Ms. Sonal Holland, MW - The Wine Master

My association with Sonal goes to IHM where she was my senior. We didn’t have much interaction though, I got in touch with her recently after seeing her work and the kind of adulation she had acquired from the industry – wine experts as well as wine lovers not just in India but around the world. Found her to be an inspirational woman who has had an equally illustrious career. I wanted to share her story on this platform that has been sharing the journeys of the most accomplished female leaders in the Hospitality Industry; thought she had to be there among the innovators. Finally I get to speak with her and my recent dream gets checked! She has been busy travelling around the globe and working tirelessly on the upcoming India Wine Awards, which has emerged as the most authoritative wine competition in the country. She and her team is working actively towards the 2018 India Wine Awards at the moment.

Ms. Sonal Holland, MW is India’s most accomplished wine professional. The first Indian to have been bestowed with this prestigious global title, she has won numerous awards in her incredible journey to become the only Master of Wine in a nation of one billion people!

Sonal’s professional achievements include her role as the former corporate head of wine and beverages at home-grown luxury hospitality conglomerate, ITC Hotels. Currently, she is the Wine Buyer and Consultant for luxury food retail chain Foodhall, and is also the Director of the wine program for the rapidly expanding restaurant group, Gourmet Investments.

The Early life

Sonal is a Mumbai Girl, did her schooling and later hotel management from the prestigious IHM Mumbai. She then got her MBA from the University of Mumbai; post which she joined The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts as the Sales Manager- National Sales, handling Mumbai Area. She has also worked with Kelly services as Director of Sales – India. Her last stint before she founded the Sonal Holland Wine Academy in 2013; was with the ITC Hotels as the Divisional Head (All India) – Wine & Beverages.

She has studied Wine and Viticulture at the Institute of Masters of Wine and has earned her Diploma in Wines and Spirits at WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust). In 2016, Holland was named Master of Wine (MW) from the London-based Institute of Masters of Wine. Prior to the MW, Holland received Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits from Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET)

Wine Education: India’s foremost wine-centric institution, The Sonal Holland Wine Academy has distinguished itself as a world-class educator in India’s beverage scene. Founded in 2009, Sonal Holland Wine Academy is a licensed collaborator with Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) headquartered in London, offering the most sought after wine qualifications across India.

Her refreshing, jargon-free approach to demystify vino has endeared her to budding oenophiles in a land of whisky lovers. An initiative spearheaded by her in 2017, The India Wine Insider (IWI) is the most ambitious and comprehensive survey on the urban Indian wine consumer.

India Wine Awards: Powered by Sonal, is the most authoritative wine competition in the nation, led by India’s most qualified wine professionals. The inaugural edition of India Wine Awards in 2017, established itself as the ultimate consumer-guide to ranking the best wines (domestic and international), available in the country.

Awards and Accolades
Adjudged the Wine Personality of the Year recently, Sonal is regularly featured as one of the most powerful women and most influential personality in India’s luxury industry.

Institute of Masters of Wine, features her among 370 Masters of Wine in the world, 8 in Asia and the only one in India. What a privilege that is!
Ms. Sonal Holland was gracious to answer our questions and what an enchanting conversation we had with her! She truly is a power woman; we also learnt about the challenges she faced. It was her never give up attitude and perseverance that got her to where she is today in her career- quite at the top!

IWH: What have been the high points of your career?
Sonal: The most thrilling moment for me has been being named India's first Master of Wine by the Institute of Masters of Wine, UK. This happened in the September of 2016 and will remain the most cherished moment in my career as it was the culmination of a decade-long dream combined with years of grit, passion, commitment and stupendous hard work. To say that there are less than 400 Masters of Wine in the world and more people have been into space than are Masters of Wine makes achieving this global title very special. Makes me feel like one in a billion!

IWH: What challenges have you faced as a woman in the industry?
Sonal: There is no denying that the alcobev scene in India and globally has traditionally been male dominated, but this is now changing as more and more women are choosing a career in wines. Wine is still in its nascency but is the fastest growing beverage in India today, making it an exciting line of work to pursue. But just sometimes, because of its uniqueness and lack of awareness among people, wine as a profession is not fully understood. I know people who might believe that I start drinking wine every morning at 9 am, but nothing is farther from the truth. As wine ambassadors, I find myself advocating moderation in wine drinking and never being caught with your palate slurring! I spit wine more than I drink it; it’s what we do as wine judges or when we taste professionally.
Apart from that, being a woman has always been my strength more than a weakness or challenge. Men around me have more trouble figuring out how to be less intimidated! 

IWH: What do you think of IWH?
Sonal: It is an excellent initiative that brings together on a single, unified platform, women stalwarts across the hospitality industry. It’s fascinating to see just how much great work is being done by women in this sector; each one adding her unique flair and personality to the profession. Women on this platform must strive to engage, share knowledge and also encourage each other through collaborations. We must encourage off-line events that give as opportunities to meet, network and become good friends. Nothing better than doing this over a few glasses of wine!

IWH: Your advice to the young professionals and students.
Sonal: My 5 lessons for success are:
Find your angels. This could be your husband, a parent or a friend. Hold on to them dearly as they will always give you the best advice, unconditional love and unrelenting support.
Self-investment is the best investment. You are your biggest asset. Don't compromise on whatever you do for yourself.
When chasing your goals, don't take your foot off the pedal. In a race, every micro-second counts.
The best always comes after the worst. Don't ever, ever give up. Grit and self-belief is everything.

Success is a responsibility - share knowledge, conduct yourself appropriately and contribute in meaningful ways. A Master is what a Master does.

Continue reading at: 

http://www.theiwh.com/ms-sonal-holland-mw/

Website: http://www.theiwh.com/

I can - Ms. Ranju Alex

I connected with Ms. Ranju Alex, a few days ago when one of my colleagues spoke about her being a very dynamic lady, a super achiever and someone who had contributed so much to the industry. I was told that she deserved to be featured on Indian Women in Hospitality. I had heard of her but didn’t have the opportunity to meet her or interact with her  and this was the perfect opportunity to connect with the lady. She was extremely warm and she liked the IWH platform and the kind of work we were doing, it was truly humbling. What I liked about her was that she is extremely forthcoming and someone who can be called the ‘take charge‘ person. It’s a pleasure to share her inspirational and incredible journey here.

Ms. Ranju Alex is the Multi-Property Vice President, Bengaluru & Kochi and General Manager for Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield. It is a dual role and she looks after 18 hotels. Prior to this, she served as the General Manager of the JW Marriott Kolkata and Multi Property Vice President for East India, Bhutan and Bangladesh. She is a true champion of the values and commitment towards service excellence which encompasses taking care of associates and their career development plans. She enjoys the diversity of dealing with guests, meeting individually with department heads, exploring opportunities for improvement, solving concerns and moving forward together as a team.

Ms. Alex is very passionate about women empowerment and advocates it at her workplace. Her work towards gender diversity has resulted in her being invited by several countries like Sweden, Netherlands, UK and the US as a key note speaker on women related issues. After 17 year tenure with The Oberoi Group, Ranju moved to Marriott International. Over the years she has received various accolades to her name, despite being a super achiever in every realm of her professional career, her commitment to work has never come in the way of her leading a fulfilling personal life. She acknowledges that her husband and children are her greatest treasures. A firm believer in ‘health is wealth’, she is a health and fitness conscious person who loves her sports; tennis and swimming, as much as she loves cooking for friends and family. Travelling is another  hobby that she follows, as it allows her to spend quality time with her family. Ms. Alex is an avid reader, having a home library of 6000 books; she is also passionate about charity. She believes in living life to the fullest and maximizing every moment of her time to it’s full potential and capacity, be it professionally or personally.

The Early Life

Ms. Ranju Alex says that she is a Bihari by birth but was born and brought up in the Steel city of Durgapur, West Bengal by virtue of her father being posted there. Though she was from a conservative background, she was blessed to have very modern parents who believed in education for girls and their subsequent financial independence. She was educated at the prestigious Carmel Convent School and was an above average student. She was never the topper but strangely she never aspired to be one! Her aspirations were very different right from her early days. She was  interested in doing something that her heart and mind wanted to do and not something that the society expected her to. She was not very clear on the exact path but one thing she was certain about was that the path had to be very different. She did try to take the much trodden path of taking up Science hoping to be selected for Engineering but the destiny had different plans. She was struck by a serious neurological disorder which forced her to the hospital bed for over two years with slim chances of survival. Survive she did and that experience reiterated her belief that she needed to make something of her life; where she was given a second chance! and hence started her journey in hotels- a world that attracted her but a world that she had absolutely no clue of!

Awards and Accolades

• Ranju Alex is very passionate about women empowerment and advocates it at her workplace. Her work towards gender diversity has resulted in her being invited by several countries like Sweden, Netherlands, UK and the US as a key note speaker on women related issues.
• She is the proud recipient of the “Women of the Decade in Business & Leadership” award at the Women Economic Forum, UK, in 2017.
• She has also been awarded the Women Super Achiever Award by Femina.
• Woman achiever in the Corporate Category from Aparajita 2018 by Sanmarg.
• The Achiever in Hospitality from SHE awards by The Telegraph.
• General Manager of the Year 2014, Marriott Internationals.
• General Manager of the Year – Asia Pacific in 2012.
• Service Excellence- General Manager of the Year, 2012.
• Under her guidance, JW Marriott Kolkata received a number of accolades like the ‘Best Luxury Hotel’ by East India Travel Awards, Travellers review award 2017,
• ‘Wedding Venue of the Year' by the Stars of the Industry and ‘Award for Excellence’ by Condé Nast Traveller Reader’s awards 2017, among others.

IWH, in conversation with Ms. Alex.
IWH: What made you select Hospitality as a career? Was it easy making that decision?
It is never easy to swim against the tide .It was an easy decision for me but not a very easy decision for the people in my community. There was a huge taboo surrounding this profession and definitely not advisable for girls from a ‘respectable’ family. Strangely enough the biggest concern that no one from my community will be willing to marry me if I started working in hotels.

IWH: How has your hospitality journey been so far? Pros, cons etc?
It has been enriching and exhausting at the same time. I love the industry and absolutely love my job. So even after 25 years in the industry, I still come to work each day with a spring in my step. This industry has changed me a lot as a person and for the better. The best part of my job has been meeting several kinds of people from all walks of life. You end up imbibing a lot of good thought processes and mannerisms from them. My personality both behavioral and physical has changed from my gawky college days to a sharp professional. The only con that comes to my mind is the long working hours that we need to put in . I have missed out on a lot of my family life and also on a lot of milestones of my children because of my work hours which is dictated by guest needs .

IWH: Who has been your mentor or a role model? In what way has that person helped you?
I have not really had one mentor or role model. At every stage of my career I have tried to learn from my superiors and sometimes also from my juniors. There are always two types of learnings in life: What to do and more importantly what not to do . I have always tried to learn, enrich and imbibe at every stage of my career.


IWH: What have been the high points of your career? Highlight at least 3.
My biggest win till date has been passing my Class 12^th with a First Division. As odd as it may sound, it is the truth. I was severely ill with three cysts growing in my brain which was life threatening, my memory having been completely wiped out due to the medicines that I was put on and my doctors insisting that I do not study any further because of the pressure it will put on my brain. I gave my board exams on a sick bed vomiting every 15 minutes with absolutely no hope of passing it. To secure a first division under those circumstances was definitely my biggest win.
My second career highlight has been to move from the Housekeeping stream to General Management. Though it is more common now, it was a rarity 10 years back.
My third win and which is extremely close to my heart was to receive the Global GM award by Marriott International at Florida. To have Bill Clinton, Bill Marriott and Indira Nooyi in the same room and to walk up on stage to receive the award was heady.

IWH: What challenges have you faced as a woman in the industry? How did you deal with them?
I have a completely different story to talk about in this context. I have faced absolutely no hurdles because of my gender. In fact it is just the opposite. I think women have a natural grace and charm that they bring to the table and which is so very vital in this industry. Both the companies that I have worked for ( The Oberoi Group for 17 years and  now Marriott International for 8 years ) have always focused on creating a conducive environment for women which encourages them to work in the industry. In my opinion , our men and the world has evolved considerably and as long as you are focused and hardworking , you will find success irrespective of the gender.

IWH: If there was anything that you could change about your life or career what would that be?
Not a thing ! Every experience in my career and my life has taught me a lesson and whilst it might have been painful when it happened , it has taught me a lot along the way ! I would not want it any other way. If there is any regret that I remotely have is the fact that I could not spend as much time with my children. However the flip side is that when I see them evolving into focused and independent personalities I feel that it has helped them in several ways.

IWH: What do you think of IWH?
When I first heard about it I was very impressed. This is a platform which is very powerful with so many strong individuals sharing their views, holding hands and uplifting the world of women professionals. I am honored to have been asked to pen down my interview.  I look forward to hearing from the other ladies from the group and if my story can inspire even one person out there, I would be so pleased.

IWH: Your advice to the young professionals and students.

My only advice to them is that each of us have a special place under the sun. We spend half our lives comparing our journeys to others not realizing that each journey is different. We should focus on concentrating on our aspirations rather than constantly trying to look over our shoulder to keep tabs on others. For all the female students and professionals I have to stay: Breaking the glass ceiling is not enough anymore …. We need to break them and then dance on the glass pieces!!!


IWH: Anything else you wish to share with our readers?
Our life , our career and our quality of life  is completely in our hands . The basics of hard work , passion and focus never go wrong . One thing that we always disregard in our bid to make a career is our own self. It is a very common saying with working women and especially hoteliers that we do not get time to spend on ourselves. That is something I would encourage everybody to work on. Whether it is working out in the gym to enhance your fitness or whether it is just an outing or shopping to enhance your soul ….. Spend time with yourself and love yourself!!! The only person who can make you truly happy is you yourself!!! Go for it!!
What a conversation that was, power packed just like the lady herself.

http://www.theiwh.com/ms-ranju-alex/

Website: http://www.theiwh.com/

Many things- Ms. Vipula Gandhi

We were batchmates at IHM Mumbai. She was friendly, lively and a fun person to be with. Her speech used to be ‘many more words per minute’ than most of us because she was a fast thinker. She worked hard and was ambitious; she was one of the toppers all though the college years. Focused on what she wanted and achieving not just that but much more. She has lived a life probably just the way she had planned it to be. She is one of the fittest women I know and also a great parent. She keeps giving people around her many professional and personal goals; making her a complete package!  She is truly a star, an inspiration to many men and women. Presenting to you Ms. Vipula Gandhi, Managing Partner at Gallup Inc, and is based at the company’s headquarter in Washington DC. IWH in conversion with her.

IWH: Tell us something about you, your growing up years, life through school, college etc.

Vipula Gandhi: I am the youngest of 3 kids born in middle India to highly educated and middle class parents. I spent my early years in a steel city, Bhilai, where my father worked as an engineer. My parents had difficult childhoods in strained circumstances common to many other  refugees from Pakistan. By the time their only daughter arrived, they had built a reasonable life for themselves. My father bought a car the day I was born to celebrate and ensure that his only daughter comes home from the hospital in a car! As I look back, I am in awe of my forward thinking parents, they raised me just as they did their other two boys- I rode motor bikes and was introduced to the concept of independence very early on. We were not rich but a wholesome and loving rearing made up for a great childhood for all of us. They ensured that I studied in good schools and was supported when I requested help.

I did very well in school and then met my first big failure in life – inability to become a doctor which was my father’s dream! My late father always meant a lot to me. I was lost. I knew from early age that I get energized by delivering great customer service, I applied for IHM because one of my other friends was applying and suggested I would be a good fit. So really not a thought through strategy at that juncture in my life. I just wanted to start doing something to get myself going after the big speed bump. Hospitality was an emerging industry in 1994 and not a place where many middle class parents saw their daughters working.

IWH: What made you select Hospitality as a career? Was it easy making that decision?

Vipula Gandhi: IHM, Mumbai and OCLD years shaped who I am. Hospitality industry taught me basic fundamentals of business that I still hold dear in my heart – customer is the reason why businesses exist. Everything that we do must have customers’ interest at its center. Having spent 4 years in hotel operations and Sales, I realized that my calling was elsewhere and when offered a sales role in Financial sector I made my move. Then followed 7 years in Banking sector that led me to a Corporate Banking Director role in London with Barclays Bank. In spite of success in this role and an MBA in Finance, I soon felt I needed an intellectual challenge and when head hunted for management consulting role, I changed industry again. I now feel fulfilled helping organizations grow; growing businesses have huge impact on building successful societies. This is my contribution to making this world a better place. When I look back, the industry changes make complete sense  but they looked risky and out of comfort zone when life presented those doors of opportunity. I have lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, London, Dubai, Singapore and Washington DC.

IWH: What is your current role?

Vipula Gandhi: I am now the Managing Partner for a management consulting firm, Gallup Inc, and based at the company’s headquarter in Washington DC. My teams and I help  C- Suite leaders of Fortune 1000 companies on designing and delivering on business strategy through advise and analytics.

Continue reading at:

http://www.theiwh.com/life-is-many-things-ms-vipula-gandhi/

Website: http://www.theiwh.com/

Odette Mascarenhas- The Goan at heart!

A graduate from the Dadar Catering College Ms. Odette Mascarenhas joined the Taj as a management trainee. She grew with the organization spending 18 years with them and then branched out on her own as a Management Consultant. She has made valuable contributions to the hospitality Industry and continues her journey in the hospitality sector, food being the centre of her focus- as a TV host, Columnist, Food critic and Author. This is her story.

The Early Life

Ms. Odette Mascarenhas did her schooling from the Convent of Jesus and Mary Byculla, Mumbai. She was a 'good' student, sports was what really 'excited' her...but those were the days when 'Engineers' and 'doctors' were considered to be the milestones for every family. Her parents being 'old schooled,  were very happy that she was selected for the Science stream, and she as happy for their sake (being the eldest in the family). Her creative way of writing was not appreciated as her parents put it- journalism was not 'paying'. Unfortunately her heart was not in it and she did not make the grade to get into medicine. She was disillusioned and her parents only comment was 'Join the Catering College, learn to cook and find a husband'. We are talking about the 70's here!

So she joined the Dadar Catering College and was accepted by Taj. Her parents believed as many did during that time that working in a hotel was not a 'clean' job for a girl. But they accepted it. With her dad getting her picked up if she had a late shift. Perhaps their dream did come through because she met her husband at the Taj!

The Hospitality Career

Selected by the Taj Mahal Bombay in 1979, she opted for Food & Beverage Service despite being warned that it was not a place for young women during that time. Within a span of 3 years she worked her way to taking charge of the Banquet Office of the prestigious Taj. Her work singled her out as she had taken all duties assigned (even night duty) at the different outlets, Shamiana, Golden Dragon, Tanjore and the Rendezvous which was the hotel’s unique supper Club and the employees posted there had to be selected after careful evaluation.

Her next assignment which she earned because of her experiences was to take over the Food & Beverage Department at the Taj Fisherman’s Cove (Mahaballipuram- Madras) in 1984. It was one of her greatest challenges. The hotel was 40 kms away from the city, governments were not very stable during that period, getting trained staff was a major issue due to the distance and procurement of fresh produce from the city (except seafood) took a lot of planning. With the help of her team (who she personally trained), the hotel hosted all the big conferences in Madras, with outdoor conferences of over 1000 people becoming a norm. Her team catered to the likes of Mohammed Ali, Jacqueline Onassis, Adnan Khashogi and even the foreign cricket teams who would spend their ‘rest day’ in the hotel. She set up the beach side restaurant called Bay View Point which even today draws in crowds from the city.

After a tenure of six years with Fisherman’s Cove, she with her husband was transferred to the Taj Goa in 1990. With both husband and wife working in hotel operations and having a 6 year old child, they had to plan their logistics on the home front. It was not possible to give quality time to the child with the couple spending long hours at work so she took a transfer into the administrative department, she was appointed as the The Group Training Manager for Goa. It was the first training department outside the corporate in Mumbai (Bombay then) and she was entrusted to set it up from scratch. She initiated the Assessment centre, the HMT and HOT training center where young college graduates were trained for various skills before being transferred to different Taj hotels in India.
In 1997, after having completed 18 fruitful and empowering years with the Taj she decided to call it a day. But branched out into opening her own Management Consultancy with Training as it’s core focus. OnM Creative Consultants was the first company in Goa which offered development of skill sets to all operating departments in Hotels. From North to the South of Goa all hotels including some boutique hotels availed her expertise and services. As the organization began to grow, she used her skills to offer workshops on Behavioral Skills Applications. With this she moved to the Manufacturing Units too with a client base of over 40 multinationals all over India.

Ms. Mascarenhas is the curator for Food as ‘Art’ for the Serendipity Arts festival held every year in Goa. She is also the Food critic for the Times of India in Goa till date and is the author of the Times food guide since 2012.  She has hosted her own local TV ‘food’ series on Goa 365 and also International TV shows with celebrity Chefs Vikas Khanna, David Rocco, and Ranbeer Brar to promote Goan cuisine internationally.
Besides writing book - 8 so far of different genres, she is the co founder of the Goan Culinary Club, which preserves the authenticity of Goan cuisine researching long lost recipes. Her work with food has made her interaction with hospitality centers her core focus and she has been awarded many times for the work done in this field.

Awards and Accolades

In 2003 on seeing the film made by the Taj Mahal Hotel on the first Indian Executive Chef Miguel Arcanjo Mascarenhas, she decided to write a case study on his life. That story impacted her to such an extent that at the end of her research it was finally made into a book. Rejected by many publishers, she took on the mantle of self publishing it with her husband Joe Mascarenhas (son of the famed chef). The book Masci  The Man behind the Legend won the ‘Special Jury award 2008’ at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris, the very same award that was won by Julia Childs (of the Julie and Julia movie fame) in the year 1993.
Not ready to rest on her laurels she penned more food books with The Culinary Heritage of Goa winning the Gourmand Award in Yangtai China (2015) for historical recipes competing globally with 205 countries for the Best in the World for Historical recipes.
Her other awards besides the gourmand include

• National ‘Unsung Young Entrepreneur’ initiative of CNBC TV 18 and Lufthansa.
• Certificate of Appreciation for commendable literary work by Goa Chamber of Commerce.
• Goa Woman of the Decade (Achievers award) - Woman’s Economic forum
• Orchid Award 2017 for Women Achievers in the field of Art and Culture
• The Goan Foodie for best Critic
• Trinity Medallion for outstanding contribution towards Goan cuisine presented by the Chief Minister of Goa

IWH in conversation with Ms. Mascarenhas

What have been the high points of your career? 
It was when my work was appreciated and a challenge put before me. I was Banquet Manager (Office) at Taj Mahal Bombay when I got a call from Mr. Kerkars Office in 1983. During my 'one on one' meeting with him he shared the fact that he and Mrs. Kerkar were unhappy about the fact the Fisherman's Cove (Madras) was not doing well and might be sold. He wanted my husband and me to do something about it and hence we were being transferred there. Leaving a set life in Bombay should have been 'frightening'. I had a six months old baby but the 'challenge' proved irresistible. It took us five years to turn the place around with hard work and determination. But it was worth it when we heard Mr. Kerkar say...you both have done a super job where would you like to move to next.
I guess I have always risen to a challenge and that was what gave me a 'high'. Like setting up the Training department, despite skepticism (idea was new) or a rejection from a publisher. If they can do why can’t I (self publishing). It was the 'achievement' that were my 'high points'

What challenges have you faced as a woman in the industry?
Working in Food & Beverage in the 80's did not really gain acceptance in the male dominated scenario. It was easier at The Taj overall, but in restaurants during operations there were paradigm shifts in mindsets that had to be managed. For example a girl was normally expected to handle the entrance, seating guests etc. We really had to make our colleagues aware that we could manage other areas too. Or the fact that duty charts were normally expected to be done by the Asst Manager of the restaurant at that time, mostly male (1979). They could not believe that we were capable of handling it or disciplining the wash up area staff. 'You should have brought it to our notice' I would be told. We were in a 'hands down' area of operation not administrative; we had to show our worth. I was told by the Asst Manager that he was asked to look after me when I did a fortnight of night duty at the Shamiana, the coffee shop; as I wanted to learn about the operations. It was nice and caring, but a way of life then!
Years later when I started my Management Consultancy and moved into the Manufacturing hub, I was constantly reminded that this was a job for men; “you don’t know the type of workmen we have” I would be told. But as I said 'challenges' always stimulated me, even this was taken heads on.

What do you think of IWH? 
I think that it is a great platform to share, stimulate and get people to understand their own latent dreams and work towards achieving them.

Your advice to the young professionals and students:
It's in you to make things happen. Accept all challenges; you will feel the exhilaration of achievement. And in this competitive world, do not wait for things to come your way, use your skills....the first few steps might be tough but in the end you win.

Read The Full Story Here: http://www.theiwh.com/ms-odette-mascarenhas/

Website: http://www.theiwh.com/

The Uncommon People!

They say to grow one needs support and bandwidth, Benaifer has been that in the journey of the IWH, Indian Women in hospitality. She brings in a lot of positivity, enthusiasm and energy on the board. The lady who has worked her way and contributed immensely to the growth of the organizations that she has been a part of.  She heads sales and marketing in her current role, travelling is a passion for her. I can say that a lot of her wisdom comes from that passion. IWH in conversation with Ms. Benaifer Kapadia.

IWH:  Tell us something about you, your growing up years, life through school, college etc
They say “learning is not a spectator sport”. I am a learner till date. I believe “Experience” is the most brutal of all teachers. But you learn & that’s how you grow as a better individual. I have always been an above average student (academically). Coming from an all girls convent alma mater, where rolling your socks down was considered offensive, to the much forward thinking college phase, where bunking was my mandatory right (I did not exercise that much though!) to the hustle and bustle of corporate life... it has been a semi circle! Each phase is and was a learning curve. And it is here where I quote my favourite learning which is “To Be Old and Wise, You must be Young & Stupid!”... I trust I am over being stupid (it’s a habit hard to break for most individuals) and continue being Young!! Old and Wise is yet to come!


IWH:  What made you select Hospitality as a career? Was it easy making that decision?
My inclination to be a part of the hospitality industry started from college. By education I am a Bachelor of Commerce with Honors in Travel & Tourism Management. To be honest, I wanted to avoid a subject that is dear to most of us - “taxation”! Enrolling for travel and tourism was not all hunky dory! Like any other subject I had to prove my eligibility for it. I was always intrigued to educate myself on & about Indian tourism, world socio-economics in hospitality, diverse cultures, languages, maps, people engagement and food and beverage. It is inspiring to note that inspite of the vast disparity in economy, tourism sector contributes 4.6% to the GDP growth of India and successfully continues to grow in near future.

Read the Full Interview: http://www.theiwh.com/the-uncommon-people-ms-benaifer-kapadia/

Website: http://www.theiwh.com/

Hospitality Careers - some insights!

I visited one of the top schools in Navi Mumbai for a career guidance session for their 12th standard students. After talking to them it came as a shock to me to see people know so little about the industry. There’s hardly any awareness. I shared with their coordinator the link to our website, the teachers were surprised to see the potential the industry has. They thought that it wasn’t meant for the Science stream, as they were ‘good students’ focused on making a career in the conventional streams like medicine or engineering. I shared my own story and that of the ladies featured on our website. The coordinator asked me if I could address the Science students too, it was a last minute arrangement as the teachers felt that they would benefit too. I went to their class and did a brief intro of the hospitality and tourism industry and the careers that they offered. The commerce students were present for the career guidance session that was planned for them. The coordinator then asked if she could get the students for an industrial visit to our institute. Which we did plan and had it executed. The feedback was very encouraging; we got some interesting questions from the students. I guess I did one good turn for that day, a small step but a beginning for something substantial. The idea with which the website was created I did seen the impact of that. I need everyone connected with the industry to join hands in this mission.

I also saw the IWH website and blogs/stories being appreciated and shared by bloggers. Some messaged me saying that they didn’t know much about the industry and women in particular, IWH did a good job by not only creating awareness but also sharing success stories.

Heartening isn’t it? How many of you have shared the website or stories from here?

Let’s all reach out and create awareness, also help people make great careers in the industry.

We are turning three months!

We’ll turn 3 months on 7^th May 2018. What should we do to celebrate this mark is a question on my mind? I was thinking that we should reach out to more ladies from Hospitality, Tourism and wellness sectors. Requested the 1670 + incredible ladies to introduce the group to their colleagues and friends and they could be a part of IWH as well (the closed support group on facebook). We should get more engaging stories and more activity on the group. We must have fun while we scale newer heights and expect everyone to take charge. The website is there for all to see, the reach is already there. Our idea is to create awareness and mentor people who are interested in creating success stories of their own as we have ladies onboard who have been there and done that!

We did receive some really good testimonials; they validate the fact that we are on the right track and they become our oxygen fuelling more efforts and more power!

The rule of 3, or power of 3, suggests that things that come in threes are funnier, more satisfying, more effective, and/or more memorable, than other numbers of things.

1. Establishment of an idea
2. Reinforcement of the idea
3. Something that is incredible, unexpected, or powerful.

How the brain sees threes

Our brain finds it relatively easy to grasp 3s – elements, colours, sizes and fonts. Push that marginally up to four or more, the brain gets confused about where to look and what to do. Why does this happen? To understand that lets go back the basics. As a child, everything you did and learned seemed to be centered around three such as A,B,C; 1,2,3; Three blind mice, Three musketeers, Three Stooges , Huey, Louie and Dewey. Mother duck said, “Quack! Quack! Quack!” or the famed, “Eya Eya O!”

Always remember that you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. That’s the power of three too!

Courtesy: http://www.theiwh.com/
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The lady who gave the theory of cookery!- Krishna Arora

Recently, I received the same message many times from the whatsapp groups of my hospitality and Hotel administration contacts. The message was about Mrs. Krishna Arora, about her life, her teachings and her cookery bible. It showed the respect the lady earned through her inspirational life and body of work. People who were fortunate to have their lives touched by this inspirational lady learned many valuable lessons from her. She always believed that one is never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream, and she emulated that. She had celebrated her 90th birthday earlier this year in true ‘Krishna Aunty’ style- singing, dancing while meeting her family and friends. She was extremely lively and a star at every gathering.

She was a great teacher, a community stalwart, a culinary expert and food enthusiast; Mrs. Arora was popular with her students, colleagues and associates alike. Her contributions to Monash’s Indian community were recognised with the Order of Australia Medal. She had expressed that one of her greatest achievements was being written onto the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Shilling Wall for her contribution to Indian women’s welfare. She authored several cookbooks and maintained a regular food column in Indian Voice, a local community publication in Australia, where she lived post her retirement.

They say legends live forever in hearts; Mrs. Arora was such alegend. Many hotel management students cleared their basics of cooking from her book. Probably an Indian Larousse for every student of hotel management and culinary arts. Her achievements were far and beyond exemplary. Her time and effort spent servicing the wider community was a true reflection of her hard work and her fighting spirit. Even in her final few days she was in her finest form. Her light will burn on, in those she has touched and we are honoured to have been around during her life timeand we salute her for her lifelong dedication to her craft.

A rigorous curriculum in ‘The Art of Cookery’ at IHMC&N, Pusa, formulated and inspired by Mrs. Arora has not only successfully equipped her students with the life skills, but has also enabled them to become successful professional chefs and managers, and besides that many have done extremely well, and they have joined the list of exceptional alumni and ‘Celebrity’ status that  IHMCTAN  Pusa has produced, under her able training, mentoring  and guidance. No wonder, IHM Pusa, has been adjudged among the best Hotel Management Institutes in the country time and again. Her contributions, however, are not only confined to India, alone, but she has also been greatly instrumental in sharing her knowledge and experiences with the people of Australia.

The Early Life

She was born in Bangalore, she studied hotel management and went on become the HOD and subsequently the principal of the Institute of Hotel Management in Pusa, Delhi, India. She migrated to Australia in 1992, after retirement. Relocating to Australia after spending her life in India got her new challenges and perspectives. She had heard that Australians liked to keep to themselves and passed their time by doing community work, which she thought was a great idea. To keep herself busy she started taking up volunteer work for MECWA where she worked for seven years.  After living in Australia and getting to know the people, she developed a greater understanding of their ways of life. The Multicultural Policy she felt was one of the best things the Government introduced.

Auntyji, as she was fondly called by all in Melbourne, she started afresh by making new friends, volunteering for many projects and cooking for Meals on Wheels. She taught Asian cooking for two years at the Maribyrnong Community Centre and gave cooking demonstrations at the Immigration Museum, Girl Guides and schools. She volunteered with more than 10 community organizations, since moving to Australia. Mrs. Arora was the co-founder of the Indian Senior Citizens Association (ISCA) and also served on the Executive Committee of Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria (FIAV) as a representative of the Sangam community organisation. She also volunteered at the Malvern Opportunity Shop and been heavily involved in the Flavours of Monash festival.

Her book -Theory of Cookery

The book is aimed at students who are studying culinary science. It can also help anyone interested in food preparation and in understanding the various processes used to produce the tasty dishes that diners enjoy.

It is designed according to the syllabus defined by the National Council for Hotel Management and other catering technology institutes in India. It traces the history of cookery and explores various cuisines of the World and Indian Cuisine. It goes into kitchen and production management for students and professionals of culinary science and hotel management.

Awards and Recognition

She was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2013 and became the first Indian woman to be honoured with the Shilling Wall Tribute award by the multicultural commission of Victoria for her outstanding contribution to the community.

She taught Asian cooking to Australians for two years at one of the Community Centre in Western suburb of Victoria.

Read More at  http://www.theiwh.com/mrs-krishna-arora/

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Picture courtesy: Google

The lady who brought boutique hotels to India - Ms. 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 AatithyaRatna 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.

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International Chefs Day - 2017

International Chefs Day falls every year on October 20. This international observance is considered to be a professional day of all chefs around the world. The holiday was established under initiative of World Association of Chef's Societies in 2004.

Celebration of International Chefs Day usually includes culinary contests that are organized in many big cities. The chefs of leading restaurants come to the contest and show their skills through live cooking sessions.

The chefs associations may organize special activities and events that involve children and young people. Chefs visit orphanages or kindergartens, where they teach children cooking and also explain the importance of healthy food. Young people get to learn more about the profession and valuable lessons at the workshops, organized by prominent chefs.

Every chefs association tries to organize eventful programs, that elevate the image of this profession, popularize professional culinary art among people. Also raise public awareness of the importance of healthy and balanced food, as well as issues pertaining to it’s wastage.

We at the Apeejay Institute Hospitality organized a Walkathon for Chefs this year. Joining them were the other colleagues, and students or chefs in the making. They had a great time amidst the beauty of nature. It was aimed at promoting health and wellness among the fraternity. On reaching back, they had a sumptuous breakfast at the institute and then attended a workshop on Food safety and nutrition.

I had the privilege to be the master of ceremonies, the workshop started with an address by the principal Mr. Bhuvan G M. He emphasized on the expanding role of professional chefs and how it was important to be updated and be relevant in the fast changing times.

Chef Kapil Kumar and Chef Amrita Prabhudesai took the participants through the evolving culinary trends. They also spoke about the evolution of the profession from its humble beginnings; to now it being a very skilled and respected trade.

The guest speaker at the event was Ms. Vanitha Sridhar, a Hygienist by profession.  She holds a Masters in Food Technology and in Quality Management from BITS Pilani and is a certified ISO 22000 and CIEH Level 3. She conducts training programs for students and hospitality industry professionals in Hygiene and Quality Assurance.

The session was very informative and well received by all present. The information provided was useful not only for the young chefs but everyone in the audience as it was connected with every consumer’s life.

The programme concluded with a video prepared by the third year students Jay Tamakuwala and Vikrant Gawade. The celebrations and discussions continued through lunch as it was the Chef’s Day, good food had to be a part of it!

A recipe has no soul, you as the cook must bring soul to the recipe.

May the chefs keep bringing soul to the recipes and keep the gourmet enticing for the rest of us to keep enjoying delectable food. To chefs cooking is not a passion, it is their life. I know many of them; friends, colleagues and my own Chef Professors and trainers. I also know the kind of passion that they exude. It’s not just picking up a knife and entering the kitchen. A great chef carries his heart and soul up his sleeve and into the kitchen, generally called his den. Are they any lesser than the wild cats? If you have been inside a hotel kitchen, you’ll know where I come from. The working brigade is as enticing as the food itself! 

Romancing the chicks!

We meet interesting people, say butter chicken types and some are the typical tangy, minty, spicy chutney kinds and Chef Mandaar Sukhtankar is one such person. Have known him for almost a decade now, infact the familiarity was more with his food. He specializes in Italian cuisine and  he can pass off like one of the interesting Italian men, if you know what I mean! 

He heads the kitchen brigade at The Park Hyderabad, A very interesting hotel that is truly a grand boutique hotel carrying the glimpses and the legacy of the Nizams. I love every visit to the hotel and look forward to the next one. Its a designers delight and scintillates every possible sense that you might have. Mesmerizing is the right word for it. Most of the trips to the hotel are on work, that means there's a very packed schedule in place but Chef Mandaar would always make it atleast one dinner with us. My personal favourite being Aish, the restaurant serving Andhra and Hyderabadi cuisines. Haven't had Haleem and Andhra food better than Aish.

I was there recently for a training schedule at the hotel, as usual had a very packed one and Chef Mandaar was busy too with many high profile events that he had to personally oversee the culinary part. But it was on my agenda to meet Chef as his first book is out called Romancing the Chicks! Infact what attracted me to the book was the title. I had to meet him and get to know a bit more about him as a person and also the story behind the book. I love stories and I know for the fact that people love them too. Infact the participants in my training programs always compliment on my real life anecdotes and stories as examples. Hence proved....this sounds so Maths isn't it? Doesn't matter if you liked maths or not but stories certainly go a long way.

Chef Mandaar Sukhtankar - Who?

An alumnus of the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi, Chef Mandaar started his career as a management trainee with The Park hotels in 1993 at New Delhi.

He was one of the only 12 winners worldwide, of the ‘Foundation for the Future’ scholarship awarded by the International Hotel and Restaurant Association for the year 2000-01.

In 2006, he was rated as one of the Top Young Chefs of India in an independent story published by the Taste and Travel magazine and in 2013 he found place among the Celebrated Chefs of India - a definitive book by Marryam Reshi brought out by the Times of India group.

He credits his early learning of European cuisine to the Spanish restaurant, Las Meninas at The Park New Delhi, but he is more famously known for Italia, the suave and iconic Italian restaurant that he opened and ran for 10 years at The Park in Bangalore.

His work with Antonio Carluccio, one of the biggest names in Italian cuisine, has made him one of the foremost foreign exponents of Cucina Italiana, to the extent that it made Carluccio call him “my extension in the east”

More recently he was awarded the ‘Chef of the year 2016’ by the Times Food awards at Hyderabad, for his revivalist work with Hyderabadi cuisine at the  award winning restaurant Aish at The Park Hyderabad.

He loves to travel and explore cultures and cuisine and is an avid writer with a keen sense for capturing details in his unique literary style. He also loves photography and playing the guitar.

Chef Mandaar Sukhtankar is the Area Director, Food Production of The Park, Hyderabad, a contemporary Indian boutique hotel and during his six year stint there he has worked a lot on traditional recipes and explored the cuisine of the Nizams in great depth.

He lives in Hyderabad with his wife, Meenakshi – a trained classical musician and son Aadi- a budding young cricketer.

Hope you found his story interesting.

The conversation I had with him was even more.... interesting! This time we couldn't manage to have a meal together so no food suggestions from him but I had to meet him and get an autographed copy of his book. I am a die hard romantic, how could I miss on getting a bit of romance myself? I met Chef around 8.30 pm after my dinner at Verandah. He was in an event but the kind of person that I am, with the never give up attitude managed to get 20 minutes of his time. That's when I heard his story and what brought him into the kitchens of the Park Hotels. 

Hotel management by chance 

He comes from the army background, during his 12th he had gone to pick up a form for NDA entrance exam. The lady at the counter didn't have the change so she offered him the National Council's hotel management joint entrance exam form for the IHMs. On the day of the entrance exam for hotel management, his friend came on his moped to pick him from his home. Mandaar was sleeping, it being a Sunday. He didn't want to go for the exam but the mother force woke him up and asked him to get going as there was money paid for the same. A DD of Rs. 100, that was  a big amount in 1990, mind you and Indian mothers want value in everything. So Mandaar went for the exam by accident of sorts as the sight of other candidates carrying thick books, guide for the entrance exam scared him. The result was out and he secured a seat at IHM Pusa, one of the top colleges in the country.

He was interested in Food and Beverage service initially and wanted to go to Cidade de Goa for his internship in the second year of college. His reason was to chill out in Goa. But again there are some good friends and advisors, especially for the parents. Following the good advice, they asked him to train in a city hotel where the exposure would be good. He finally interned from The Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi. That's where he developed interest for the culinary. Rest is history! He has so many awards in his kitty, done newspaper columns, articles for journals, TV shows and what not!

The book - Romancing the chicks!

He started off as a column writer in the Deccan Chronicle, the editor liked his content and the writing style so much that he offered Chef a full page weekly feature on culinary. Which he undertook for a good time. Then a lady from Westland books asked him to try putting his interesting stories about food in a book. He gave it try and approached the publisher, the result of that is a book that is not just a cookbook but the one that celebrates food. 

I simply loved this book, the stories that are woven make things so very, ' in front of your eyes'. I loved every chapter. The recipes are a must try with so much gyan and interesting tidbits in between. Appetizing sense of humour and cool incidents as well as names served for dessert.  I strongly recommend this book to all the chefs, chefs in the making and the chefs at heart. A great book for gifting as well.  Its available on amazon if you wish to feel a bit of the romance, show some love! Would say its a very different book on culinary, a collectible for sure. At The Park Hotels we call it Anything But Ordinary!