Creativity Is the Soul of It All: Interview with Aanal Kotak, Founder of The Secret Kitchen

I recently went one-on-one with Aanal Kotak, founder of The Secret Kitchen and formerly a special judge on MasterChef India.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth? 

Aanal: My journey began in my childhood as I used to watch my grandmothers cook. I was so intrigued because they had such unique ways of preparing spices, tempering and just cooking in general. I wanted to emulate that and I knew I would gravitate towards the culinary world. When I started The Secret Kitchen, challenges were non-stop. As a chef and entrepreneur, you’re constantly fixing things and solving problems. With new openings and expansion of the business, the challenge shifted to finding my unique style and creating a modern dining experience, demanding a deeper understanding of hospitality and customer experience. Even launching my spice and ready-to-cook line brought new complexities, from scaling production to ensuring consistent quality. With setbacks like a substandard spice batch or packaging delays, I learned the importance of detailed planning and strong relationships with your vendors. When it came to launching The Secret Kitchen in Canada last year with Jyot Thakkar and her team, the challenge was to understand a global market and their appetite for Indian cuisine. Inspired by Chef Alain Passard, I believe in the idea that reaching the level of excellence and perfection is a continuous pursuit. Every phase, each high and low, has shaped me into the chef and entrepreneur I am today, driven by the desire to bring Royal Indian cuisine to a global audience.

Adam: What is the most surprising thing about the restaurant business? 

Aanal: The most surprising thing about the restaurant business, for me, hasn't been the long hours or the high-pressure environment. Instead, it's the humanity of it all and the people who make the real essence of it. We deal with people at different occasions; birthdays, anniversaries, quiet moments of connection. Every day, we are not just serving food, we are creating experiences and memories. The surprising part is how deeply those experiences can impact people, both positively and negatively. A well-crafted dish can make someone's day, while a small slip-up can ruin a very special occasion. That level of emotional investment, that responsibility for creating moments in people's lives, is what continues to surprise and humble me about this business. It's not just about the food, it's about the human connection it brings with itself.

Adam: As a chef, how do you unlock your creativity? How can anyone unlock their creativity? 

Aanal: Creativity is the soul of it all! I keep my eyes and ears open, continuously finding inspiration. Honestly, an idea can strike anywhere, at the most different places. It can be while you’re grocery shopping, cooking a childhood dish that brings back nostalgia, or even just doing something mundane. Chefs should be open to trying new techniques, unafraid of making mistakes, as they often bring in exciting discoveries. For anyone, I would say cultivate curiosity, be open to new experiences, and actively observe the world. Inspiration is abundant for the attentive and the observant. Don't fear trying new things, even if they seem challenging. The learning process, including failures, strengthens creative muscles. Creativity is a skill that develops over time. 

Adam: How did you come up with your business ideas and know they were worth pursuing? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with and test business ideas?

Aanal: My business ideas, from restaurants to my product line, are seeded from observing my customers, having a deep connection to Gujarat, India, and identifying the needs and wants of my customers. The Secret Kitchen is a bridge between modern Indian cuisine and our age-old food traditions, focusing on the overall fine-dine experience. The spice line arose from my own need for high-quality, authentic Indian spices and ready-to-cook mixes, recognizing a similar demand in other home cooks. Bringing these ideas to life included thorough research, competitor analysis, and customer feedback. Starting small was crucial, through pop-ups and test kitchens for the restaurants and small batches and local markets for the spice line, allowing for real-world feedback. This process accelerated my learning, adapting, and improving over time. For aspiring entrepreneurs, my advice would be to identify real problems, follow their heart, experiment ideas, start small but be open to pivoting.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams? 

Aanal: Maintain mutual respect and trust for the people on your team. When you show them that their ideas matter and that you believe in them, your teams will outdo their own performance. This also creates a safe space for learning and growth are key to building and leading successful teams, particularly in the demanding restaurant world. It is essential to have a clear vision and consistent communication, ensuring everyone understands the ‘why’ and their role in achieving shared visions and goals. Empower your teams and delegate as much as possible. It builds trust and ownership, maximizing the potential of your team. Appreciate them often and lead by example. Building a strong team is an ongoing process, requiring a lot of commitment, but if you do it well, the result is a passionate and a high-performing team invested in the success of a business. 

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? 

Aanal: Effective leadership hinges on empowering others, not wielding authority. This includes creating a collaborative environment, having empathy, looking out for your teams, leading by example, among other things. Aspiring leaders can elevate their skills by practicing active listening, being intentional with their actions, actively seeking feedback, and making an active effort to increase self-awareness. 

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders? 

Aanal: Practice a growth mindset, take things as they come, even challenges and failures, and be open to continuous innovation. As a restaurateur, you really learn this from how demanding and evolving this industry is. It’s crucial to maintain your calm even when panic is ensuing, you must lead the team and meet customer expectations. But I think these skills are really applicable to all entrepreneurs. 

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received? 

Aanal: The single best piece of advice I've ever received is: ‘Focus on what you can control’. It sounds simple, but it's incredibly powerful. In the restaurant business, and in life in general, there are so many things that are outside of your control: market fluctuations, unexpected challenges, and even the weather. Worrying about these things is draining. This advice taught me to shift my focus from what I can't change to what I can, my attitude, my effort, my response to challenges. By focusing my energy on those areas, I'm able to be more effective, more resilient, and ultimately, more successful. It's a principle that has guided me through tough times and continues to shape my approach to leadership and entrepreneurship.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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