Headlining A SERVICE TRIBE

IN AN ENLIGHTENING CONVERSATION WITH HOSPITALITY MAVEN AND AUTHOR KIRAN ROBINSON, TINA THAKRAR LEARNS ABOUT THE ART OF HOSPITALITY, THE JOY OF FOOD, AND THE TRUE MEANING OF SEVA

- TINA THAKRAR

Author, culinarian, concept designer, service curator, consultant, mentor,  entrepreneur there are many ways to introduce Kiran Robinson, but the word humanitarian would probably be best. Born in India, raised in Hong Kong and now based in Luxembourg after living in California for 20 years, Kiran has spent her entire career perfecting the art of hospitality and passing on her wealth of knowledge and experience to those in the field and beyond.

A 30-year veteran in hospitality service and the culinary arts, Kiran Robinson, née Samtani, has a lot of achievements to her name. An avid reader, writer and traveller, she built a strong foundation in the industry as an entrepreneur in Hong Kong before moving to California with her children, where she spent close to 17 years managing hospitality food services and operations at one of the top 10 hospitals in Palo Alto. She details all of this and more in her recently launched book entitled 'Seva - The Art of Hospitality', which marks the culmination of her hugely fulfilling professional journey.

Kiran currently lives in Luxembourg, where she devotes her time to writing, speaking, mentoring and advising on servant-leadership and the true art of hospitality - selfless service. Community building, penning insightful weekly newsletters on food, travel, and female empowerment are customary for her. But most importantly, focusing on giving back to society is the essence of everything she has achieved so far. Kiran is also a founder of the Malawi Children's Mission, a charity that looks after the education, nutrition, and empowerment of orphaned and vulnerable children in Malawi, Africa.

Looking back at her own childhood and young adulthood, Kiran describes her family life as restrictive, and herself as submissive. She was sent into the kitchen as a teenager to help her mother, and learnt to cook, serve and entertain the many guests that often visited their fairly large family.