Exclusive Interview | Chef Shamsul Wahid, Group Executive Chef of Impresario Handmade Restaurants
/ Ritika DsouzaEditor: How did it all start? Share your culinary journey with us
As a family, we love cooking and eating by the time we finish lunch we used to start thinking about what we would have for dinner. So the love for cooking and eating was pretty much in my DNA. My leap into professional cooking happened during my time at IHM Mumbai where I was fortunate to be taught my basics by the best Chefs like Chef Coelho, Chef Jaeson, and Chef Mugdha. I was fortunate enough to start my first serious job on a Cruise Ship which was a kind of Baptism by Fire. Worked a lot learned a lot gained hands-on knowledge of some of the most exotic and expensive ingredients and this exposure really helped me when I matured enough to run a kitchen. When I hung my boots as a sailor I started working for Impresario at Smoke House Grill and the Culinary freedom we get in this company has made me a better chef definitely but the learning curve is still very steep and we keep doing new things for new brands new outlets every day. So the journey is still very exciting. Different days, Different problems, Different solutions, Different solutions to the same problem. Never a dull moment
Editor: What are your earliest memories of the kitchens you worked in
As a Chef, I was very fortunate to always work in high-pressure kitchens. During my early stages on Cruise Ships where a small team would dish out over a thousand meals every day. It was really the best learning a chef could get about managing time and about correcting things and generally thinking on your feet. And later when I was heading a kitchen of Smoke House Grill I could apply this and came as second nature to me and I could think more about creating dishes as my day-to-day running was like clockwork. Now when I am responsible for multiple kitchens coz of this experience I am able to create as well as standardize things more easily as creativity is not always an issue for me so I can focus on simplifying standardizing and consistency.
Editor: A dish your patrons/guests love
I think our patrons mostly love our menus it’s very difficult to pinpoint a dish but I think people love our Boss Style Spaghetti so much that we do it across both our brands
Editor: A dish that you love but do not have on your menu
I love Baingan ka Bharta but I can’t put it on the menu for obvious reasons. Maybe someday I will
Editor: What according to you does it take to become a successful chef?
At the end of the day, a successful restaurant makes a successful chef. So be a team player and work with people. Keep thinking about how to make things faster, easier, and better. Understand what your customer wants and overdeliver. Keep things simple but keep them true. Understand your ingredients understand your tools and don’t be too orthodox
Editor: What advice would you give to a young culinary student?
My advice to a young Culinary Student or to any student would be to step into something only you feel is right in your bones because this profession is all about passion and it will challenge you at all levels.
Editor: What, according to you, will not change in the food business?
Good Food will always be good food no matter how and where and when you have it
Eating butter out of my grandma's hands while she churned home made white butter every morning for breakfast. Having that when I was three, I clearly remember it. The love had a lot of flavour, better than the ingredients.
In pursuit of a holistic approach to dining, the year 2024 will witness a surge in the popularity of balanced meals. The concept of Thalis, featuring a diverse array of nutrients, will transcend specific cuisines, becoming a prevalent trend.
Each recipe is a creative genius of someone who is willing to think out of the box and that is an important characteristic that a chef should possess and be able to appreciate that same quality in others.
I think to be a successful Chef one needs to have presence of mind as we are playing with different ingredients and we should understand them better and their combinations apart from a passion and love for cooking.
A successful chef is like a passionate artist in the kitchen. They make delicious meals that make your taste buds dance.
Do not ever run after money when you are starting your career. Remember that whatever is taught to you during your academic days, those are very basic and just to create a strong base. With the expertise of your academic learning, you cannot become a Master Chef and cannot claim a high salary. Hence it is your responsibility to work under various Chefs and to learn and when you are learning you cannot run after money.
The challenge lies in finding the delicate balance between creative presentation and ensuring that each component harmonizes with, rather than overpowers, the star of the show - the main dish.
What according to you does it take to become a successful chef? Follow the 3 D's That is -Determination, Dedication, and Devotion, these D's will help you achieve your goals. Also never give up at any time, nothing is impossible.
Good communication and teamwork are needed because cooking is a group effort. Leading a kitchen and a team takes leadership and organization.-Chef Vadim Shin
For aspiring culinary students embarking on this delectable journey, my advice is straightforward yet profound: embrace the virtues of patience and continuous learning.
We are willing to go to great lengths to satisfy the unique, and sometimes unusual, culinary preferences of our patrons, thus ensuring that their dining experiences are truly memorable.
A delicious reminder of the power of food to connect us to our roots and tell a story that transcends time.
The world of kitchens boasts its own array of superstitions and endearing traditions. A standout belief involves stirring dishes counterclockwise, believed by some to bring misfortune. While I approach these with light-heartedness, they contribute to the vibrant mosaic of kitchen culture.
If you were a vegetable, which one would you be, and why?
I think my daughter would agree if I say I would be a potato for being bit round and very versatile if I may say so.
“Embrace hard work, discipline, and time management as this industry requires all these aspects to be a way forward”
DISCIPLINE, DISCIPLINE, DISCIPLINE, DISCIPLINE & MORE DISCIPLINE
What according to you does it take to become a successful chef?
Willingness to Learn.
Genuine Passion.
Stay organised to stay in control.
Ability to Skilfully Multitask.
Creativity.
Time Management.
Teamwork.
Leadership Skills.
Resilience.
Stamina.
What is one software you would like to see?
A software which can give an insight into each recipe, from calculating the calories, protein, carbohydrates etc, to analysing the effect of each ingredient and giving a deeper understanding of the benefits and health hazards.
There is no substitute for hard work and diligence. One has to hone one’s craft with time, because the food and beverage segment is constantly evolving. Businesses that are able to innovate and stay ahead of the curve will be well-positioned to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace. Those that fail to innovate risk being left behind.
What advice would you give to a young culinary student?
Pursue your passions. I know it may sound trivial but try to work around things that you are good at. Sometimes it takes trying something to know whether you are good at it. Experience can teach you twice as much as education can. Try to partner with the right companies earlier on in your career to grasp all the necessary knowledge and learnings you need to upskill yourself.
Since I come from Nepal, there’s a specific Nepali dish that always reminds me of home - the Sekuwa. It’s a traditional dish mostly made in Kathmandu, where I stay, where the meat is mixed in hard-sought herbs and roasted in a wood fire. It’s those herbs that transfer the flavours into the meat.
One more memory I’d like to share is from my home kitchen. It was probably the first time I was cooking bhindi. My mother had kept diced bhindi for making Bhujiya. As she got busy with other work, I promptly stepped in and asked if I may sauté the okra. Her positive response made me very happy and I started cooking immediately only to realise something was wrong. The okra turned out to be very sticky. Baffled, I asked my mother why that happened, and she smiled and asked if I had washed it? Well, not only had I washed it twice, I had done it after it was cut!
What according to you does it take to become a successful chef?
Passion and your sole reason to exist is to eat (Food), learn, think outside the box, learn-unlearn-re learn and Army commando stamina
Vegan is really going to be big; people are going to be moving a lot towards healthy eating which are are already doing post the pandemic. People are really becoming conscious and choosing the food they want to eat so healthy food will really boom in India and worldwide whether it is plant-based recipes or vegan food.
Practice,Practice, Practice Till you master any skill-Chef Sunil Dutt, Culinary Director at W Goa