Malvan, a village in the South of India is where I spent most of my summer holidays, climbing coconut trees, finding produce in our backyard and cooking dinner by the fire pit. This was where some of my fondest memories about cooking and eating food were created. It was real. It was humble. It was my first introduction into the world of culinary arts.
Ever since I was a little boy, I knew I wanted to cook because it simply felt good. I enjoyed the explosions of flavours from spices and being lost in the state of flow, while cooking. I grew up between two parallels, slow and simple Malvan and Mumbai, a chaotic and exciting city filled with street food, its own flavour and colour to life!
After finishing culinary school in 2010, I interned for a resort in New Hampshire, U.S. The internship experience was maturing and to add on to my knowledge, I decided to study further and spent a year in cold Niagara Falls, Ontario studying Hospitality & Tourism. With the motivation and hunger to be better in both my personal and professional life, I decided to move to beautiful Vancouver in 2013. Fortunately, life rewarded me with the chance to work at some of the best restaurants in city such as; Fish house, Blue Water Café, West Oak and Bauhaus.
Finally, the biggest and most exciting life changing part of my life was when I got the opportunity to spend six months interning at Gaggan, an award winning two Michelin star restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. Dropping everything I had in Vancouver and temporarily moving Bangkok was one of the easiest decisions of my life and it was profoundly gratifying. The experience was not just educational but also being surrounded by creative, inspiring and hardworking individuals motivated me even more. Filled with gratitude, excitement and fire to create more exquisite, progressive Indian cuisine.
I have the freedom to create food I am passionate about. My dishes communicate my past and pay homage to all the experiences I have had in my dynamic and ever-growing culinary journey.
