When you see a smile on the customer’s face you feel satisfied- Avanish Jain

Chef, please tell us, what inspired you to enter the culinary world?

Avanish Jain:- I always use to see my mother whenever she is cooking something in the kitchen and during my school holidays I am the only one who use to help her making food for us and it used to excite me a lot which was a major inspiration which later turned into a passion.

Chef, you have an experience of 21 years in the hospitality industry. Please tell us how much has this industry evolved in all these years?

Avanish Jain:- Now the industry is a lot more different operationally. Lots of innovation has happened that has eased the work, chefs have started an experiment in food, QSR concept is growing very fast, new machines are available in the market.

Food costing plays a major role in hotel kitchens. Please give us some insights on financial analysis, troubleshooting and cost controls done in a kitchen?

Avanish Jain:- Standardization of products and standard recipes play key role in controlling the cost. The expertise of a chef lies in planning ahead and that helps in minimizing the wastage.

Different cuisines require different temperature regulation and different infrastructure. Therefore, the luxurious hotels have varieties of kitchen regulated by a major kitchen. Please tell us how many kitchens does a hotel generally have and how are they regulated?

Avanish Jain:- Each hotel has its own plan about setting the kitchens, there is no set pattern, it also depends on the number of keys, how many outlets have been planned, the capacity of banquet operation but yes there will surely be one main kitchen, pastry, Garde Manger, Butchery and their sub kitchens. Each kitchen has a head and under him the junior support team. Along with the kitchen brigade, there will be kitchen stewarding team who looks after the upkeep of the back areas.

Chef, please give us some insights on the diverse Indian Cuisine?

Avanish Jain:- Indian cuisine is very vast and diverse. There is a saying “In India every 100 kilometres you travel food changes”. From Up north Kashmiri cuisine to Down South Tamil/ Chettinad cuisine and from eastern Bengali to western Marathi cuisine portrays a diverse variety. Apart from this there are other regional cuisines such has Rajasthani, Punjabi, Chhattisgarhi, Awadhi, Andhra and Goan to name few.

Chef, please tell us about your work cycle at Radisson Blu Faridabad?

Avanish Jain:- My work starts in the morning at around 9 AM where I check the breakfast buffet at coffeeshop, interact with the guests afterwards we have our daily morning meeting, later I check my mails, I take daily rounds of all the areas related to me, around 12.30- 1.00 PM my vegetable supply arrives and I go to check if the specifications are met or not, around the same time there is lunch buffet set up in my coffee shop and I take round to check, also interacts with the guests. I take my lunch at the staff dining at around 2.30 PM. If my sales team calls me to meet any client for social functions, then I meet them. At around 4 PM I have my kitchen briefing where we discuss functions, any guest-related issues, upcoming food tastings, staff concern etc. At 5PM daily I attend the BEO and ACCO meeting with the other HODS of the hotel, later in the evening, I answer my emails and, check dinner buffet, take round of all the outlets.

What is the best part of being a chef?

Avanish Jain:- The best part of being a chef is you are never hungry(Ha..Ha), it brings out your creativity, it helps you to improve your planning, disciplines you and when you see a smile on the customer’s face you feel satisfied.