Deepak Ballaney
Deepak Ballaney is a Indian American Chef and TV personality. He aka “The Wings Guy” and “ Badshah of Chicken wings” is a world-renowned Chef and Restauranteur, [1] and the Founder of the International Wings Factory based in New York, United States. At present, he is one of the New York’s most noteworthy Restauranteurs, well-known for his revolutionary chicken wing sauces and several other culinary pursuits.
Wondering who is Deepak Ballaney? Let us tell you that he is an astute entrepreneur originally from Mumbai, India, who always wanted to create something of his own, something in the food industry for the love of it and something that could help him carve his niche even amidst competition. A passionate food lover can create a robust food business and even scale it to newer success levels consistently; this is what Deepak Ballaney proved all of us with his growing chicken wings brand, created in NYC, the US, named "International Wings Factory".
There is a reason why today Deepak Ballaney is known as the Badshah of chicken wings. His brand International Wings Factory in NYC is considered as one of the best chicken wings outlets across the US. Their top-notch customer service and, most importantly, the passion with which the food is made has made people fall in love with it instantly, gaining a cult following. The flavorsome and delicious chicken wings offered at International Wings Factory have made it the favourite spot for many food lovers in NYC.
It won't be wrong to say that Deepak Ballaney, the Indian guy, is taking over America's most loved comfort food. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Contents
Early life
Deepak Ballaney was born in Mumbai, India. Raised in a typical Indian household, he was exposed towards different kinds of vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian dishes. However, his favourite dish was chicken wings. He always enjoyed cooking and won several school competitions for the same, as well. However, due to lack of funds he was initially unable to pursue his dream of training at the Culinary Institute of America. Instead, he pursued a Bachelor’s in Chemistry, and trained in Systems Management.
Career
Deepak Ballaney majored in Chemistry and trained in Systems Management landing himself a job at IBM, India. During his time here, he came across a newspaper advertisement from the Taj Group of Hotels looking for management trainees to join their hospitality training. Even though it meant earning much less than he was at his job at IBM, Deepak decided to apply for the position and was then selected to join an 11 member crew out of thousands of applicants. Here, he gained immense experience in the art of Hospitality. He states that his training there humbled him as a person and imbibed a culture of respect within him.
Deepak Ballaney played a vital role in pre opening of Taj Malabar Cochin and Taj Krishna Hyderabad. Over the years he interacted with several celebrities and dignitaries, including the then Prime Minister of India, President Clinton, French president, as well as models like Cindy Crawford, and major business tycoons like the Ambanis, the Tatas, the Bajaj’s, and the Godrej’s. Eventually, he was offered the opportunity of joining the Taj Lexington Hotel in New York.
With a major corporate restructuring and takeover at Taj Lexington, Deepak was absorbed by the new company and placed in charge of the Food & Beverage (F&B) Operations. As the company grew, Deepak became the Corporate Culinary Director, specializing in the optimization of the F&B Operations. After several years of successfully working in this role and gathering ample funds, Deepak decided to pursue his life-long dream of training at the Culinary Institute of America and passed the program with Honors. Soon after this, and working with several restaurants, he finally started his restaurant in New York City at the Upper East Side of Manhattan, called the International Wings Factory, which quickly became famous all over the world for its 12 different types of sauces and a wide menu of chicken wings, and gained a lot of media coverage.
Philanthropy
Right before the pandemic of 2020, Deepak Ballaney had taken a lease for a unique food court-style restaurant in Times Square, New York. However, as the pandemic hit, and the lockdown was enforced, he was unable to start the business. Despite this, Deepak helped his staff with their lodgings and took the initiative of providing donation meals for front liners, first responders, and overnight crews, which was extremely appreciated and picked up by several local news channels.
Personal Life
Deepak Ballaney was raised in a middle-class Indian family. He presently lives in New York with his daughter Jeeya and extremely supportive wife, Vidhi. He enjoys working hard for his business and exploring various cuisines across the world
Discography
1. Love Mom
2. God
3. Coffee
4. Black on Black
References
