Salt and Sandals chats up with Chef Vaibhav Bhargava, Executive Sous Chef at the prestigious ITC Hotels and the man behind the stellar creations at Pan Asian, Sheraton Saket. After doing his culinary graduation from Chandigarh institute of hotel management in 2003, he has worked at numerous prestigious groups including the Jaypee group and the Hyatt group. His last assignment was at one of Denmark’s finest restaurants, Noma where he worked under Chef Rene Redzepi. Over planning of his new menu, we decode through his journey of 13 years
SnS: What drives you to be in the food and beverage industry?
VB: The food and beverage industry is an evolving industry from so many last years and it has lot of scope and future for the people who are associated with them. Tourism has increased tremendously in last few years. My right attitude and my passion for food has brought me in this industry.
SnS: Where do you draw you inspiration from?
VB: My inspirations come from the nature. Fresh, full of taste and cared for produce. But mostly inspiration comes from your ability to reinvent yourself at all times: opening your mind, constant searching and being curious are the motors of creativity. Cooking for people who love great food. I loved to be moved by them to push the outer limits and take their sense to a level they never expected to reach. Yet at other times simply making people happy and comfortable in the restaurant is more than enough inspiration.
SnS: What would be your advice to upcoming chefs?
VB: The most thing required to become a chef is RIGHT ATTITUDE. Learn the basics right , practice them as many time as you can as it gives you confidence in doing the things right. Keep it simple, buy the best , do only a few things at a time ,but do them well. Enjoy it. When you get frustrated and stressed, you do not cook well. Keep it simple, approach with confidence and then build on that to explore new cuisines and tastes. It is essential to take time to read and visualize a recipe thoroughly before you start cooking. This way, the chances of things going wrong are significantly reduced. Get yourself the best tools and ingredients you can afford. Surround yourself with the proper tools. Always taste before serving. If you use the best quality produce you will achieve better results. There is no shortcut to success. Hard work pays. Be open to learning.
SnS: What is the most essential item in your kitchen?
VB: The most essential thing in my kitchen is MY TEAM OF CHEFS WHO HAVE RIGHT ATTITUDE FOR WORK. But apart from that I think the most essential part of my kitchen is my TOOLS which I used to create new dishes and they are my best pals. The most important piece of kitchen equipment and design is the stove, work surface and flow and, of course, the ventilation. A great knife, a Japanese mandolin and a micro plane grater adds value in my kitchen.
SnS: What do you cook at home that you never cook at the restaurant?
VB: Cooking at home for me is comfort, easy, simple to make and tasty food. Food for children is vital, both at home and in restaurants. I try to cook for my kid at least once a week at home and it usually consists of very basic meals like salads, pastas or pizzas etc. Restaurant food is very fancy with use of technologies and super quality ingredients whereas home food is cooked simple and new trials can be experimented at home by taking family feedback which is always helps.
SnS: What are 3 tips for running a successful restaurant?
VB: Nobody can take guarantee for a restaurant when it opens that it will be successful or not but few points we should consider that helps a restaurant to do well.
- A solid, creative menu is a must for a successful restaurant with constant reinventing and keeping it consistent with competitive prices.
- Marketing your product right is the key for today’s success mantras. Engaging customers is a large part of the restaurant business. To attract footfall, one must ensure that the restaurant has a good visual appearance. This also includes the presence it has on social media platforms, as people usually like to take pictures of what they eat and post in on their social media pages.
- Location, ambience and understanding of the market.
Right ingredients make the right dish similarly there are some elements that go into making a good restaurant- right location, good quality food, right target audience , good service And good ambience to make it a wholesome dining experience .
SnS: In the midst of such a hectic schedule how do you manage to relax yourself?
VB: A relaxed dinner of simple, home cooked food eaten with my wife and kids.
SnS: If you were to open a new restaurant, what style of food would you pick and where would you want it to be located?
VB: I would love to open a modern Asian café where you find comfort food presented in a unusual manner but not complicated. Location wise I think I would like to target a audience which is mix of office as well as travellers so Connaught Place would be a ideal place for me.
SnS: When you’re at home or someone else cooks for you, do people feel pressured to cook you something fancy because you’re a big a celebrity chef yourself?
VB: Not actually because all my family and friends know me very well and whenever we go out for dinner to my friends or families place, I would love to try their style of cooking dishes as it helps me to explore new dimensions in food with various cultural influence and techniques.
SnS: Mention one project which is very close to your heart?
VB: Recently I was the part of the first edition launch of the Gourmet Studio concept which recently launched by Nearbuy and Delhi Gourmet Club and which helped me to showcase my delicacies to the new customers which makes me happy as guest were happy at the end of the meal.
