Exclusive Interview | Chef Sunil Dutt , Culinary Director at W Goa

Practice,

Practice

Practice Till you master any skill

Chef Sunil Dutt-Culinary Director at W Goa

Editor: How did it all start? Share your culinary journey with us.
I started my culinary journey in 1999 with The Imperial, New Delhi. Over the 24 years long career, I've been associated with over 13 hotels and 7 prestigious Indian and International hospitality brands altogether honing my culinary skills and expertise in international cuisine like European, Indian, Asian, Japanese, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisine.

Editor: What are your earliest memories of the kitchens you worked in?
From the very start, I was taught to be honest with my craft and be restful in the kitchen. One needs to have mutual respect between the teams and be extremely dedicated to one's work to bring in your A game. 

Editor: A dish your patrons/guests love
I love making Seafood Paella. I have also improvised and crafted my version of Mushroom Risotto. You can experiment with these two simple dishes a lot and create wonders with them. 

Editor: A dish that you love but do not have on your menu
Well, I  love Beef but cannot add that to the menu given the current government guidelines. We hope to add it to the menu very soon as the sentiment gets better. 

Editor: What according to you does it take to become a successful chef?
Passion is a must to sustain in the kitchen and so is teamwork and dedication toward your team and work to become a successful chef. But to get technical about it, one has to know about the right combination of ingredients that would work together to create the perfect balance in any dish. Also, practice, practice, practice, till you master any skill/technique. 

Editor: What advice would you give to a young culinary student?
My foremost advice would be to pay full attention to the basics because that is the way to reach the top of the pyramid. Even the simplest of the tasks like cutting an onion properly is crucial for a good dish so if one doesn't know how to cut an onion, it can hamper the dish. 

Editor: What instruments/ equipment/devices you cannot imagine working without?
The oven and my friendly Chef's Knife

Editor: Your favorite ingredient is…
Truffle.

Editor: Name chefs, you find amazing or chefs’ work you admire.
I admire Chef Kunal Kapoor, Chef Thomas Figovc, Chef Emmanuel Guzman, Chef Pedro Samper, and Chef Christopher Meredith.

Editor: What books should every chef read?
The Science of Cooking, Le Larousse de la cuisine and Theory of Cooking

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