Meet Executive Chef Vijay Anand Bakshi of Ibis, Gurgaon, an economy brand of the Accor group of hotels, who is an avid globetrotter and loves to rustle up a variety of exotic meals. In a tete a tete with iDiva, Chef Bakshi reveals what inspires him to tease people's palates.
When did you start cooking?
I started cooking at the age of 12. One day I came early from school and was terribly hungry. No one was at home. I found some suji in the cupboard and milk. I dared to try some suji halwa. I just boiled some milk, added suji and sugar. I was so thrilled. But later on in the evening, when my mom looked at my gastronomic creation, I realised that halwa is eaten with a spoon and NOT DRUNK in a glass!
Where did you train? How difficult was the training?
I trained at the Taj Coromandel Hotel, Chennai. With long hours of work and too many kitchens and sections, it was quite difficult. Secondly, I couldn't speak the local language. It took me two months to speak the basic words and converse in Tamil.
When did you join Ibis and what does it specialise in?
Ibis is an economy brand of the Accor group of hotels. It specialises in a wide variety of food. The buffet food has an elaborate spread from south Indian food to north Indian, Oriental and continental, Lebanese, Chinese, Moroccan, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Thai etc. I joined Ibis in March 2008.
What has been your funniest kitchen experience?
This incident occurred 17 yrs ago. There was a very senior cook at Taj Residency, Vizag. He was an excellent dosa master but was very absent minded. One day, he wanted to deep fry some poories and found some sediments in the oil. So he decided to strain the oil. He managed to lift a strainer from the juice section. Not realising the outcome he strained the hot frying oil through this plastic strainer. To his surprise, he couldn't figure out where did the net of the strainer vanish? (When you strain hot oil through a plastic strainer, the net gets melted.)
Soon everyone came to know about what had happened and made fun of him. Even today, I narrate this incident to all my friends and have a hearty laugh.
What have been some memorable incidents from your global travel experiences?
Circumnavigating the globe thrice was absolute fun. Visiting different countries, tasting various cuisines, listening to a variety of music and speaking a wide range of languages was mind boggling! Once I was 72 Deg north of the equator in Norway where I didn't experience any sunset throughout my stay. I was also fortunate to cruise Trans Atlantic within six days, setting the clock behind an hour every night during the west bound cruise and the reverse (an hour advance) during the east bound.
Since you have travelled extensively, do you see any visible differences in the work culture here in India and abroad?
There are a lot of differences. Abroad, the infrastructure is very advanced. The hygiene and sanitation standards are high. The quality of ingredients is excellent. Public health Inspections are taken seriously.
In India also, we have started inspections and audits. Today, a Microbiology lab is a must in every quality hotel. The management has started training their staff intensely on hygiene and sanitation. But in India, we still face difficulty in finding vendors who are consistent. Every single day, there has to be a chef at the receiving deck to reject vegetables and fruits of inferior quality.
According to you, what is the future of Indian cuisine?
I would say "Back to future"! We will all go back to healthy home made foods, with less oil and butter. Indian food is getting more and more popularity. The day is not far when Indian food will rule the world.
Rapid fire:
1. Favourite spice: Green cardamom.
2. Haven for food: Mama's kitchen
3. Favourite gadget in the kitchen: A tasting spoon!
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