Whatever it took to become a successful Chef is what I started garnering, hard work, books, learning from street vendors, small restaurant Ustads, chefs. Everything put together and today I can only thank each one of them has made me what I am.
I have grown up in Kharagpur a small British Railway township in WestBengal known for IIT Kharagpur, Airforce and Railways. It is at this place that I spend my initial schooling days. For every person born in Kharagpur, a parent aspires his child to go to IIT or join Railways for a secured future.
I had my liking towards Airforce and somehow missed up giving consecutive attempts. While I couldn’t get through in the first attempt of IIT, I was planning my second attempt and started my preparations at a time when my elder brother happened to learn about Hotel Management through our neighbours’ friends and wanted me to give a try.
I got through all the processes and joined IHM Bhubaneswar and the journey of a Chef began. Initial days I had no clue what a hotel school is like as none of us from our family had any background of hotel industry nor we had dined in any premium restaurants as we lived in a small township.
Somehow, I developed a liking an inner voice took to pursuing the course for good. The story began initially with a lot of hardships but I was determined to make a career out of it and I had no looking back.
Whatever it took to become a successful Chef is what I started garnering, hard work, books, learning from street vendors, small restaurant Ustads, chefs. Everything put together and today I can only thank each one of them has made me what I am.
2. What led you to take up this career path?
The Initial thought was a bit strange on why I chose to be a Chef or hospitality personal. My elder brother was pursuing a regular path of getting a job through staff selection commissions and was struggling there.
He mentioned one day to me that I better do a skill course which would give me a job immediately after I complete the course and that would help the family. This thought led me to join the hospitality industry and pursue hotel management.
Those days, I wouldn’t say jobs were easy to get but you got one if you decided to work from scratch and that is how I began at the lowest rank in Oberoi Bhubaneswar. So the need to get a job and help my family led me to join a hotel school.
3. What does your typical day look like?
Well, the day begins with a morning walk, exercise or yoga, reading newspaper with a good cup of tea. The most important time in the morning is spent with my family we discuss what our plans for the day is and schedule things accordingly.
I spend time in the office shooting or creating digital content, experimenting with foods for my restaurants or we just create concepts for restaurants/food products and bank them for the future.
So for us, no day looks the same in the office as there is enough liberty to staff to experiment and indulge in creating unique concepts and products. We also invite people over to share their knowledge on unique aspects and these are our learning curves.
4. Does one's approach change when cooking professionally and at home?
Cooking professional and at home, both places require peace and affection. If you are not in love with cooking at either of the places you cannot cook good food. Professionally there is the ease of accessing good ingredients hence dishing out with flare is important.
While at home it is basics and home style. I must remind everyone that when I mean it is basics at home means that home cooking builds up your roots to cooking good food. Many important tips are learnt at home especially from all home chefs and even I learn from my wife and many home chefs.
5. Is there a dish you particularly associate yourself with?
Well, I cannot say about any particular dish but certainly, Indian food is what I am associated with and I love to explore Indian food more and more. India is now exploring food from across all states and people now know more than just Punjabi and South Indian.
They are exploring deeper and the same stands true for me too. My recent interactions with a colleague on acquiring Pro Biotic India food and Wild Edibles ingredients of India were an eye-opener. We also started a unique salt concept derived from Villagers of Uttarakhand and created a business vertical out of it.
6. Can cooking be learnt at culinary schools or natural talent is required?
Yes, it all begins at Culinary schools. The seed is sown in a culinary school it is there you begin your likings and develop your passion. I believe a Culinary school lays the foundation for any Chef and helps him build up slowly.
It is there you come to know there is something which I can build a career as a Chef and polish myself with professionals of the field.
7. Which is your favourite book and why?
Well, I have been collecting books since early days and with internet age that has slowed down a bit but still, I would say, I love On Food and Cooking by Harold Maggie, Modernist Cuisine, The Art and Science of Cooking are few of them that I love and of course the all-time favourite Larousse Gastronomy. I also love KT Achayas series and books on Indian food and evolution.
Well, I have been collecting books since early days and with internet age that has slowed down a bit but still, I would say, I love On Food and Cooking by Harold Maggie, Modernist Cuisine, The Art and Science of Cooking are few of them that I love and of course the all-time favourite Larousse Gastronomy. I also love KT Achayas series and books on Indian food and evolution.
Interview By - Shruti Kaval
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