Exclusive Interview | Chef Gaurav Bansal, Executive Sous Chef, Coorg Wilderness Resort
/“There would be times when nothing will be going as per the plan but you always have to remind yourself of the ultimate purpose of choosing this career in the first place. Learn from your mistakes and move ahead”
Editor: How did it all start? Share your journey with us!
As the popular saying goes " Mom's cooking is always the best cooking", as a child I was very close to my mother and the best time we both had was when she used to cook in the kitchen and I used to watch her making amazing delicacies every day. I was always the first one to taste her foods, it all started from that very place called "Mom's kitchen". The taste of different spices used to always make me urge to experiment on my own. I got inspired by my mom's cooking skills as she went on to participate in 3- 4 Punjabi food festivals and she paved the path for me to give wings to my passion. Also, the final push came from my elder brother who was then working as an accountant at a hotel and he was fascinated by the art of cooking there, and being well aware of my passion for cooking inspired me to follow my dreams.
I went on to get my degree in Hotel management from Chitkara School of Hospitality & Management and learned professional culinary skills. I went ahead and completed my degree and got my first job at Park Hotel Hyderabad and I was finally living my dream of becoming a professional chef and there was no looking back after that. I went on to work for some very prestigious hotels in India such as Taj Falaknuma Hyderabad, Crowne Plaza Kochi & Saudi Arabia, Marriott Hotels Bangalore, and finally my present workplace Coorg Wilderness resort. Got appreciated my work with multiple in-house awards which always keeps me motivated and makes me realize from time to time that there is something that I am doing right and all the efforts that I am putting in are worth it.
Editor: What are your earliest memories of the kitchen you worked in?
When I started my professional journey into the world of cooking I was an amateur chef who was trying hard to cope up with the pressure of a professional kitchen and its hustle and bustle. The fun part of learning something is always the mistakes and I used to do a lot of that with ingredients. There were so many of them that I was not even aware of back then but sometimes mistakes used to turn out into some innovative dishes and sometimes they used to end up in a complete disaster but I never gave up hope as I always believed in a saying "Learn from your mistakes and move ahead."
I remember when I used to visit my grandma during the summer holidays, she used to prepare atta ka halwa for me. The recipe I learned from her is still a popular one. Every-time I prepare it I dedicate that sweet dish to my sweet childhood memories with her.
I travelled to different places in India and abroad and worked with lots of talented chefs, especially Chef Benjamin Mathews and Mr Srinivas Reddy at The Park hotel, Hyderabad and Chef Rakesh at Taj Falaknuma palace during my early days. They were always there to help me out when I was clueless at times. Their patience towards me helped me a lot to learn, still, now They are always there whenever I need any guidance. I learned so much about the art of cooking through travelling to different places, the regional spices, flavours, cooking styles, and still, I feel there is so much more to it. I am exploring the talent I have in me every day and it feels like every day I am learning something new about the art that not only fills the stomach but feeds the soul.
Editor: A dish your patrons/ guest love?
The all-time popular dish of mine is actually a Pumpkin and coconut soup flavoured with South Indian spices. It's a vegan, gluten-free and healthy soup that takes all the limelight whenever it is included in the menu.
I was very flattered when it was appreciated by celebrities like Aftab Shivdasani, Irfan Khan, Kunal Kapur & KK.
Editor: A dish that you love but do not have on your menu?
As I always say that nothing can match the food cooked by my mom, so my comfort food will always include Atta ka halwa, whole wheat chapati porridge, methi mix makai roti & mooli bhurji. These have the actual soul of Ghar ka khana that I miss having anywhere on the menu.
Editor: What according to you does it take to become a successful chef?
The first thing that is needed to become successful in any career is Love & passion for the work you are doing. When you love to do something you will just find a way to be the best at it. I never looked upon cooking as just a profession, there was always a feeling of being at home, a comfort to be able to bring something new to the plate, a satisfaction to cook and make people happy with the food I make. The profession is obviously challenging and thus it needs a lot of dedication, patience, hard work, strong motivation, and sacrifice. There is always a risk factor when you are working so close to the fire and big equipment but that's the beauty of this profession, you have to be selfless to cook the best food for people.
Learning plays a very key role in this profession. You have to have a very keen interest to update yourself consistently through books, social media follow-ups with the best chefs.
Editor: What advice would you give to a young culinary student?
Keep the focus on the basics of cooking and you need to have a lot of patience for this profession. There would be times when nothing will be going as per the plan but you always have to remind yourself of the ultimate purpose of choosing this career in the first place. Always have strong willpower and a positive mindset to handle unwanted situations as you always have to prioritize your work over yourself and sometimes above your important family functions & festivals too. So if you opt to be a chef that you always have to make food your ultimate hero. Customer satisfaction should be of utmost importance because the best reward is to see happy faces after having the food you make for them and then all the hard work will be worth it. Upgrade your knowledge every day, set goals for yourself, and go ahead and achieve them.
Editor: What instruments/equipment/devices you cannot imagine working without?
A knife, Peeler, A basic food tasting spoon, and food temperature probe.
Editor: Your favorite ingredients Is
There are many but to name a few will be Pumpkin, Sorghum, Barley, and fresh organic greens.
Editor: Name chef’s, you find amazing or chefs work you admire
It really difficult to name a few because I have learned a lot from both my seniors and juniors at work but to name a few whom I admire a most are
- Chef Hamza Moutada at Crowne Plaza, Jeddah
- Chef Rakesh Kumar at The Lalit, Goa
- Chef Benjamin Mathew, Australia
- Chef Ranjan at Coorg Wilderness resort, Coorg
I have learned a lot from them and they are so humble and helpful to always teach me something new and be there for me whenever I need it.
Editor: What books should every chef read?
Books are my best friend so I always make a point to gift myself a book on any special occasion. I have a weakness towards international culinary books so even my close ones also give me cookbooks as gifts.
Few books that I absolutely love reading are Coco (10 world's leading masters choose 100 contemporary chefs) which I recently bought and The French Laundry.
