In this round table, chefs talk about equipment and supply challenges, retention of trained manpower, being held to ransom by suppliers and much more, with Punam Mohandas.
How difficult is it to get Indian customers to experiment with different cuisines?
SOUMYA GOSWAMI: The Indian customers frequenting five-star deluxe hotels today are well travelled and have high culinary expectations.
It is not difficult at all trying to get them to taste Japanese, Peruvian, Italian, authentic regional Chinese and other varied cuisines.
SACHIN JOSHI: Customers are ready to experiment and taste world cuisine. Nowadays people travel a lot and they have developed taste for cuisines other than Indian also.
AMIT BHARADWAJ: That is no longer a problem, the Indian clientele is now quite aware and in tune with world global cuisine trends.
KARIM HASSENE: Most of our Indian guests are world travellers and most of the time they want to have Italian food or experiment with our French or Moroccan degustation and of course, some guests will always prefer to stay with the traditional and have a Rajasthani experience.
STEPHEN DOE: Indian customers are very much more open to try new cuisines. They travel more now than in the past therefore, like to try again something they have had overseas or read about in food publications and of course, the internet.
Does your work environment allow you enough freedom to be creative and innovative?
SOUMYA GOSWAMI: Of course it does; our host of innovative restaurants challenges us to stay ahead of our times and push our limits of creativity to attract more and more loyal customers.
SACHIN JOSHI: There is 100% freedom for creativity and innovation. We even have a ‘chefs innovation day’ wherein there is an internal competition which is judged by guests, the GM and HODs.
AMIT BHARADWAJ: Definitely it does, it is one of the reasons one joins a company, based on the individual’s leader and his/ her vision for food and beverage.
KARIM HASSENE: We are always trying new things; chefs must be curious all the time, from tasting the product to experimenting with different flavours and spices. I involve my team in the creativity and innovation and they take it very seriously.
STEPHEN DOE: I can only speak for this property; my team and myself are encouraged daily to be innovative and creative, which is also a hallmark of this F&B driven property.
Given that imported equipment can be customised but is too expensive, what are the problems in obtaining good quality kitchen equipment at source here in India?
SOUMYA GOSWAMI: Indian kitchen equipment manufacturers have come a long way; they are getting better but still a long way off from European or American standards of quality and durability.
The problem is specialist engineers and technicians don’t get trained to actually build good quality equipment; what we need is a large European or American equipment manufacturing company to set up their factory here collaborating with a local manufacturer to make assembly line style equipment.
SACHIN JOSHI: Imported equipment is expensive, but durable. The finishing and performance is excellent, however, whenever there is a spare part issue, it does not get solved easily. In comparision, Indian equipment is not durable and the breakdown factor and maintenance cost is very high.
AMIT BHARADWAJ: The more aware one is about the equipment requirement and the specifications of materials used, the lesser the chances of getting good quality fabricators to fabricate dead equipment that is high quality here in India; for the ‘live equipment’, we still have many miles to go.
Most investors know that it is better to buy an expensive brand of cooking equipment from abroad than to save on that initial expense and suffer long-term expenses on maintenance and safety.
KARIM HASSENE: It’s a bit challenging. In India they don’t use strong materials; professional equipment needs a shelf life of many years, it has to be involved with water, heat and cleaning chemicals every day. A walk-in cooler in India is made of very inexpensive stainless steel and before you know it, the steel starts to rust and you need a repairman. For India to compete in any such market the quality standards must improve.
STEPHEN DOE: There are no issues in obtaining any equipment here in India, it’s just a matter of understanding that paying for quality is more cost efficient in the long run.
Chefs are quite literally held to ransom many a time by suppliers – what are your views on this?
SOUMYA GOSWAMI: They do at times, but as a chef, it’s important to learn how to negotiate well and have updated market knowledge to ward off such suppliers.
SACHIN JOSHI: I don’t agree; chefs are very much quality conscious and aware of food. We have contracts agreed and signed by a purchase committee which includes chefs and the purchase manager.
AMIT BHARADWAJ: This is sadly an area that needs more cohesive action from buyers/hotel owners/purchase managers. If the sellers divide the market between themselves and ensure that no other supplier operates in a certain area, we can do the same and break the monopolistic practices sometimes prevailing in the market.
KARIM HASSENE: Yes, I’ve heard stories. Here in India it is difficult to get many brand names that we are used to in the west. I do not compromise on anything, even if we have to pay more.
STEPHEN DOE: My view is that suppliers should view hotels like their guests, just as we do in the hotel toward ours. However, there is little competition amongst suppliers I find here in Mumbai and unfortunately a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.
Certain big hotels have their own supply licenses; what are the pros and cons of this?
SOUMYA GOSWAMI: I see only pros here. Better quality, reliable handling and storage advantage and of course, it’s a pleasure dealing with professional consolidators who not only know what they are selling but recommend better products from time to time.
SACHIN JOSHI: Easier to procure with fewer formalities. And the rates are known to all. The con side is that one can’t then buy from different suppliers even if the rates are lower.
AMIT BHARADWAJ: These supply licenses for imported perishables and meats are a plus point only if the purchase quantities are high. The pros are you control the quality to the maximum and don’t have to rely on the suppliers. The cons are that the stock has to be very large which means large storage areas within the property.
KARIM HASSENE: Well, you know who your supplier is and he knows what you want and how you want it; you get away from the perils of not having a personal relationship and of course, cost is important.
Reliability and quality is maintained, or easy to maintain, if you know the workings of all involved. The downside is that if you really want to get something out of that network it may not be as easy as calling it in, plus, time lines, cost factors and a host of challenges may arise.
STEPHEN DOE: Cannot comment on this as our purchase department handles all these matters.
Should the import laws be more relaxed, in your opinion?
SOUMYA GOSWAMI: I believe it should be relaxed and the red tape eradicated.
SACHIN JOSHI: Of course, 100%. India is a huge market and, if the laws are relaxed quality ingredients can be procured at a very lesser price.
AMIT BHARADWAJ: Import laws need to be modified to encourage the supplies to hotels as they are hugely taxed in any case, driving up the cost for the client. The special licences do provide some exemptions but they don’t translate down too much to the smaller hotel chains.
KARIM HASSENE: Definitely, it is very frustrating for chefs not to be able to have all the products or alcohol to cook. More and more Indians are travelling and they know and they want to try different products and foods all the time.
STEPHEN DOE: Yes they should, especially for hotels.
Do you think the level of chef training standards currently available are good enough?
SOUMYA GOSWAMI: They have reached a certain level in private institutions, however, the key is to train the trainers and give them adequate exposure to modern trends in hotel kitchens. The industry should interface better with such institutions to share knowledge and skill.
SACHIN JOSHI: Whereas the training imparted by chefs to junior chefs in hotels is of a high quality, there are lots of catering colleges where students who join are not even aware of the industry and their future. The syllabus needs to be changed keeping in mind the current scenario.
AMIT BHARADWAJ: I think the training standards are determined by the colleges we get into. Sadly, it seems that most of the smaller colleges are more interested in turning out products than on providing quality for the industry. All in all, the mentorship that works informally in certain chains of hotels keeps some amount of quality training flowing through the system.
KARIM HASSENE: Yes, I am amazed by the level of culinary artists here in India; they are very serious and proud of what they do and they memorise very fast, they are fast learners. They are very consistent and creative but a lot of chefs here want to cook only Indian cuisine and don’t want to touch different culinary fields.
STEPHEN DOE: I see a lot of well trained and disciplined staff coming out of catering colleges with lots of enthusiasm and good attitude, which is key. Having the right foundation is critical as the real learning begins in the work place.
What are the challenges you face in hiring – and retaining – trained manpower?
SOUMYA GOSWAMI: Hotel schools now attract a number of other industries unrelated to hotels who are better paymasters. Attracting smart and passionate young chefs is becoming our biggest challenge.
A plethora of new hotels opening have further contributed to the talent drain from established brands. The key to retaining trained manpower today is to constantly train, develop and provide career opportunities within your own chain.
SACHIN JOSHI: Retaining is very difficult as there many hotels opening; new hotels just hijack the best and front line staff. Young people don’t have brand loyalty and they go more for monetary than career benefits.
AMIT BHARADWAJ: The challenges are universal and it is not fair to term it that really – if a person has to go he will go. Everyone has different reasons for working in any given environment and once the need is over the person moves on. Some huge hotel chains have such good retention and such massive employee loyalty, but then they give year-on-year increments based on loyalty.
KARIM HASSENE: I am a very picky and demanding chef when it comes to hiring.
STEPHEN DOE: Hiring means more competition in salary structures with many new hotels opening – the same applies to retaining.
Cruise liners pose the biggest competition for hotels in terms of trained chefs – how much truth lies in this?
SOUMYA GOSWAMI: Most chefs realise after a few years that they cannot leverage a cruise liner experience to come back and get better jobs .I do not consider it a threat.
SACHIN JOSHI: There are highly skilled chefs on cruise liners yes, but apart from that, I personally don’t think that poses any competition.
AMIT BHARADWAJ: This is true for candidates in a certain age group; the money is very good and it’s for a short time. I don’t cruise liners as a threat – I see them as an escape route for certain individuals to achieve the above, then they come back at pretty much the same designation. Very few individuals rise up the hierarchy: this is due to the fact that Indians are not encouraged to become management cadre on cruise liners.
KARIM HASSENE: I think for a young chef yes, they need to have this experience for two seasons just to learn about a big level of cooking, cost savings and so on.
STEPHEN DOE: Yes I believe it’s true, however, even the cruise line industry has cut back hiring due to global economics.
How much onus is placed on you, as a chef, to maintain hygiene standards with vendors?
SOUMYA GOSWAMI: A lot of emphasis is placed on hygiene in vendors premises in our organisation; we inspect them before signing our contracts. However, there is still a lot of work to be done in this area through training and strict audits.
SACHIN JOSHI: Vendor hygiene plays a very important role in my day-to-day operations. All standards are mentioned in the contract. Every month there is a vendor audit which also includes hygiene aspects and there are mystery audits which take place at the vendor’s site. Daily hygiene is checked at the Receiving area and this responsibility is shared by chef as well as receiving manager.
AMIT BHARADWAJ: We have very high standards and specifications for vendors, with clearly written terms in the rate contracts, however, the suppliers are sometime unable to adhere to the same and then are penalised. These specifications are made by the chef and given to the purchase department as guidelines.
KARIM HASSENE: Between our purchasing department and my team of sous chefs we oversee a very high standard of hygiene with the vendors. Our suppliers adhere to the strictest hygiene standards or they won’t be supplying to any of the five-star hotels here in Udaipur.
STEPHEN DOE: This is part of the company procedure in that we check and inspect our vendors and also, have a preferred vendors list.
OUR DISTINGUISHED PANEL
SOUMYA GOSWAMI
EXECUTIVE CHEF AND CHEF DE CUISINE
THE OBEROI group
New Delhi
I am also wholly responsible for The Oberoi New Delhi. I believe there are no short cuts to success and have put in a lot of hard work to open three innovative restaurants since 2007. I was also instrumental in opening The Oberoi Patisserie and Delicatessen.
SACHIN JOSHI
EXECUTIVE CHEF
TAJ DECCAN,
HYDERABAD
My 18-years of experience in F&B production and five years as an executive chef have made me conform well to variations in trends and adapt to the seasonal influences in the hospitality industry.
AMIT BHARADWAJ
EXECUTIVE CHEF
ALILA DIWA, GOA
I started my career with The Oberoi Group. At various times, I have been an integral part of Casa Amore, Papa Pancho, Tea Centre, Joie de Vivre Pvt.Ltd, Hard Rock Café – India, ADF Foods Ltd, as well as DGM and consultant chef de cuisine for Caliente.I set up ‘Pet Pooja’ in Pune and also did innovative styling concepts for Dominos Pizza and Pepsi.
KARIM HASSENE
EXECUTIVE CHEF
THE LEELA PALACE KEMPINSKI, UDAIPUR
I began my career at the Hotel Management School, in Paris at the young age of 16 – and that’s where I learnt to make magic with my hands. Chef Gerard Vié, who owns a two-star Michelin restaurant in Versailles, has been one of the formative influences on my career. However, I feel no journey is complete without an enigmatic halt at India at India.
STEPHEN DOE
EXECUTIVE CHEF
JW MARRIOTT, MUMBAI
My first stint was at the Le Chien Qui Fume, which exposed me to gastronomic French fine dining. I have also worked with renowned chefs like Chef Jean Paul Naquin, currently executive chef at the Burj al Arab, who was my mentor during the opening of Atlantis Resort and Casino and the One & Only Ocean Club, both in the Bahamas, and Chef Jean Claude Garzia in Tokyo.
