His fantastic support includes hosting an annual fundraising dinner, his restaurants fundraise every year during our Love Food Give Food campaign and he does a lot to raise awareness about the work that we do.”

Emma Cullingford. Action Against Hunger