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Young World
Care to be a chef?
NANDINI NAIR
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Want to win hearts? Then the kitchen is your place.
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“During my chef training I went to my mother’s kitchen and made a banana peel curry. My mother nearly threw me out. That’s when I thought what am I doing…” It’s not easy becoming a chef and it’s not easy being a chef. But Rakesh Kumar, Executive Chef at the Crowne Plaza, Delhi, has learnt the hard way and has no regrets today.
He says that to be a chef the most important thing is passion. “Passion can’t be created. If while watching your mother in the kitchen you are curious and feel like helping, then you have the right attitude.”
A passion
Chef Ravi Saxena, Executive Chef of The Claridges, supports Rakesh, saying, “It can’t be spoon-fed. You are working long hours. You are under pressure. And to produce the best you have to have that passion.” The image of a chef has changed with time. Kumar recalls facing opposition when he first decided to become one. People would ask in astonishment, “Kya tum bawarchi banoge?” Today the same people support his career choice.
With increased monetary benefits and numerous travel opportunities – the role of a chef is not belittled any longer. Chef Ajay Kumar from InterContinental Eros recounts how he became a chef to see the world. He saw an advertisement in a paper for a chef on a cruise-liner. The bait of travel determined his career choice. But today he knows that it is only passion and hard work that can assure success. “You can forget about family life,” he says with a laugh. The advantage however, as Saxena says is, “There is no end to learning. There is no saturation. You have to keep producing new dishes.”
To hone one’s skill one needs to seek admission in a reputed college. The college should give ample importance to all culinary aspects. After completing college, practical training in an established hotel, helps to establish one’s reputation.
But other than these practical measures it is also vital to be creative.
This creativity arises from gaining exposure to different food cultures. One needs to be curious about recipes and be able to absorb from different traditions. Saxena reveals, “One learns from different cultures through food. That’s what I find interesting.”
An eye for aesthetics helps to create dishes that are attractive as one first eats with one’s eyes. Saxena recollects the adage, “The way to someone’s heart is through the stomach.” So being a chef is after all about winning hearts.
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