#163, Hemant Pathak, partner & beverage director Junoon, Jazba, Room 207 & Tandoor Oven (NYC), World Class and Bacardi Legacy winner (India)

#163, Hemant Pathak, partner & beverage director Junoon, Jazba, Room 207 & Tandoor Oven (NYC), World Class and Bacardi Legacy winner (India)

June 15, 2026 · 1h 19m · Episode 163

About this episode

Hemant Pathak shares his inspiring journey from winning prestigious beverage awards in India to overcoming homelessness in New York and becoming a beverage director at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Hemant , who is from a small village in the foothills of the Himalayas, became a star overnight after winning Diageo World Class India, followed quickly by winning Bacardi Legacy India, but when he moved to New York he was briefly homeless and just four weeks from returning to India. At the last moment he was connected to restaurateur Rajesh Bhardwaj, owner of the Michelin-starred Junoon restaurant, where Hemant went on to become the beverage director and general manager. Subsequently H...

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