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No dish that comes out of Ms. Shahu’s kitchen is ordinary. It has been created with a spark of imagination and with love. Crafted thoroughly and carrying an oomph factor, the dishes she prepares are beautiful works of art on themselves. Despite being quite a maestro, she doesn’t take her work so lightly. Cooking is more than just a play. How rigorously she applies herself in the kitchen is truly inspirational.
She loves a new challenge and experiments with the recipes all the time. The process of creating new dishes, like giving birth to a baby, in her fertile kitchen makes it a wonderful expression of her femininity. She goes into the kitchen with the intention of learning something new and ensuring that the guests have “smiles on their faces” while they have their food. Her journey to become the executive chef of Ramada Encore is a remarkable feat. She feels she is blessed to have achieved it. Here is what she has to say about herself, her work and her beliefs:
How do you define yourself?
A responsible, passionate, confident, creative chef with a positive outlook for any situation in life. I believe in carrying out my duties to the best of my abilities and delivering quality service to my customers.
What is your philosophy of cooking?
My philosophy is to work on protocols-led cuisines prepared with quality ingredients.
What is your source of inspiration?
I am highly motivated by the creative and experimental food connoisseurs from the industry. All throughout my journey, senior chefs, who have worked above me, have played a very important role in my career in pushing me to work beyond my abilities.
What has been the most rewarding moment in your career?
The most rewarding moment of my career was leading the kitchen team in Al Nahda Resort and Spa, Oman, and handling the large high quality banquet successfully.
How do you de-stress yourself?
My day starts with yoga. It helps me to analyse the situation from a positive perspective. Cooking gives me tranquillity and joy of seeing guests eating with smiles on their faces.
How has your journey been so far?
So far, my career has been full of achievements, contentment and great appreciation from the guests.
What skills are necessary to become a good chef?
The skills necessary to become a good chef are to be able to relate to the guests and management of food production. Guest centric interactive skills are crucial. I do my best to ensure that they receive their money’s worth and more. I try to guide fellow professionals with empathy and keep them on the path of positive action. You need hands-on culinary skills, such as having requisites of the economics of food production and generic cost management, professional kitchen management, and the skill of culinary research and development of new products.
Lessons learnt in the kitchen?
Food production and its trends have evolved over years. To continue to be successful, a chef must keep updating themselves with the changing market trends. I keep reading about food trends and try to upgrade my cooking practices with them, learning something new everyday.
10 years from now?
By nature, I am a giver. To be an effective giver, I educate and train myself continuously.
What is the best career advice you have ever received?
The best career advice I have received so far is to keep learning relevant skills continuously.
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