What Harsh Dayalani lacks in terms of chronological years, he more than makes up for in maturity, focus, and a gifted palate: advantages that enabled him to pass the first two exams of the Court of Master Sommeliers at age 21.
Born in India to a family of great home cooks, and raised in Lagos, the cosmopolitan capital of Nigeria, Dayalani grew up with a passion for good food of all kinds. His grandmother, a lifelong vegetarian, had the ability to prepare one of his favorite meat dishes -- Black Pepper and Cardamom Goat Curry -- with seasonings and flavors exactly on point. His father loves to eat out, so, as a boy in Lagos, Dayalani was exposed to cuisines from all over the world. His mother, meanwhile, would delight the family with excellent home-cooked fare, and was always happy to have her son at her side in the kitchen. He's pretty certain he was the only one of his peers home watching cooking channels, instead of engaging in sports and other more typical pastimes. He did develop a love of aviation, but less-than-perfect vision ruled out a career as a pilot.
