From Karachi to Michelin: The making of Imad Hasnain

There is a particular kind of courage in picking a path no one around you has walked before. For Imad Hasnain, that path started in Karachi and traveled through Saudi Arabia. The journey led him towards New York, where he embraced his dreams of cooking.
But it all started with a boy trying to avoid doing his homework.

The kitchen was just an excuse. What started as an excuse to run away from studying slowly became hours, baking and cooking for his family and friends, finding something that felt more like himself. At the age of 11, he moved to Saudi Arabia and started finding a passion for cooking around the age of 17. He made the decision of pursuing a dream, and applied to the Culinary Institute of America.

The CIA pushed him hard and Imad pushed back harder, he challenged himself. He was one of only a handful of Pakistani students there, through the mentorship of his chef’s., he didn’t just learn to cook- he learned what professional kitchens and restaurants demanded.

After graduating, he joined the Modern, MoMA- a two Michelin star restaurant, in New York. He started as a Chef de Partie, three years of showing up and hard work he proved himself service after service learning every corner of one of New York’s most challenging kitchen. His hard work and dedication earned him a promotion to Sous Chef.

At twenty-five, he helps lead the kitchen that once hired him as a junior cook
His food does all the talking!