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Current Job: Back at The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago to
get Pâtisserie & Baking Degree
Graduated: 2001
Hometown: Bombay, India
On moving to Chicago:
I found out about The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago on the internet. I wanted
to attend culinary school in a big US city. I
knew that Chicago had a great hospitality industry
so got on a plan in India and flew overseas.
First cooking experience:
I can remember cooking at home with my Mom. We
made simple things like omelettes. When I was
around 14, my parents started traveling for work
a lot and left my brother and me home alone quite
often. I started cooking for myself and got creative
with curries and lentils.
First job in the industry:
I was a dishwasher in a café at a hotel
management school.
Moment he knew he wanted to be a chef:
I was in the industry doing front of the house
work – serving and hosting. Then I became
Captain at banquet events. I remember one particular
banquet when I almost walked out because of a
disagreement with the front house staff. I realized
that I didn’t have the temperament to handle
the front of house people. I was young and got
aggravated easily, so I tried the back of the
house. I found myself much more comfortable in
the kitchen. It was my space, my niche. It came
naturaly to me and it was more fun.
Experience after graduation:
Immediately after graduation I started as one
of the opening cooks at Cantere. One of my fellow
graduates, John Williams, worked beside me. Then,
I was offered a position at The Peninsula to be
the Chef de Partie at Shanghai Terrace. While
I was at The Peninsula I was offered the opportunity
to be the opening Executive Chef at a restaurant
called Monsoon. I enjoyed The Peninsula, but I
couldn’t pass up the Monsoon opportunity.
I was there for two years. I that period of time
I received several awards and acknowledgments
such as: Top 20 New Restaurants in the Country
by Esquire, I was asked to cook for the James
Beard House, Nominated for Rising Star Chef by
Jean Banchette Awards, and Audience Winner Nomination
in 2003 from Chicago Tribune.
So, now you are back at school. How come?
I decided that if I want to be a well-rounded
Executive Chef I would need to get my Le Cordon
Bleu Pâtisserie & Baking Degree. It is good
for an Executive Chef to know both the culinary
and pastry side. I resigned from Monsoon to go
back to school to further my education and improve
my skills.
Biggest influence:
My family and friends were supportive of me, but
it was my uncle who was enthusiastic and encouraging.
He is the only person who actually pushed me and
told me that I would be a great chef one day.
He had a lot of faith in me.
Who are your mentors/favorite chefs?
The Director of Human Resources at the Peninsula
Hotel is my professional mentor. He has coached
me on everything from making a resume look good
to deciding on whether or not I should take the
Monsoon job. Here at The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, I received a lot of
guidance from Chef Cheryl Corrado. She was my
220 instructor. I worked with her on a daily basis,
I was like a sous chef to her. We exchanged a
lot of ideas and I learned a lot from her.
Most fulfilling part of the job:
There are days when I turnover 100 tables. They
are days when I know the food has been cooked
perfectly, plated perfectly and served perfectly.
There have been no complaints and I know that
I have satisfied at least 200 people. 200 strangers,
200 people who don’t know me, but love my
food. It is also great when people come back and
tell me that they are return customers because
they enjoyed the food so much. I have made a lot
of friends that way.
Worst part of the job:
To get good, and especially to keep, experienced
chefs/cooks to work with. At a restaurant you
can’t have 20 sous chefs. At a restaurant,
when someone is looking to move up the ranks,
there aren’t many positions. Eventually,
they find that they have to go somewhere else
to further their career.
Most challenging part of the job:
Consistency. If it is my recipe, I have a particular
way I want it to taste and look. It is hard to
train 20 people to cook and present the food the
way I want it - - and to do it consistently. Speaking
of 20 people, another challenge is working in
harmony with so many people who have temperaments
and egos.
What are you future career goals?
Hotels are what fascinate me. My ultimate goal
is to be the Executive Chef of a hotel.
What do you look for in a potential employee?
Passion. I want to know how much they are willing
to sacrifice to work hard. Hard workers are tough
to find. I don’t really look for a lot of
experience in a cook because then they have bad
habits from a lot of different places. But, at
the management level (sous chef, etc.) I do want
to see experience. I won’t hire someone
fresh out of culinary school if they don’t
have real work experience.
A piece of advice to aspiring chefs:
Don’t do it if you don’t have the
passion and the dedication for it. It is a lot
of hard work and long hours. The staff you work
with becomes your family. Put in your heart and
soul or you won’t make it. The payback takes
a while, so if this truly what you want . . .
get started now.
Is there anything you want to tell current
The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago students?
Ask a lot of questions.
What can young chefs do today to reach
their goals?
Culinary school is your stepping stone into the
career. Dedicate all you can to school. When you
graduate, you will work from the bottom-up. Consider
your first jobs as an extension of your education.
Study under chefs with a good name where you will
just learn, learn, learn.
Favorite ingredient: Saffron
Favorite Kitchen Tool: Pair
of tongs and a towel
Favorite Thing to Eat That You Didn’t
Cook: Sushi
Favorite dish to prepare: In
general, seafood and spices
If you were not a chef, what would you
be?
I would be dead. I don’t think I would do
anything else. This is my passion.
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