Karan Gokani grew up in Mumbai and moved to England in 2005 to study law at the University of Cambridge. Even as a practicing solicitor, Karan’s passion for food and hospitality never faded and he spent time in professional kitchens in his spare time. In 2012, he left his legal career at a city law firm to pursue a career in hospitality, traveling across India and Sri Lanka prolifically to immerse himself in the food and culture of the countries. In 2015, JKS Restaurants and Karan opened Hoppers, a Sri Lankan and south Indian restaurant on Frith Street, Soho. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2017 alongside a number of other prestigious awards. Hoppers has been hailed as one of the first restaurants to make Sri Lankan food accessible in central London. A second Hoppers followed in Marylebone in 2017 and a third in King’s Cross in 2020.
Over the years Karan has written travel features and recipes on Sri Lanka and southern India for major national and international publications including The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, National Geographic, Conde Naste Traveller, The ES Magazine, Bloomberg, The Financial Times; and appeared on Sunday Brunch, Great British Chefs, Sorted Food‘s YouTube channel and various food festivals across the UK.
Karan’s debut book, Hoppers: The Cookbook tells a personal story of the inspiration behind Hoppers and the people and places that shaped it, via recipes and stunning imagery. The cookbook was published in Autumn 2022 by Quadrille and has already featured on some of the UK’s most coveted round ups, including Sunday Times 18 Best Cookbooks of 2022, FT Best Food and Drink Books of 2022 and Hot Dinners Best Cookbooks of 2022.