Gaurav’s story: A ripe mango

Food has always been at the heart of my family life. My mother is a very good cook and my grandmother passed down recipes to her. She used to get me involved in the kitchen, just peeling onions at first as that was all she trusted me to do! When I told her at the age of 18 that I wanted to be a chef, she was surprised. But it was her influence, as I was inspired by the way she cooked from the heart.

My brother felt the same and has gone on to be a top chef. He’s been a great role model for me and has given me lots of advice, especially in the early days as I often used to get upset if things didn’t go well. But he said something to me that I’ve never forgotten – that I was ‘an unripe mango and I just needed to ripen’! It really helped me to understand the need to listen, learn and work hard, and it’s a phrase I use with my young chefs now.

It gave me the travel bug too; I was 26 and I wanted to explore the world. I successfully applied for a demi chef de partie position with Viking Cruises and ended up spending six years on the water, visiting 54 countries, many places I’d only ever seen on the television. Sometimes the ship would be sailing through landscapes covered with ice. All you could see was penguins! 

It was a fantastic environment to learn and grow in. One night I would be cooking lamb chops for 500 people, and the next preparing a type of fish that I’d never even seen before. I made pasta, created sauces, learned how to make souffle – my confidence was building all the time, and I was listening to advice, following the lead of my exec chefs and picking up new techniques.

Culinary creativity closer to home

So it was a great experience, but my mother was quizzing me as to why I wasn’t thinking about settling down to get married and have babies! I was 31 and still wanted to concentrate on my career, but I did want to stay closer to home so joined Sodexo in Mumbai in October 2022 as a sous chef.

Instantly I felt like I’d come to the right place. The team were supportive from day one, and they encouraged me to share what I’d learned from my travels. Within one year I was promoted to exec sous chef. It’s given me more responsibility but I’m always in the kitchen, working with my team. It’s where I want to be.

The role is still very creative – our contract serves up to 320 covers a day, providing a breakfast, lunch and evening snack service. It’s a big international tech company and many of our Users are well travelled and appreciate lots of different cuisines. So we incorporate traditional Asian staples with European dishes, tastes of North America; we rotate our menus every three weeks. It reflects well on Mumbai as a destination for good food from around the world. Feedback from our diners is really important and some of our Users have said that the food we serve is of a standard that they would expect if they were eating out in a high-quality restaurant.

Having the chance to represent not just India but the whole APAC region in Paris was one of the best things that’s happened in my career so far. Wearing the Indian flag on the collar of my chef’s jacket was very emotional; something I’d never imagined. I wanted to showcase my talent and that Indian food isn’t just curries and spice, and Sodexo gave me that chance. To have my food tasted and judged by top Michelin starred chefs was always a dream of mine, and it came true.

I plan to keep learning and pushing myself – and encouraging the chefs around me to pursue their dreams too. I believe that if you feel most comfortable in the kitchen, if you feel that it’s your home, then you will be a successful chef. A ripe mango!