Recently, Chef Ishant Khanna has
crafted a new menu which showcases his expertise in the regional and local cuisines from the northern parts of the country. In a tete-a-tete, Ishant Khanna talks about his journey being a chef and his future plans.
BV: Why did you decide to become a chef?
Chef: My Interest for cooking at an early age and fascination towards the hospitality industry is what motivated me to be a Chef.
BV: Did you go to culinary school? What credentials did you earn through your culinary studies? :
Chef: I did a course by the name of Systematic Training and Education Program (S.T.E.P) from Oberoi Hotels and Resorts at the Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra. It’s a 3-year kitchen program which involves practical training and theory. I was fortunate to have worked in almost every section of the kitchen and to learn from experienced Chef’s.
Chef Ishant Khanna
BV: What did you like best about the education experience? What did you like least?
Chef: The best thing about my education process was that I got to work in a professional kitchen for 3 years along with experienced Chefs. My least interest was in theory as I have always loved being in the kitchen.
BV: Where and how were you trained?
Chef: As mentioned earlier, I was trained at
- The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra
- The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development
- The Oberoi Cecil, Shimla,
- The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata
- Trident Bandra Kurla, Mumbai.
The experience during my training sessions was the best part as I was exposed to a fully operational kitchen and also was able to serve the guests. The experience gave me a clear idea about the work style of professional kitchens.
BV: Tell me about a difficult situation and how you handled it?
Chef: One of the difficult situations I’ve handled in my professional life was once at the Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur. We had to cook a banquet meal for a wedding and the number of people attending had increased from 350 to 600 on the day of the function. It was nearly impossible to source additional supplies and to present the buffet for the event. I spoke to the Executive Chef of a sister property and the supplies were sourced on time and the event was executed in the best possible way. I personally went to the other hotel and got the supplies out in a Mini truck.
Bhatti Da Kukkad
BV: Are you a team player? Describe your usual role in a team-centered work environment? Do you easily assume a leadership role?
Chef: I consider myself a good team player. I easily fit in into any roles given to me, be it cooking in the front line or handling and executing the entire event. I put my best foot forward given in any situation. I have been handling big and small teams from a long time and leadership have become almost like a trait in my everyday work now. I always put in efforts and learn to be a better leader at all times.
BV: What is your favourite cuisine? How many different types of cuisine are you capable of producing?
Chef: I enjoy eating Japanese food and cook Indian food. Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian, French and Thai cuisines are my strengths.
BV: If you were asked to reduce fat and sodium in a menu, what would you do to maintain flavour in the quality of the dish?
Chef: There have been several incidents where the guests have asked me to do meals as per their dietary requirements. If I have to reduce fat in the dish, then I make sure the ingredients are given appropriate time and effort in cooking to bring out the flavors which are easy if fat in good quantity is used. In order to reduce sodium in the food then we try and flavour the dish with sharp-tasting ingredients like lemon etc, to cover up the taste lost by using less salt.
Papad Paneer Masala
BV: What do you do to stay current on new trends? Describe two or three of the most interesting industry trends.
Chef: I read a lot of food and lifestyle magazines to stay in pace with what new is happening in the industry.
The two most interesting trends at present are
- Vegan cuisine: Being Vegan is a very big food/lifestyle trend now. A lot of restaurants are being developed which only provide vegan food and many people have supported and appreciated this movement.
- Molecular gastronomy: This is a trend which has been driving the industry from past many years and still has its say on people opening new restaurants. The cuisine can be any, the menu of many restaurants will always have some dishes which will use this technique.
BV: When are you happiest at work?
Chef: I love cooking with my team in the kitchen and when I’m creating something new.
To know more about such interesting chefs, follow us on
Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter. Download our magazine,
Spunky Indian for exclusive stories.
