Mixing flavours, catering to the gastronomical desires of people, making them drool over a fancy platter, tickling those taste buds and making people want more, is what our personality of the week is all about. He is an ace chef and is passionate about his endowment. Manish Chandna is renowned for his skills to mix flavours and generate impeccable aroma. Manish finished his hotel management as a Gold medalist from OCLD. He has his own Blog www.Actioninkitchen.com.

Calgaryindians.com correspondent Anjali Singh Deswal brings to you Manish’s journey from being an ardent cook to an ace chef in Dubai.

How did you decide to become a Chef?

I was inquisitive about what goes in a hotel and how does it work, that’s the reason I chose to join the hotel industry. Then, my desire to eat good food as a child and the creativity involved in being a Chef made me decide that I would be Chef in my life.

Now it’s much more than a passion for good cooking. It’s a passion for the industry as a whole. I love the chaos and the fast pace of a busy kitchen and I love the challenges of running a restaurant. This is hard work, so you have to love hard work if you want this as a career.

You worked for many years as a professional chef, what made you leave India and serve in Dubai?

I was working with renowned hotel chains in India, like The Oberoi’s and Taj Hotels, but I had this opportunity to open couple of restaurants in Dubai. Being a Chef you always dream of opening a restaurant of your own and I certainly pursue that dream. This was a great opportunity to work with a well-established restaurant company Emirates leisure retail to get the first-hand experience of setting a restaurant.

What do you consider the most significant or surprising changes in culinary arena?

I wouldn’t term it as a surprising change but definitely it is quite significant- I term it as Modern Food- it is molecular gastronomy, quite interesting when you learn it and use it, But personally I would stick to real food based sauces etc.

How does culinary education change the mindset towards cooking?

I was very lucky enough to be selected for Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development- A premium institute for post-graduation in culinary field. My biggest change was to learn about the science involved in cooking different types of food and now it has become a practice for me, whenever I am doing a new dish, menu I keep these thoughts in mind.

What do you feel that students should focus on to get the most out of their culinary education?

I believe that students in today’s age should focus on basics like learning about ingredients, quality about different ingredients coming from different parts of the world, cooking and baking techniques, different types of meats and seafood etc. Internet is a great asset today and everything is available online but to identify and learn the basics at an early age is very important to become a great Chef.

What do you feel about the Indian cuisine, is it more elaborate and detailed as compared to other cuisines?

Indian Cuisine is way more elaborate than what people know about it across the world. I am very pleased to see that we have three Indian Michelin star chefs and there are lots of restaurants around the world which are doing Indian food in a modern way. But still there is so much Indian regional food which can be showcased on to the world with modern presentations. I, myself have travelled within cities of Hyderabad, Lucknow and Madhya Pradesh and I am positive that the food we have since erstwhile time would be making waves in the world in near future.

What advice do you have for prospective students who are passionate about the culinary arts but aren’t sure whether they should pursue a culinary degree?

This industry is also like lots of other industries: you'll have to work your way up. It takes at least, at the very minimum, five years of line cooking experience and culinary degree to land a job as a chef. You'll also be working nights, holidays and weekends. Chefs typically work 50 - 80 hours per week. You'll be working on your feet all day long. It’s difficult to find time to take breaks. Cuts and burns are common place.

Having said all that, this is all about passion and creativity and if you can handle pressure and have patience to live your passion, there is no dearth to success.

Do you feel that some changes should be initiated in the way people think and feel about cooking?

This is a time when we need to educate people to eat healthy. At a stage when eating out is becoming a habit by necessity, it is our duty being from the industry to advice people about the positives of staying healthy by eating healthy.

You are an ace chef, what is your favorite food and why?

What I relish most is home cooked ‘Baigan ka bharta’ and yellow dal with phulka’s and Mango pickle. It is all about eating simple food and the stress is on to get the simple food right in texture and taste. I have been involved in creating food for many celebrities and even then I just keep these things in mind.

Any tips on making cooking interesting and effective?

The perception about cooking has changed today and people don’t enjoy cooking classes where a Chef or a trainer is teaching and they are just watching- It is all about involving the people who are learning in a cooking class or in a hotel lkitchen. At the same time If we can explain the reason behind ‘Why is something done in a particular way’ – I believe it stays with people for long time and they understand it much better. A lot of this comes from again the Kitchen Chemistry or the food science as commonly mentioned.