Jagran Special: Meet Nikunj Vasoya, Jamnagar Food Blogger Who Has Become A Household Name

In today's modern world, individuals can often be seen taking the unconventional path to pursue their hobbies. Their remarkable achievements serve as example for several others. One such exemplary figure is Nikunj Vasoya, who stands as a beacon for aspiring bloggers. Let's delve into the story of Nikunj Vasoya, a native of Khijadiya, Jamnagar. Vasoya has gained widespread recognition for his videos showcasing traditional food, a journey marked by perseverance and triumph.

'Told My Mother Will Start My Own Food Show'

Talking about the beginning of his food show, Nikunj Wasoya said, "I started 21 years ago. At that time there was no one in my house and I used to cook food for everyone. After this, we all used to watch a cooking show on TV. After watching that show, I used to tell my mother that one day I will start my own cooking show on TV. After this, I completed B Com and came to Rajkot for CS (Company Secretary) and started professional preparation after clearing executive. When I came to know about YouTube before the exams, I decided that I wanted to do a food show. So I started my first show in 2013 called 'Everyday Special With Nikunj Vasoya'. This cooking show was in English. The reason was that the internet was expensive in India at that time, due to which most of my viewers were from abroad. This is how my cooking show started. After starting the show, I struggled for one-and-a-half years. After that, I earned my first rupee from the internet."

'Food On TV India Private Limited Launched In 2015'

Nikunj Wasoya shared his journey of starting his company: "I started a street food show. Which was doing very well in YouTube and one day the channel was removed due to copyright strike. The same day I created my second channel overnight. In which street food was also shown. This time it was a big hit. At that time music and film trailer videos were getting 3-4 million views and four-five of my videos had reached 2-3 million views. At that time people were also surprised that a food video could get so many views and I got a call from AR Rahman's music company asking me to join and work with them. However, I said I would do my own work. Thus in the year 2015 I started my company Food on TV India Private Limited Company. Which was named Food on TV Network brand. Under which many channels like Cooking, Gujarati and Nikunj have been created."

'Food Show Watched In Over 195 Countries, 20 Mainland Countries'

Nikunj Wasoya said about his food show, “In the year 2015, I wanted to start a farm show, but unfortunately two years were bad in terms of rain. After a wait of two years, Khet became eligible for the show and made a grand entry in 2017. That cooking show was my global hit. The show's content was seen in more than 195 countries and 20 major islands. All my shows are family shows. Also, since my show is related to culture, parents also show my show to their children. Right now 30 percent of my viewers watch videos on TV.”

'Received Cash Incentive From YouTube'

Talking about his YouTube graduation, Nikunj Vasoya said, “I was selected by Google in 2016. I got training in Film City. Officially graduated from YouTube. Since India is big, Google selected 30 people instead of 12. In which 28 of us graduated. Professional video shooting and editing was learned in this training. Apart from this, cash incentive was also received from YouTube. Which had a good effect on my cooking show videos.

'Cooked For Mukesh Ambani And His Family'

Nikunj Vasoya had prepared food and fed Mukesh Ambani and his family in one of his programs. Talking about this he said, “The Ambani family had come to the falls for the New Year celebrations. Meanwhile, Nikunj Vasoya had prepared food for two days and nights. In which Kathiawadi dishes, different types of brinjal bharta, my own typical vegetables, desi pickles, chutney and rotla were prepared and murabba was made. Mukesh Ambani and his family were very happy after eating the food prepared by me. However, I had to prepare dinner one day, but that night Nitaben Ambani called her manager and said that Nikunjbhai had to stay the next day. The next day there were many dishes, but the Ambani family ate only the food prepared by me. I got more response than I expected.”

'Mukesh Ambani Said Together We Will Fulfill Dream Of Cooking For Modi Sahab'

Nikunj Vasoya said about his conversation with Mukesh Ambani, "I had two goals in life. In which one should cook and feed food to Mukesh Ambani's family and the other one should cook and feed food to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At that time Mukesh Bhai Ambani had talked to me for more than 10 minutes in two days. In which he told me that together we will fulfill the dream of feeding Modi Saheb. After this he also told Akash Ambani that this food is called the best food. One of my favorite vegetables is green vegetables. Whom Akash Ambani had caught and fed all the brothers with.

'Have Cooked 100, 50 Year Old Recipes'

Nikunj Vasoya said about his speciality, “I want to feed the best of Kathiawadi pure food to the best of people across India. I have some recipes that are 100 and 50 years old and I have developed the recipes. While innovating, I keep in mind that my recipes should be family friendly. So that everyone can eat food together. It should be healthy, it should have less spices and most importantly, the combination of vegetables should be good. I try to use fresh vegetables in every menu. So that health problems do not arise.

'Divorce Was Lowest Point Of Personal Life'

Nikunj Wasoya also shared about the lowest point in his life, as he said, “I was divorced after my first marriage. That was a very risky time for me. At the time, I was at the peak of my YouTube career, receiving top awards and at the lowest point of my personal life. Due to which I started feeling heavy about my success. I could not celebrate my happiness anywhere. However, as light comes after darkness, happiness came into my life and I got married again. This married life is very good.”

'Never Take Advantage Of Audience'

Giving tips to those who aspire to become content creators, Wasoya said, “My advice to those who want to become an influencer now is to work with honesty and think long term. Never take advantage of the audience. My friends also tell me why are you losing lakhs of rupees, but it is clear that this is not taking advantage of the audience. Big companies with turnover of thousands of crores of rupees contacted me but I never took sponsorship in my videos. The reason I am at the level I am today is because of my priorities."