Reena Pushkarna Height, Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Nickname	Curry Queen of Israel
Profession(s)	• Celebrity Chef • Restaurateur
Known For	Preparing meals for world leaders, most notably curating the special vegetarian menu for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his historic visits to Israel (2026)
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 4" (163 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Light Ash Brown
Career
Awards, Honours, Achievements	Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (2023)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	10 February 1958 (Monday)
Age (as of 2025)	68 Years
Birthplace	New Delhi, India
Zodiac sign	Aquarius
Nationality	Israelis
Hometown	Herzliya, Israel
Religion	Hinduism
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	Year, 1975
Family
Husband/Spouse	Vinod Pushkarna (a former Merchant Navy Captain, restaurateur)
Children	Son- Kunal Pushkaran Daughter- Sarina Pushkaran
Parents	Father- Col. Arjun Singh Mother- Matilda
Siblings	Brother- Anil Sister(s)- 2 • Rita • Anita

Some Lesser Known Facts About Reena Pushkarna

• Reena Pushkarna was born and raised in New Delhi in a family of military background.

• Her father is sikh and her mother is Iraqi-Jewish. One of her sisters is a twin of hers. In an interview, Reena mentioned that being the younger daughter, she was a pampered child.

• After graduating from high school, she got married at the age of 16 to a merchant navy officer, Vinod Pushkarna. When she was 18 years old, she gave birth to her daughter, and four years later to her son.
  

  Reena Pushkarna with her daughter and son

• In an interview, Reena Pushkarna shared that as the wife of a sailor, she spent about nine years traveling across the oceans with her husband. She added that during this time, she got the chance to read many books on different subjects. She also learned cooking in detail from the ship’s chefs, who came from many countries such as India, Thailand, Japan, and Indonesia. By learning from chefs of different nationalities, she slowly became skilled and confident in her own style of cooking.

• Before permanently settling in Israel, they had visited Israel many times.

• After moving to Israel, Reena Pushkarna and her husband Vinod Pushkarna wanted to work together so the family could live together. So in 1983, they opened a small South Indian vegetarian restaurant and takeaway called Ichikadana, inspired by the famous Raj Kapoor Film Shri-420.

• At that time, most Israelis knew very little about Indian culture or food. Because the concept was too new and unfamiliar, the restaurant did not do well, and it shut down within a few months. Her husband even went back to his sea life.

• However, Reena did not give up, and upon his next arrival in Israel, she convinced Vinod to try the restaurant business once more, but this time with non-vegetarian food. In 1984, they opened a restaurant, Tandoori, inside a small part of the lobby of the Commodore Hotel in Jerusalem. Initially restaurant barely had 10 tables.

• The second outlet of Tandoori quickly became popular among Israelis, and Reena took over the entire lobby of the Commodore Hotel.

• Reena Pushkarna and her husband were among the first people who introduced the concept of fine dining Indian cuisine to Israel. Their staff came from top hotels in India, which helped maintain high quality.

• Reena also brought leading Indian fashion designers to Israel. She promoted Indian culture through food, music, and dance at a time when many Israelis were not familiar with Indian food or culture.

• With in few years, Reena expanded her business and opened seven new restaurants and a few takeaways in Singapore, Isreal and Macau with the brand names Tandoori and Kohinoor.

• Her first VIP guest at her Tel Aviv restaurant, Tandoori, was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, facilitated by Norway in 1993, also happened at the table of Tandoori.
  

  Reena Pushkarna with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife

• In 2003, Reena Pushkarna and her husband started PRESCO Food Industries, that manufacture Indian kosher ready-to-eat meals, which were sold in supermarkets and even supplied to the Israeli Army, EI AI Airlines, Korean Air, Air India, Unilever, and globally. Although the business was not very successful, they were among the first to introduce ready-to-eat Indian meals to the Israeli market.

• Along with Israel, the couple introduced a line of kosher frozen Indian food for supermarkets in Europe, Canada, and the USA as well.

• In the same year, she was a part of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s delegation to India, where she was introduced as one of the most respectful Indian in Israel, who taught Israelis about Indian Food.
  

  Reena Pushkarna with Israel’s ex-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon

• In 2004, the Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce recognised her for her contribution to Indian culture in Israel.

• In 2010, Pushkarna was the Indian consultant for the Marina Bay Sands senior management, assisting them in establishing their Indian offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore.

• In 2011, she was involved in organizing the Zee Cine Awards show at The Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, and The Venetian Macao.

• In 2011, Reena opened one of the Pita Pan restaurant chains, first in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, and later expanded to three additional locations in Macau and Singapore.

• In 2017, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s first visit to Israel, Reena prepared a special Indian kosher meal at the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
  

  Reena Pushkarna with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017

• In January 2018, she was part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s delegation to India.

• In 2023, Reena received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, which is the highest honour for overseas Indians, recognizing her lifetime contribution to promoting Indian culture and cuisine abroad.
  

  Reena Pushkarna, while receiving the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, from the President Droupadi Murmu

• In February 2026, Puskarna came into the news during Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s visit to Israel, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly thanked her for her role in his personal life and for strengthening the culinary and cultural ties between India and Israel.
  

  Reena Pushkarna with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his wife, Sara

• On X, he wrote,

I owe India a great personal debt. When I met Sara (his wife) for the first time, I think our first or second date was in an Indian restaurant in Tel Aviv. It was Reena Pushkarna. The food was unbelievable. Sara was introduced to it for the first time, so it was a great first date – not only with the food, the date was excellent too…”

https://twitter.com/nijunction/status/2026984790155739419

• Along with her work in the hospitality sector, she is the honorary president of the Central Board of Indian Jewish Organizations of Israel, an Executive Board Member of the Indo – Israel Friendship Association, and the convener of the Israel Chapter of the Overseas Friends of the BJP (Bharatiya Janta Party). She is also involved in several women’s leadership initiatives in Israel and India.

• Reena Pushkarna has appeared as a celebrity chef on various Israeli TV channels.