I got a chance to work with Ustad Habib Pasha in a restaurant called Vintage in Mumbai, while I was the Executive Chef of the restaurant and Habib Pasha was my Hyderabadi Cuisine Master Chef and the restaurant was known for Hyderabadi Cuisine.
1. Tell us about your background and journey.
I was born and bought up in a small town Kharagpur which is well know for its longest Railway platform, IIT Kharagpur. A small British Hamlet with parents focused on their children either pursuing their career in IIT or any engineering college or join Railways as it was a Central Govt job.
So after completing my class XII I decided to undertake exams for engineering and in my first attempt I could not get through IIT and start preparations for another attempt. During this period we had a neighbour whose son had completed Hotel Management from Kolkatta and was immediately employed.
The whole processed of getting employed immediately after doing a skilled course kind of excited my brother and he asked me to take a look if I could choose Hotel Management as a career. The process started by my elder brother initiating the process, I got through the entrance and got an option of Bhubaneswar IHM.
I took it up as an option and gave it a try somehow I was quite excited after a few months of learning about the subjects and courses. I decided to pursue career as a Chef right in the initial days as of my Hotel School itself and this happened within three months of me joining Hotel Management. There was no looking back since then and I stayed focused on making my career as a Chef.
2. What led you to take up this career path? Were your parents supportive?
In small towns for boys to secure a job immediately after their graduation is a phenomen which still exists. Incidently my neighbours son had done Hotel Management and secured a job immediately, this kind of excited my elder brother and he asked me to look at Hotel Management as a career choice for securing job, that was the whole idea.
I had not clue of Hotel Management or Hotels and straight jumped into something which I never thought about, the only idea was getting a job. Since I had no family member who ever worked in hotels or knew anything about Hotel Management made it more difficult and I had to make my own path. Parents initially during the course period never questioned much but once I joined as a Trainee Cook in Oberoi Bhubaneswar my father paid a visit and he saw me washing utensils.
He did not mention anything but was not very happy and when I used to go back to my home town he would kind of pursue me to change my career and join Railways or any other Government job. I was very determined though and kept working in Hotels until I reached where I am today.
3.What does your typical day looks like?
My day starts generally early around 5 am and I off to my jog and yoga for an hour, followed by discussion with family over a cup of tea. Since I manage my own business now I come to my studio kitchen around 10.30 AM. A brief discussion with my team on new learning is how we begin. We generally spend at least two to three days on new learning, experimenting in office.
This could be for our restaurants, food products, digital learning or sometimes it a bizzare like clothing. Learning is a process which I take it very seriously and keep teaching people about it.
Family time is again during dinner and I love spending time being with my family in the evening and weekends.
4. Does one's approach change when cooking profesionally and at home?
Well I must share that the basics remain almost same however both have their own unique approach. Home cooking more passionate, family love and consitant, carried on from generations. Recipes at home are most adapted and passed on from generations.
However in Hotels the cooking is larger than life, it has more opportunities to experiment, it adds flair to your cooking, each one incorporates his own style keeping the basics intact. The science of cooking and the Nuskeys generally comes from homes. Although Hotels do approach cooking more scientifically as they have gadgets that they have access too.
However I must share that the basics of cooking begins at home.
5. Is there a dish you particularly associate yourself with?
Well in my early days as a Chef I was very fascinated by theWestern World of cooking and had spend some time in Western Cuisine in general, butchery, Chinese section, I nearly spent two to three years around in these sections and when I was deputed to work in Indian section with senior Chefs that is the time my liking for Indian food and its complexity started.
Over the years I find fine cooking you should give time and have a slow lovable approach. I love cooking Dal in my restaurants that I have and I see that any hurry in making the dal generally does not give you the desired end result. The ingredients are simple yet the complexity of cooking is high.
6. Can cooking be learnt at culinary schools or a natural talent is required?
You can master the art of learning cooking under any Ustad or Guru but a scientific approach backed by education does help you learn things better. When you are at a Culinary school you are taught basics that helps and these days you have advanced Culinary learnings in Hotel Management Institutes, this at least shortens the time for any passionate person who chooses to be a Chef.
Ass a Chef I have learnt that if you are not passionate about cooking you can never be a good Chef.
7. Give us some insight about your new restaurant chains opened up?
Well in Pandemic the whole process of Hospitality changed and everybody is now looking at Ghost kitchens or delivery only modules. How far all this is going to be successful only time will tell.
So I have also worked around creating some brand with popular Cuisines as I feel that if you want to be a mass market brand targeting Tier II and Tier III cities then you need something that everyone understand well.
So we have three brands one called Sardar Missal, which serves only Missal which is a very popular breakfast dish in Maharastra/Gujarat/MP, so we will be focused on these states only for this brand. Then there is a popular pan India brand called Saoji 2 Baoji which is has finger licked good food from my kitchen and my wifes kitchen.
So the idea with this brand is Love story of good food, the approach is that I you have any concept that speaks about love for good food could from your own home kitchen or town we would be happy to incorporate it when we roll out Pan India. Then we have a Desi Chinese Street food brand called all about Appetite the whole idea is that to fill your stomach with popular Rekdi Chinese food.
So right now we have about 10 locations in Mumbai/Nashik put together operational going forward we will look at Pan India operations.
I also have Lounge Bars called De Neuvo in Jalandhar, Pathankot which are operational and opening soon in Chandigarh. Our other restaurants BBCHIC which is a dine in Biryani and Butter Chicken brand which will be operational soon.
8. Throw some light on the book ' Royal Hyderabadi Cooking'.
During my early days as a Chef when I became passionate about Indian food I got a chance to work with Ustad Habib Pasha in a restaurant called Vintage in Mumbai, while I was the Executive Chef of the restaurant and Habib Pasha was my Hyderabadi Cuisine Master Chef and the restaurant was known for Hyderabadi Cuisine.
I acquired all my knowledge about Hyderabadi Cuisine from him and later went on the further learn the cuisine from Begum Mumtaz Khan who was an authority of Hyderabadi Cuisine. I moved around streets of Hyderabad and learnt all about Hyderabadi cuisine and mastered the art. All that I learnt from Hyderabadi Cuisine which I learnt has been put up in the book which I co-authored with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor.
9. Which is your favourite book and why?
Well I had one passion of buying books since my early days as Chef. I have a fairly good library in my Studio Kitchen and I am quiet passionate about a physical book rather than browsing through any digital sites.
I have a great cook book of NOMA, K. T Achayas cook book, On Food and Science of Cooking by Harold Maggie. In the current scenario was has drawn my interest is Ayurveda and the science of cooking the Ayurveda way, I have bought Sushrata Samitha, Ayurvedic Healing Cuisine, Herbal Defence Cooking. I think food should be medicine for every one and this approach has led me to buy more books that would help me learn more about food and medicine.
10. How did you came up as a participant in dancing reality show 'Jhalak Dikhlaja'?
A Chef can do anything is how I approach my life as. It is just not about cooking it is about passionately doing things. When I got a change to join Jhalak Dhiklaja I immediately said yes. I could shake my leg to Govinda jees numbers but that was not professional dancing. Jhalak gave me an opportunity to understand that dance is not about moving around it is about physical fitness, yoga, flexibility.
I remember my first day of training in Jhalak I spent 5 hours doing only yoga and stretching, I was just thinking when I would dance but that is the approach to dance was all about. It was fun and I just didn’t do a dance show I participated in a Movie as an actor under the Yash Raj Banner, the movie was BANK CHOR, I am looking forward to have a music album with Namak Shamak Namak Dal Deta hain as the key tag line. One should stay focused on his own.
- Interviewed By Kusum Jha
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