The remarkable journey of restaurateur and showman Varun Chhabra who built restaurants, staged sold-out shows.
When Varun Chhabra stepped off a plane in Melbourne on 9 January 2007, he had no intention of becoming a chef or a show producer. The decision to migrate was his parents’—a move to steer their notorious young son from Ahmedabad toward a more disciplined life. “I never wanted to come,” he recalls with a laugh. “I was happy at home with my friends. But life had other plans.”
Those plans began in the kitchens of Box Hill TAFE, where he completed a diploma in commercial cookery. What started as a hobby became a profession. Today, Chhabra is the owner of four thriving restaurants across Melbourne, his name quietly synonymous with Indian dining in the city.
But food was only the first course. Entertainment became the second. In 2011, he produced the last Australian concert of the legendary Jagjit Singh, a moment that cemented his entry into show business. Years later, he redefined the live comedy scene by bringing Hindi stand-up to Australian audiences, culminating in a historic milestone: Zakir Khan’s sold-out performance at the Sydney Opera House—the first by a Hindi-speaking comedian. Tickets vanished in just 15 days.
Success, however, was not immediate. The early years were filled with challenges: finding his first job, learning to cook and clean for himself, and navigating the loneliness of migration. “Back home we never did those things ourselves. Here, suddenly, everything was on us. But it made us independent, and that freedom became exciting.”
Family remains his anchor. He is married to Madhu Kumari Jithani and is father to two daughters, Inaaya and Aavya. “When I see them at the end of the day, all my worries disappear. That’s happiness,” he says with quiet pride.
Chhabra’s vision now stretches beyond restaurants and shows. Over the next decade, he wants to automate his hospitality ventures, freeing his time to curate larger cultural experiences and bring global artists to Australian stages. His inspiration, he says, comes from mentors—artists like Zakir Khan, his father, and community leaders he often turns to for guidance.
What he misses most about India is the rhythm of family festivals, the gatherings of 25 relatives under one roof—something he admits no overseas celebration can replicate. Yet Melbourne has become home, a city where his entrepreneurial spirit has flourished.
Ask him about success and he pauses. “For some, it’s money. For me, it’s about creating a legacy that lasts. Something bigger than myself.”
As a restaurateur, producer, mentor, and father, Varun Chhabra is shaping that legacy—one meal, one show, one bold step at a time.
By Tonee Sethi
