Second Helping Week 6 - w/ Doneen Arquines

Zubair joins the gals to yap about his time on Top Chef an beyond. We learn about the origins of his famed chicken sandwich, and how he's using his platform to make great food and have even better conversations. Tune into this fabulous interview with a player who was gone too soon from Season 22.

You can find Zubair on instagram: @zubairmohajir

Originally from Chennai, India, Chef Zubair Mohajir was a former financial analyst and began his career in the culinary field after getting laid off during the 2008 financial crisis. Starting as a prep cook and working his way up to sous chef in Chicago at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s the Pump Room, Zubair studied French techniques and Southeast Asian flavors before joiningThomas Keller’s Bouchon as chef de partie in Napa. While there, he contacted the renowned Gaggan Anand to express his interest in an apprenticeship and was later invited to work at Gaggan in Bangkok. Returning to Chicago after six months, he launched his acclaimed pop-up Wazwan before opening his first brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2021. Two years later, he transformed the space into two concepts Lilac Tiger, highlighting South Asian street food, and the Coach House, his fine-dining restaurant. He recently opened his newest endeavor, Mirra, where diners experience a blend of Indian and Mexican flavors. Zubair has garnered industry acclaim as a 2022 Jean Banchet Rising Chef of the Year and a two-time James Beard semi-finalists—first in 2023 as Best Chef Great Lakes, and then in 2024, as Emerging Chef of the Year.