Ms. Priya Paul

I heard about the Park hotels in 1997, when I was in the final year of my Hotel Management course at IHM Mumbai. I didn’t appear for the off campus selection as it was being held in Calcutta. Moreover, I had already decided that I’d join the Taj group; it didn’t make sense to travel that far. Fast forward to 2007, The Park Navi Mumbai opened in February and The Park Hotel School, Apeejay Institute of Hospitality was all set to mark its beginning under Mr. Bhuvan GM as its principal. I liked the concept so much that I applied to join as a faculty. I was asked to go for an interview to Chennai as the entire management team was going to be there. That very week I was booked on an early morning flight to Chennai. There was another person accompanying me, who was also shortlisted for the position of HOD, Food Production. The flight was on time, the hotel car picked us and we were led to The Park Chennai.  As we approached the hotel we saw steel doors instead of the regular glass ones that give a grand view of the hotel’s plush lobby. The moment the door opened it gave a glimpse of some cameras and lights; the reception counter was designed like a boat and the floor looked like the sea. I was amazed at the design of the hotel and also the staff uniforms. I didn’t know much about boutique hotels then, did have an idea though, having read in books; but not anymore, infact I have done a blog on boutique hotels.

We went to our respective rooms to freshen up and got ready for the interview. We were then asked to go to the business centre close to the hotel where the Financial Review Meet was in progress. All the General Managers of the hotels, Finance heads, MD, and Chairperson Ms. Priya Paul were there. Until this time I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to join the new organization that was so very different. Just to remind, I came from a very conventional hospitality college that had rules fit for an Army; equally strict with the norms as well asthe dos and don’ts was the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai where I had worked. We waited for the Managing Director Mr. Vijay Dewan and Mr. Lemuel Herbert, who was then the General Manager of The Park Bangalore with an additional responsibility of setting up the hotel school.  They interviewed us during their tea break.

That was the first time I saw Ms. Paul who was surrounded by the unit heads and she stood in the centre with immense grace, power and a magnetic sense of authority, she was charismatic and had a magical aura about her. I wanted to work with her and be a part of the organization; wanted to make sure that I did well in the interview. The interview was quick and I was selected as an Associate Professor and Head of Department for the Hotel school. I became a part of this esteemed organization on 5th April 2007, the day Apeejay Institute of Hospitality was inaugurated. I had the privilege of being the master of ceremonies for the event and also host the first program offered from the portals of AIH, the Supervisory Development Program.

I remember once while Ms. Paul was addressing The Park Management Trainees, one of them asked her why The Park Hotels didn’t have common SOPs and hierarchy across the chain, she replied saying that The Park wasn’t a chain it was a collection. Every hotel had it’s own identity and she wanted a 25 year old, like him to manage her hotels. She didn’t believe in that kind of standardisation and hierarchy. Her hotels are a reflection of her personality creatively inspiring, spontaneously joyous, daringly different and making things fun. The mantra that her teams follow are, ‘Work hard and party harder’.

She has a picture-perfect memory; she remembers every change one makes, be it a deviation in the recipe or an art work shifted from its original place. She also remembers her staff well and takes keen interest in their development and ensures empowerment at every level. Her hotel’s HR policies put its people first.

Mr. Lemuel Herbert was the General Manager of The Park Bangalore, that opened as the first boutique hotel of the collection; it could very well be called the first luxury boutique hotel in India. When I asked him what it was like; being a pioneer, he said, “With The Oberoi, The Leela and ITC Welcomgroup in the wake of my career, I was on Ms.Paul’s team as general manager of The Park Bangalore in July of 1999. The hotel was in the throes of a metamorphosis to emerge in it’s new avatar as a Boutique hotel that would blaze a trail in India. I had gone out personally to procure and display for Ms.Paul, crockery and cutlery samples for the new hotel”. She smiled patiently and said “Lemuel why don’t you go out again, and this time have fun choosing stuff”. I smiled awkwardly but her message hit home, break free of your earlier paradigms! The next display brought a smile on her face that said “Now we’re talking” Ever since I’ve told my colleagues, especially during induction, make your work fun, you’ll love it”.

The Lady with the Midas Touch

Ms.Priya Paul is the epitome of the empowered woman. The chairperson of the ApeejaySurrendra Park Hotels Ltd., Ms. Paul is a multifaceted lady, who wears numerous hats with élan. She is a successful entrepreneur, a devoted daughter, wife and a mother. Champion of women empowerment, she is also an active industry supporter. She has often been dubbed as the leading lady of the Indian Hospitality Industry, the lady who brought the concept of boutique hotels to India. Having a keen eye for design and detailing, she is extremely creative and social. These qualities not only make her popular in the industry but also loved by her staff. She is a great mentor anda leader par excellence. She turned her hotel into spaces where guests did not just stay confined to their rooms but indulged in an experience of luxury and comfort throughout the hotel. She is a lady well travelled and well read, drawing from her ownexperiences; she managed to create a collection of luxury boutique hotels with sophisticated interiors, decorative themes and immaculate service. An art collector, design aficionado and a creative powerhouse, no doubt she is the pioneer ofboutique hotels in India, that are architecturally unique.

Early Life

Ms.Priya Paul was born into a privileged business family in Kolkata on 30th April 1966. It was the year her father launched their first hotel, The Park Kolkata.She studied at the Loreto House Calcutta and graduated in Economics from Wellesley College, USA.She then joined the hospitality division of her family business, after completing her studies, at the age of 22. She started her career as the Marketing Manager of The Park New Delhi in 1988;initially worked under her father Mr. Surrendra Paul and just two years later, she became the Acting General Manager of The Park New Delhi.  She went on to become the Chairperson of the ApeejaySurrendra Park hotels in 1990, after her father’s untimely demise. The family went through some challenging times but as it is rightly said tough times don’t stay but tough people do; they kept together, consolidated what their father had built, garnered the strength to not only be each other’s support system but also to steer the ApeejaySurrendra group to great heights.That was the consequence of setting new standards, streamlining operating procedures and hiring the right professionals. As a family they took charge of the situation and emerged winners; and there has been no looking back!

Ms. Paul has redefined hospitality in India.She knew that her hotels had to stand out and be noticed; that lead to the boutique hotel concept shaping up in her mind with the vision of ‘Leadership Through Differentiation’. She’s self driven and constantly challenges herself to offer something innovative. With her eclectic sensibilities, keen eye for design and extremely fine aesthetic sense;she has been able to create great hotels, each very different from the other. When Ms. Paul took over the reins of the hospitality division of the ApeejaySurrendra Group in the 1990s, hotels in India were formal places. Her belief was to be AnythingBut Ordinary! She made her hotels hip with lounge bars, discos, innovative restaurants, sponsoring fashion and art shows; not something that many hotels did, back then!

Today, The Park Hotels is a name to reckon with in the hospitality industry with a nationwide presence. They have emerged as stylish, edgy, fun and warm; which is a true reflection of contemporary India;winning national and international recognition.Headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, The Park hotels are located in Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Navi Mumbai, and Hyderabad. They also have managed properties under the Park Collection and Zone by The Park.

Zone by The Park, envisioned as a Social-Catalyst brand, is much more than a hotel, designed to cater to the needs of ‘design conscious, price conscious’ customers. With relaxed, un-boxy spaces, a happening bar, restaurant and buzzing nightlife, it is a place where people can make new connections, refresh and recharge themselves. Drawing from The Park’s design spirit, the concept envisions an interactive series of lively spaces using the best of contemporary design, with creative and playful interiors, multi-functional spaces, great restaurants, bars and vibrant nightlife.Zone has its presence in Coimbatore, Jaipur, Chennai ORR, Raipur, Bengaluru, and Jodhpur with upcoming hotels in Igatpuri, Pondicherry and Goa.

Ms. Paul says, “When we started the concept of boutique hotels, nobody in India knew what was happening in the rest of the world, so we had to establish the concept. Today, you don’t have to look to the world at all; The Park Hotels are adequate in indicating the global buzz”.

Awards and Recognition

Ms. Priya Paul’s contributions to the industry and commerce, particularly in the field of Hospitality and Tourism have been repeatedly recognized and she has received several awards and citations.

She has been awarded India’s fourth highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri in 2012. She was conferred the prestigious Insignia of Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (National Order of Merit) an Order of State, granted by the President of the French Republic in 2014 and has been inducted into the FHRAI Hall of Fame in 2010. To commemorate her contribution to the hotel industry for 25 years, ‘Hall of Fame 2011’ was bestowed to her by Hotelier India. She has also been honoured for her outstanding contribution to hospitality industry by AHEAD Asia 2018 hosted by Sleeper magazine.

She is a Trustee of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) and Board Member, National Council of Science Museums. She is an Executive Committee Member and Ex- President of Hotel Association of India (HAI), is a founder member as well as the Ex- Chairperson of World Travel &Tourism Council (WTTC) -India Initiative, Chairperson South Asia Women’s Fund, and a member of Harvard Business School’s India Advisory Board.

Ms. Paul has received the FHRAI (Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India) Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2000, was recognized by Forbes online as one of India’s 100 most powerful business women in 2006, and was conferred the Zee Astitva Award in the Business category in 2008. She has also been awarded the ‘Spa Personality of the Year’ for the year 2009-10 by Asia Spa India. India Today Woman in Business Award and PHD Chamber-Distinguished Women Entrepreneur Award for 2009-2010.

Known for her design acumen Ms. Paul was awarded ‘Excellence in Design Innovation 2011’ by Condé Nast Traveller India, She was awarded the Aatithya Ratna Award by the Hotel Investment Forum India, 2011. Since 2011, Fortune India has consistently listed Ms. Paul in the 50 powerful business women in India.

Published first on IWH in 2018

Ms. Shirin Batliwala

I met Ms. Shirin Batliwala in 1997, where she did a half day training session with our batch of Hotel Operations Management Trainees, we were 45 of us. Her session was one of the best, we simply loved her grace, a lady who had tremendous knowledge and who showed great knack of handling people – guests or the staff! She inspired me so much that I started to dream of becoming the General Manager one day, the dream changed in just 4 years though when something else looked exciting to me. But the respect and the adulation that we hold for Ms. Batliwala has grown over the years.I worked under her when she came onboard the Taj Mahal Hotel as the General Manager; have seen her in ‘action’. She managed things with ease, she was a disciplinarian but also a lady who understood all, she was compassionate and believed in empowering others. A great mentor and a leader par excellence, she was loved and respected by all.

The modern hospitality in India is incomplete without the mention of Ms. Shirin Batliwala. A lady who ruled and excelled in a profession that didn’t really have another woman with her, she has been one of the key persons in charting the future of the country’s hospitality industry. She is a woman who holds ‘many firsts’ in her illustrious career spanning over 40 years.  She started her journey in the industry by enrolling at the prestigious Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai (Dadar Catering College) in 1966.  She is the classic example of the Taj Group’s policy not to hire managers, but to create them. She has been with the Taj for over four decades, having joined in 1971 as a trainee, the first girl to make a career in the Food and Beverage department. Till then, girls were employed either in the Housekeeping or the Front Office departments. They were not considered for the other operational areas. Since then, she has handled various assignments or portfolios and held many key positions. She has moved from being a restaurant manager; heading F&B department to becoming the GM, VP and even beyond.’ Been there, done that’!  holds true for her when she says, “There is no substitute for dedication and hard work. Any job done well can be done better. Ultimately, it’s aiming for perfection that makes all the difference.”

The other ‘firsts’ in her illustrious career with the prestigious Taj Group are;Ms. Batliwala was the first lady F&B Manager of a five-star hotel in the country, and subsequently, the first lady General Manager of a large hotel in India. She has been a Taj person; the Taj culture is a benchmark not only in India but also is highly respected the world over- a culture that nurtures opportunities for growth, the openness, the family feeling, the strong values of the Taj and also the Tatas; that are imbibed by the people. She has not only lived those values but has contributed to strengthen them.While at the Taj she was involved in the Prevention of Sexual Harassment against women, being the chairperson of the committee at the corporate level. She still continues to be deeply committed and involved with this, serving as the external member on the POSH committees of several companies.

The background

Ms. Shirin Batliwala was born into a Parsi family in Bombay. She did her schooling from the J. B. Petit School at Fort and then joined Wilson College at Chowpatty. Studying Arts did not really fascinate her and when a family friend of theirs,who taught at the Dadar Catering College, suggested to her the course in hospitality, she grabbed the opportunity as it was a new field then. She liked the college and found the course to be interesting.She did her internships at two different hotels, the Taj kitchen under the culinary genius Miguel Arcanjo Mascarenhas (Masci) and at the Ambassador Hotel under its old Greek owner, Jack Voyantizs.

On graduating from the catering college sheapplied for a job at The Taj Mahal hotel, Mumbai.She didn’t want to join housekeeping department, which was the only department offered to the ladies at that time. But Masci at the Taj, and the F&B Manager then, Mr. Daruwala, were familiar withher. As a student she had done waitings at the hotel for important banquets for dignitaries like the King of Afghanistan, the Shah of Iran, the Aga Khan and other visiting royalty and heads of states. She was selected for a job in the Food and Beverage Operations. Her first job assignment was the extremely busy; banquets. Shortly after theTaj opened the members’ only elite club, Chambers, in 1975, she became its manager. She proved her mastery in the department and didn’t look back.She rose to be the Assistant F&B Manager in charge of Chambers and looking after the other Taj restaurants, Golden Dragon, Tanjore, Harbour Bar, Rendezvous, Apollo Bar, Sea Lounge and the nightclub, Blow-up, that soon became the hip and happening ‘1900s’. As the Taj grew Ms. Shirin Batliwala too grew with it. Before the Internet came, a lot of reading up and research was needed to build knowledge and competencies. To seek as well asto upgrade her knowledge, she travelled to many countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, and all over the West.  She used to also read a lot and meet visiting chefs to understand what the hotel industry and F&B was like outside the Taj and India. Her knowledge of the industry is impressive while her understanding of cuisines and wines is highly respected.

In 1980 she moved to Hotel Taj President as the F&B Manager,setting up the Trattoria and Gulzar restaurants, and the hugely popular Library Bar. In 1982, she was back at the Taj Mahal as the F&B Manager. Her next promotion took her to Calcutta, to first set up and then open the Taj Bengalas the General Manager, a post she held for eight years. She came back to Bombay in 1997 as the Hotel President’s General Manager with additional charge of Taj properties in Aurangabad, Indore and Nashik. Her last hotel as the GM was the place where it all began, the Taj MahalHotel Bombay, in 1998. She wasn’t done yet, she was in charge of the F&B on a corporate level for Taj, her responsibility was upgrading and standardizing the product, coordinating with business development projects for future hotels, renovating old restaurants, interacting with corporate chefs on new ideas and cuisines, and working on rolling out a fabulous wine list for the hotel group.

She went on to hold the following portfolios:

Area Director – Goa & South India, Leisure S.B.U.
Indian Hotels Co.Ltd – Taj Group of Hotels
September 1999 – November 2000

Vice President, Business Development
Indian Hotels Co. Ltd – Taj Group of Hotels
December 2001 – December 2002

Vice President – Coordination, M.D.’s Office
Indian Hotels Co. Ltd – Taj Group of Hotels
January 2003 – December 2004

Vice President, Food & Beverage
Indian Hotels Co. Ltd – Taj Group of Hotels
January 2005 – May 2011

She summarizes her long innings with the Taj Group as being a great experience. The Taj culture she believes is difficult to replicate, a culture that strives on providing its employees with immense opportunities for growth, the openness of the group, the family feeling, the strong values of the Taj and also the Tata’s that are imbibed by the people. It was this feeling that she has cherished the most and still upholds them. When asked about the most empowering and cherished moments of her illustrious career she said, “I was lucky to have very close interactions with Mr JRD Tata. His eye for detail and his humane approach had an everlasting impression on me. His words ‘To be a leader you must lead human beings with affection’ touched me deeply and were my guiding principle. My career was also deeply shaped by our ex-chairman, Mr Ajit Kerkar, who always challenged you to do more than your best, and reposed faith in me to open the Taj Bengal”.

Ms. Shirin Batliwala epitomizes grace, strength, knowledge and humility. Her career is in itself a motivational guide for all women who have or wish to build a career in Hospitality industry. She is, The Taj!

Published first on IWH in 2018

Ms. Thangam Elizabeth Philip

Ms. Thangam Elizabeth Philip is regarded as the pioneer of hospitality education in India. Known as the diva of hospitality industry, she was an epitome of discipline; a great teacher who knew every student of hers by name. Even after her retirement, whenever an ex student met her she could quote his or her year of graduation from the institute, such was her memory. She was empathetic, upheld great moral values and good judgment. Outwardly she acted tough but there was always a genuine concern for improving one’s attitude towards teaching and learning.

On the three occasions that I met her and had the fortune of serving her, she exuberated an aura of authority and grace. Wherever I went, when I spoke of my alma mater, people asked me about Ms. Philip -that’s the respect she commanded. To write about her I contacted people who had worked with her and knew her well, they were professors who taught me and many others graduating from the portals of a great educational institution, IHM Mumbai.  Chef Vernon Coelho, Mrs. Mercy Mathew, Mrs. Avril Sule, Chef VK Iyer and Mrs. Aileen Sequeira shared some great insights about her personality. Of all the people I have written about, this one is an inspiration to me; anode to a lady who was in a league of her own.

She never settled for jobs not done to perfection.  She took rounds of the Institute while the classes were going on and would enter the kitchens to check on staff as well as the students. She insisted on food from the Quantity Food Kitchen be sent to her so that she could find out what the majority of the students were being served. She would dine once or twice a week at the restaurant to taste the food prepared by the Third-Year students and also to experience and asses the serving skills of the students. She would randomly check the journals of students and would insist on the staff showing her the answer papers of failed students as well as the top five who scored the highest in the respective subject.

She took special interest in celebrating Christmas and Onam at the institute. She promoted the weekend trade fairs, which were annual events held in December. People loved coming to these and they became great social events in Mumbai. Students loved working in the stalls and selling the products that they made and there was great showmanship and pride. She was very particular about the dinners and events that were held. It was an era when the industry as well as the profession was being built, one step at a time. Nutrition was very close to her heart – every week the second year students along with the staff in charge used to visit the slums of Mumbai and conduct demonstrations on how to cook economical and nutritional meals. A van was dedicated to this cause, that was so very apt and the need of the hour.

She never gave into political pressures as the head of the institution. One political leader came on an Onam celebration day to stop the function saying that there was shortage of rice at that time and it was a court order not to serve it. However, prior to the event, she had already secured a permission from the court to allow the program to happen. She cited the reason to be a requirement for the students who graduated to have knowledge of regional cuisine. She had excellent foresight and vision; she planned well in advance. Padma Shri Thangam Philip was also a Ceres awardee, putting her in the league of Indira Gandhi and Mother Teresa.

The Early Life

Ms. ThangamE Philip was born on 12 May 1921 at Kozhikode in Kerala.  After graduating from the Women’s Christian College, Chennai, she completed her post graduate diploma from the Lady Irwin College, Delhi. She secured her MS degree from USA.  She was a well known nutritionist; she started her career by joining the faculty of Home Science at St Thomas School Kolkata, where she worked for a short time. She moved to Sri Lanka in 1949 to work at Southland Methodist College where she established the Home Economic department.

Ms. Philip returned to India in 1950 and accepted the invitation of the Ministry of Agriculture to manage one of the cafeterias under the brand name, Annapurna that served subsidised food to the middle class. In 1954, she shifted to Mumbai and joined the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition when the college was established in that year.  She did many radio and television programmes and visited USA where her programmes were telecasted. In 1961, after her return from the US, she was appointed as the principal of IHM Mumbai popularly known as the Dadar Catering College. She also started writing articles in the periodicals and opened a cookery programme at the All India Radio. When the Food and Agricultural Organization launched the Freedom from Hunger campaign in 1963, Ms. Philip joined the campaign and contributed greatly. She also participated in the inaugural program of the Young World Assembly held in Athens in 1965.

Ms. Philip has authored several books on the hospitality industry and culinary. Her two volume works, Modern Cookery, Book for Teaching and the Trade, is a prescribed textbook in IHM curriculum. One of her books, Thangam Philip’s Book of Baking is a work written for the Ministry of Tourism. She was involved as a consultant with several projects of UNDP, Food and Agricultural Organization, International Labour Organization and the Government of Kuwait. She served on the boards of many hospitality enterprises and organisations such as Air India, Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Sterling Holiday Resorts (India) Limited and Kamat Hotels.

After retirement in 1986, she returned to her native place Pallom, at Kottayam district in Kerala. She continued with her research from her home there. Ms. Philip died on 28^thJanuary 2009, at the age of 87.

Awards and Honours

Ms. Philip was a fellow of the Hotel Catering and Institutional Management Association, HCIMA UK, Cookery and Food Association, CFA UK and served as a member of the Royal Society for Public Health, UK.

The Food and Agricultural Organization honouredher with the portrayal on the FAO Ceres Medal; a commemorative coin was also issued with her image in 1975.

She received the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award from the Government of India in 1976.

The Government of France awarded her the Knighthood of the Order of Cordon Bleu Du Sant Esprit in 1982.

She retired from IHMCTAN in 1986, after which she was made the Principal Emeritus of the institute.

She was also a recipient of the Firestone Award from the Indian Association of Occupational Health.

First Published in 2028

Chef Monisha Bharadwaj

A lady who has shattered the glass ceiling and is ‘fabulous’ in the true sense is Chef Monisha Bharadwaj, who dons many hats. She is an award winning author,a food historian and owns a successful Indian cookery school in London – Cooking with Monisha (www.cookingwithmonisha.com) in London, UK

She is a trained chef from the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Mumbai and has been a food consultant to the Times of India (India’s largest media group) creating menus for celebrities such as the deputy Prime Minister of India as well as several top film stars.

After her short professional stint in Mumbai, she moved to England and worked at the Bombay Brasserie(a Taj Group restaurant) in London.Soon, she met her literary agent, and through her, her publisher, Kyle books, one of the UK’s leading publishing houses. They commissioned her first book, ‘The Indian Kitchen’, which went on to win several awards. She was then commissioned to write her second book. From the books, there came TV and her cookery school. Since she has studied history, she also gives lectures on food history. The success of one book led to the other and she has written 15 books.

The Early life

Chef Monisha was born in Mumbai and attended the Bombay International School and then St Columba School. Her junior college was HR College of commerce after which she joined the Institute of Hotel Management, Dadar in Mumbai, India.

She started her training in Bharatanatyam at the age of 4 and has studied this classical dance form for 30 years. She has performed all over the world professionally, and was invited to perform at the opening of the Nehru gallery, Victoria and Albert museum, in the presence of HM the queen.

She has created and taught her courses at other cookery schools such as Divertimenti, The Bertinet Kitchen in Bath, The Ashburton School in Devon, seasoned in south Derbyshire and The Bristol School of Food and Wine. She teaches several classes a week, from training chefs from all around the world to teaching people with special needs. Her specialty being the Indian Cuisine, she feels that India and Indian food is so diverse, it has got its roots in many different aspects in different regions. One should understand that Indian cooking is easy to do and focuses on good health. One can keep it simple by using locally sourced ingredients, which are in season. She believes that turmeric is the ‘super spice’ since it has antioxidants, is anti- inflammatory; making it a wonder spice. She herself loves turmeric tea and has been having it for many years; she believes that it has kept her immunity high. She was invited to be a part of the BBC radio 4’s programme, ‘The food programme’ on turmeric last year.

She feels that physical stamina is extremely important for chefs as they have to spend a lot of time workingand standingin hot kitchens and small spaces. The physical demands of the job are many.Her success mantra for a professional chef: “Be good at teamwork, have appropriate knowledge and skill sets with a wish to keep learning and innovating”.

Shehas been a guest chef at Benaras, a Michelin star restaurant in London and at the Intercontinental Hotel, Park Lane.She is often invited to judge food events and has been a regular judge at the Guild of Fine Food’s ‘Great Taste Awards’ for the past few years.

In 2013, she was invited to be Guest Lecturer at SOAS, University of London, to give a series of talks on ‘The History and Culture of India through its Food’. She was invited to be guest speaker at Kew Gardens for the Indian Orchid Festival 2017 where she talked about healing plants used in Indian cookery. In 2017, Chef Bharadwaj developed and gave a lecture on ‘How the British Fell in Love with Curry’ at The British Council. More recently, in 2018, she was invited to bethe brand ambassador ofVeetee Basmati rice in the UK and Europe.

Her Take on the famous ‘curry’

She says, “Today, everyone considers curry a national dish in the UK. It started with the East India Company as returning officers and wives took back recipes from India. However, the right ingredients and tools were not available, and so the British used substitutes and British cooking techniques to cook Indian dishes. For example, they used apples instead of raw mangoes.As time went on, more Indians came to the UK, started their own restaurants. Bengali boatmen, who were taken back by the British, started working in the fish and chip shops. This is where they started cooking curry, which white men discovered, was a good meal to have after a few beers, given that curry was spicy!”.

Awards and accolades

She was awarded ‘Cookery Writer of the Year’ in 2003 and her books have been shortlisted for awards such as the Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards, the Andre Simon Award and the Jacob’s Creek World Food Media Awards. She has also won the prestigious food award from the Deutschland Akademie Ausgezeichnet in Germany. Her books have sold almost a million copies in 8 languages.

She contributes to several magazines and newspapers such as Elle, Delicious, The Mail on Sunday and the Sunday Telegraph and has cooked on TV for Great Food Live and Bites on UK Food and for the South African Broadcasting Channel. She has been a judge on Iron Chef America (The Food Network, USA) and cooked for ‘Chef on a Shoestring’ (CBS Network, USA). She has also done BBC’s ‘Food and Drink’ show and ‘Inside the Factory’, ITV1’s ‘The World’s Best Diet’ and Sky One’s ‘Fat Families’.

She has also been nominated ‘celebrity chef of the year 2018’ by the London curry awards.

Ms. Shatbhi Basu

I was interviewing the Management trainees for our hotels; The Park Hotels. We have various Management Training programs such as the General (GMT), Kitchen (KMT), Housekeeping (HKMT) andHotel Operations (HOET). Something unique to our hotels is the Bar Executive Training Program (BET). We get good number of applications for this one too, over the years even girls have started applying for the BET program. I remember a few of them, extremely good profiles; on asking them their reasons to choose bars over the GMT program, most of them saythat Ms. Shatbhi Basu istheir inspiration. I have heard this so many times over the years. I know Ms. Basu and the kind of work that she has done, she is simply anything but ordinary woman! Coming back to the BET program and the girls who apply for it, do they know the real Shatbhi Basu? The glamour of the bar and the high spirited environment cannot define the first lady of Mixology, rightlyhailed as the bar guru of India. A lady who is a living example of the saying, ‘There is nothing a woman can’t achieve if she puts her mind to it’.  Ms. Basu is a legend and has been a force to reckon with in the male-dominated industry. Finally I got an opportunity to speak to her over the phone; I wanted ‘her story’ for our website, Indian Women in Hospitality. She is such a warm person, I didn’t feel as if this was the first time I was having a conversation with her. She has a great voice, with that kind of voice behind the bar, who wouldn’t order an extra drink? I am a fan of ‘good voices’ and she is one of my favorites now.

When she started her career 38 years ago, she aspired to be a chef but that dream fell flat, as hotel kitchens were not really ready to accept a woman in their domain. She then had to look for a role in the restaurant operations. The experience she says turned out to be an eye opener for her, she realised that knowing a recipe was quite different from actually making a drink!Being the only woman in the field, was a challenge in itself. In her initial days learning the ropes of the trade were tough and support from the industry was scarce. In 1980, when she wanted to learn bartending there was no mixology school and the established bartenders were not really happy about sharing information or passing on the skills; these circumstances made it difficult for her to learn the craft. But she didn’t let these challenges be a downer for her, instead she set out on a mission to learn on her own and in the best way that she could. In fact she learned the skills of a bartender after she was already a manager!  She is self taught-learnt things she needed to know with the help of a bartending manuals and inputs from friends and family.At that time the access to international products was limited, she had to find suitable substitutes and work with them. It inspired her to make great stuff with ‘whatever’ was available. In due course of time she learnt to creatively use the local ingredients to make up for the lack of traditional ones.  For instance, she rustled her first dry martini without ‘dry vermouth’, made her first Pina Colada without ‘Malibu’ or coconut cream and she put together a Black Russian with home brewed coffee liqueur.

Bartending back then was looked at, as a career for ‘men only’. Undeterred by this stereotype, she embarked on a journey with a mixer and glasses as her weapons; there has been no looking back ever since. All credit goes to her for changing mindsets, breaking the shackles, and ruffling perceptions. She had the strength, conviction and knowledge to combat the biases and she continues to raise the bar; all along creating new benchmarks for herself and for the others to follow.Soon the male bartenders as well as the customers began believing in herand trusting her skills behind the bar. Perseverance did pay off and she was appreciated for her creativity and innovation. She is full of ideas and possesses the skills andattitude of a great bartender; understanding the customer’s needs by carefully observing them. She keeps her guests happy and curious and believes in evolving new drinksas well as flavours;taking great care in food and beverage pairing ;and a heady conversation to complement it.

If you see no path make one; holds true for her. Having experienced the lack of right guidance at the beginning of her career, she went on to set up an institution to mentor new professionals in taking the crucial ‘first steps’ in mixology. She was convinced that bartending as a career was indeed the future. Her efforts bore fruits and the academy was launched in 1998 at Mahim, in Mumbai. STIR, become India’s first school for aspiring bartenders. Today it offers comprehensive training in the basics of bartending, right from bar ethics to bar acrobatics. She has alsoauthored ‘The Can’t Go Wrong Book of Cocktails’; a comprehensive guide to cocktails and alcoholic beverages for the Indian consumer. These are her two other major contributions that have been able to create awareness, educate as well as facilitate the art of mixology and bartending.

Despite the benchmarks created by her, there is still under representation of women in the field.Her advice to the young professionals and students is, “Choose your career path wisely. Do it because you love it. Be passionate about your work and give it everything. Be inspired by others but be yourself. Believe in yourself, your vision for yourself and in everything that you do. You and only you have the power to control your destiny. Be the best that you can be always. Don’t think of yourself as a woman trying to find your place among men but be a professional right on the top”.

The Early Life

She is a Bombay girl, did her schooling from St. Teresa’s Convent, Mumbai and her college from Mithibai College of Arts and Science. She completed her Hotel management Course from IHM Mumbai in 1980.  She comes from a family that was well educated and well traveled; it was also her constant source of information and support. Her aunts and uncles from around the world sent her books and information to ‘up’ her knowledge. Her friends she says; were the guinea pigs and the force that kept her grounded. When asked about the challenges she faced as a woman in the industry she says,”Absolutely none! I have been respected for the work that I have done and my contribution to the skill of bartending.My only challenge was the lack of information when I began”.

Ms. Shatbhi Basu admits the going was tough, but she took all challenges head on, never using circumstances as an excuse to back out. She had a dream and worked diligently to achieve it. She believed in herself and it’s her commitment, dedicationas well as focus that have brought her to where she is today. She believes in her own instincts, is a constant learner and preaches only what she can practice. Innovating and taking up new challenges gives her a high; designing bars being one of them.She brought to the bar counter what was missing in the traditional ones, addinga degree of sophistication, creating a great ambience and focusing on the comfort of those working behind the counter. In factshe wanted a makeover of the menu being served as welland started the art of fine dining; making wines an integral part of the dining experience. Ever since she created a niche for herself, women have begun to enroll into professional bartending programs and Ms. Basu has been the change maker!

Awards and recognition

• She has been awarded two Lifetime Achievement awards – from professionals and people who appreciated her contribution to the hospitality industry.
• Initiated and currently is head of the first institution for professional bartending in India, STIR – Academy Of Bartending, Mumbai
• Authored the first comprehensive guide to alcoholic beverages and cocktails relevant to Indian conditions – The Can’t Go Wrong Book Of Cocktails
• She is a consultant with over 50 reputed organizations since 1998
• She designed the first SS modular bar in India in 1998
• She was appointed the first American Whiskey Ambassador for India 2013 – 2016
• She’s awarded a Gold by Spiritz Magazine for being a great “Friend of the Industry” (the alcobev industry)
• Host and content advisor to NDTV for the show `In High Spirits’ on NDTV Good Times
• Was consultant to Focus Brands – for Campari, Jose Cuervo, Marie Brizard Liqueurs, Skyy Vodka, Cinzano, Cutty Sark, Glen Rothes
• Trainer with Aspri Spirits on Stoli, Roberto Cavalli, Molinari Sambuca, Amarula, Diva Cachaca, Skyy.
• Consultant to INS Hamla, the catering school and training centre for the Indian Navy
• Consulted on training, brand extensions and launch strategy for Diageo on Ciroc Vodka, Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Vat 69…
• Was instrumental in the creation and execution of Smirnoff Tastemaker Sessions and Smirnoff Bartending Sessions

Published first on IWH in 2018