For nearly two decades, Chef Manikandan Sivamoorthy has been spreading his patisserie prowess across hotels and destinations around the world. Today, he brings it all to the dessert table at JW Marriott Mussoorie, as he takes on the illustrious title of Pastry Chef.
Over the years, Chef Manikandan has championed many experiences in the world of patisserie. A journey that began with catering for in-flight meals, quickly progressed as he climbed the rungs from Sous Chef to Pastry Chef and beyond, showcasing his incredible skills front and centre in the pastry scene across several five star resorts and properties: from Mumbai to Kochi, to The H Resort in the Seychelles and most recently, at Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Chef Manikandan considers having worked as a part of the pre-opening teams with major hotel chains around the world as his greatest achievement. It gave him the opportunity to set the kitchen, recipes, menus and standards at a top-quality mark. His travels across the world also earned him a wealth of knowledge and experience in learning the authentic ways of preparing the finest desserts and artisanal beads.
He explains, “Working with Germans, the French, Italians, Austrians and the Chinese has given me the edge over skills and knowledge that I require for this field. Food has always been a beautiful journey for me”.
However, at the core of it all, lies discipline, something that Chef Manikandan admits may be hard to achieve, but absolutely necessary to maintain. For him, he finds his peace and tranquility while creating his desserts—whether it is an innovation or a classic—he is proud of it all. His ingredients form his greatest inspiration in every circumstance.
The extremely resourceful Chef never makes the absence of ingredients a limiting factor. In fact, he transforms every experience in the kitchen into an opportunity, finding innovative ways to create top quality desserts, even when the odds are stacked up against him.
“Marriott supports innovation, top quality production and promotes using sustainable ingredients. Such culinary principles are highly respect-worthy and difficult to part with once we adopt them. This has aligned with my own philosophy now, and I include this thought in my daily life outside the kitchen as well”. — Chef Manikandan
If you ask him his signature masterpieces, he admits that he loves all of his desserts equally and does not single any of them out. This just means that you will have to try everything on the dessert platter when you visit JW Marriott Mussoorie.
Before you make your visit to taste the sweet magic by Chef Manikandan, here is some food for thought from him:
1.Whatever you do, do it with determination and passion.
2.Every great product is a result of healthy teamwork.
3.Be grateful for what you have today, someone out there might be looking up to you and wishing for what you have.
