How does someone keep building businesses, launching new ventures and juggling a hundred different things while going through something so incredibly difficult in their personal life? What keeps them going? And is there something about the way they approach their work and their life that we can all learn from? These were the questions we wanted to explore when we caught up with celebrity chef Dipna Anand for our Luxurist cover shoot. Because honestly, how does she find the time? One minute she’s at Brilliant Gastro in Southall, the next she’s on television with James Martin, filming cooking videos, teaching people how to cook, travelling for pop-ups or creating content for social media. There are cookbooks, spice collections, cookery schools and a restaurant business that continues to grow. She’s just launched Miss Nakhra London, a fashion brand that’s already sold out several times, she’s working on her fourth cookbook and she’s even in talks about developing her own range of pots and pans. And all of this has been happening while she and her husband Sat have been privately navigating years of fertility struggles, including 13 miscarriages and unsuccessful IVF treatments. Something she only recently shared publicly, catching many of us completely off guard.
The Story We Didn’t Know
We’d been watching Dipna’s career grow, seeing her on television, following her cooking videos and enjoying the funny moments with her dad, completely unaware of what was happening behind the scenes. And isn’t that so often the case? We see the successful businesses, the holidays, the happy photographs and the exciting announcements, but we have absolutely no idea what someone might be dealing with in their personal life.
Dipna told us that she and Sat had always intended to talk about their fertility journey, but she’d imagined doing it once they finally had a baby in their arms. After years of trying, however, she began to question why she was waiting. What if that moment never came? And what if sharing their experiences now could help someone else?
October’s Baby Loss Awareness Week was particularly significant because it would have been the month she was due to give birth to twins following an unsuccessful IVF journey. She’d been in touch with Tommy’s, the baby loss charity, and eventually she and Sat decided to go public. She remembers saying a little prayer before pressing publish, unsure of how people would react.
What followed was an outpouring of messages from people who had been through similar experiences. Women spoke about repeated miscarriages, unsuccessful IVF treatments and years of trying to have children. Men contacted her about what their partners had experienced. Some people had been struggling for 20 years, while others had gone through 19 or 20 failed treatments. These were conversations many had never felt comfortable having before.
And perhaps that’s what made her decision to speak out so important. She wasn’t sharing a story that had reached a happy ending. She and Sat are still going through it, still hoping to become parents and still exploring their options. But she’d opened up a conversation that clearly needed to happen.
One thing she said really stayed with us. When women compare themselves with sisters, sisters-in-law or friends who have children, she reminds them, “Your journey is yours.”
And how many of us are guilty of comparing our lives with someone else’s? Whether it’s relationships, children, careers or money, it’s so easy to look at what other people have achieved and wonder why we’re not there yet.
Finding Comfort in What She Loves
Throughout all of this, Dipna has continued working, sometimes returning to teach cookery classes the day after undergoing medical procedures. Not because she felt she had to, but because being busy and doing something she loved helped her cope.
She knows that everyone deals with difficult experiences differently. Some people need time away, while others find comfort in keeping occupied. For Dipna, cooking has always been something that makes her happy. It’s what she’s grown up with, it’s part of her family and it’s something she genuinely enjoys.
And while all of this has been happening, her businesses have continued to grow. There are the restaurants, television appearances, cookery schools, books, spices and now fashion. She’s recently signed a publishing deal for her fourth cookbook, launched a Dipna treasure box and is in discussions about developing her own cookware collection.
What’s interesting is how naturally these ventures seem to fit together. They’re all connected to things she enjoys, things she’s grown up with or people who are important to her.
The Fashion Brand That Wasn’t Supposed to Be a Big Business
Take Miss Nakhra London, for example. Dipna has always loved fashion and shopping, but the idea behind the brand was actually to do something for her mum, who has Parkinson’s disease.
Watching her mother’s health deteriorate has been incredibly difficult, and Dipna wanted to find something that would keep her occupied and involved. So she decided to start a small online clothing business, thinking it would be a nice little project alongside everything else.
She posted a video introducing the collection, and almost overnight, the stock sold out. She’s since had to reorder several times, and the brand has continued to grow.
The collection includes dresses, co-ord sets, cover-ups and occasionwear, all with an Indian fusion feel. There’s also Chota Nakhra, a children’s collection involving her niece Zuri.
And don’t you love that this whole venture started with something so personal? She wasn’t looking for an entirely new industry to get into. She loves fashion, she wanted to do something for her mum and she decided to give it a go. The business grew from there.
We’re so often told to focus on one thing, become really good at it and stick to it. And of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. But who’s to say we can’t explore other things we enjoy along the way? Dipna hasn’t stopped being a chef because she’s launched a fashion brand. She’s simply found something else she loves doing.
The Man Who Keeps Her Going
Of course, you can’t really talk about Dipna without talking about her dad, Gulu Anand. If you’ve watched their cooking videos, you’ll know they have a wonderful relationship. They’re funny together, they tease each other and there’s clearly a lot of love between them.
But did you know how much Gulu still does behind the scenes? He cooks with Dipna, helps unpack deliveries, irons her chef jackets and even cleans her car. Honestly, where does he get the energy from?
When Dipna and her brother opened Brilliant Gastro, part of the plan was to give their dad an opportunity to retire after years of building the Brilliant name. Well, that hasn’t happened. He’s still there, still working and still getting involved in just about everything.
Dipna laughs about it, but it’s obvious how much she admires him. She credits his work ethic and positive attitude with shaping the way she approaches her own life. He’s the sort of person who, if you told him you needed to cater for a thousand people tomorrow, would probably say yes and work out the details afterwards.
And you can see how that attitude has rubbed off on her. She’s constantly coming up with new ideas, taking on projects and finding ways to make things happen.
A Family Legacy That Keeps Evolving
The Brilliant name has been part of Southall’s food scene for decades, and the move from the original restaurant to Brilliant Gastro was a big step for the family. Dipna admits she was frightened about making such a significant change, particularly because the gastropub market was completely different from what they were used to. Developing the menu, sorting out the interiors and getting everything running smoothly was far harder than she’d expected. But today, Brilliant Gastro has become another chapter in the family’s story, with dishes such as the viral lamb nihari biryani, tandoori chicken burger and their popular Sunday roasts attracting plenty of attention. Dipna particularly enjoys serving the biryani personally at customers’ tables, and she’s kept the Sunday roast fairly traditional, adding just a little Indian influence to the meats and a few other touches. Alongside the restaurant, her cookery schools, television work and growing range of products continue to keep her busy, and there are already discussions about potentially expanding the gastropub concept.
And What About the Future?
There’s certainly no shortage of plans. More television, the fourth cookbook, possible new Brilliant Gastro locations, the cookware collection and the continued growth of Miss Nakhra. There are also the cooking events with her dad, which people seem to absolutely love.
On a personal level, Dipna and Sat are considering another round of IVF and continuing to explore adoption and surrogacy. She’s also hoping to make a second documentary about their fertility journey, having seen how much the first has meant to people.
She spoke about the kindness they’ve received since sharing their story, including offers of help from people they barely knew. A fellow chef even offered her frozen eggs, while another woman contacted her offering to be a surrogate. It’s been overwhelming for them, but also a reminder of how generous people can be.
What about finding happiness when life hasn’t quite gone the way you’d planned? Dipna joked that if she and Sat don’t end up having children, they’ll have to make sure they take two holidays a month instead. And while she was laughing, there was something very real behind what she was saying. She still hopes to become a mother, but she’s also trying to accept that life may not turn out exactly as they’d imagined.
When we asked Dipna what success meant to her, she didn’t mention the restaurants, television appearances, books or even her new fashion brand. Her answer was simply, “Seeing my mom and dad smile.”
And doesn’t that tell you everything you need to know?
For someone with so much going on, there’s a very personal reason behind much of what she does. Her family, her love of cooking, her enjoyment of fashion and now her desire to help other people going through fertility struggles.
She’s not constantly looking for something new just because there’s money to be made. She’s building on things she’s genuinely passionate about, and there’s a little bit of her in everything she does.
For someone who seems to have a hundred things happening at once, it all comes back to something quite simple. She loves what she does, she loves her family and she’s making the most of the life she has, while still hoping for the things she dreams of.
Make up Artist: pkblondon_official
Jewellery: _jewelsbymanroop_
Photographer :ramsinghphotographers
Creative Direction & Styling: anishavasanicreates
Venue: brilliantgastro
Dipna: Outfit by Miss Nakra; Jewellery by Jewels by Manroop; Hair and Makeup by PKB London.
