They walked away from successful careers to build a restaurant they thought might fail. In this episode of Table 1, Naar co-founders Prateek Sadhu and Akshay Tripathi join Vir Sanghvi for a candid conversation about friendship, ambition, risk and building one of India’s most talked-about destination restaurants. Prateek opens up about his time at Masque, the differences that ultimately led him to leave and what it meant to walk away at the height of his success. Akshay reveals why he left a successful career at Taj Hotels, where he had risen to become one of the company’s youngest vice presidents, to finally pursue a dream the two friends had shared for 14 years. Prateek also reflects on his childhood in Kashmir, his family’s traumatic displacement and how food and language became central to his identity. He traces his journey through some of the world’s most influential kitchens, from his early years in America to staging at Noma under René Redzepi, and speaks candidly about pressure, bullying and racism in professional kitchens. Together, Prateek and Akshay reveal why they invested their own money in Naar despite believing the numbers did not make business sense, and how they turned an unlikely restaurant in the mountains into a destination. They also discuss the business behind Naar, ownership, equity, investors as well as what comes next for them. This is the story of two best friends who walked away from success, bet on themselves and finally built the restaurant they had dreamed about for 14 years. Table 1 with Vir Sanghvi, produced by Culinary Culture Studios, brings together influential chefs, restaurateurs, hoteliers and hospitality leaders for honest conversations about ambition, failure, risk and the realities behind building successful empires. Watch the full episode and subscribe for more conversations from Table 1. FOLLOW US: Instagram: 📷 https://www.instagram.com/culinarycultureco/ #Table1Podcast #PrateekSadhu #AkshayTripathi #VirSanghvi #Naar #CulinaryCultureStudios #RestaurantBusiness