By Sharlene Lobo for Enlighten India Blog - June 26, 2017
Truth be told. Sharlene Lobo explores the story of a journey that has placed Chef Ranjeet Patil in India's leading luxury hotel brand - Club Mahindra at Varca, Goa, also well-known on the global front. Toiling away in professional kitchens, long hours, monotony and the pressing tension of setting it right in terms of taste, consistency and extravagance, Chef Ranjeet Patil has mastered the art of cooking by sheer dedication, patience and persistence.
Chef Ranjeet Patil, who was raised in a middle class home in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, stepped into catering and hospitality as part time work after completing his 10th standard in the early 2000's. With fair knowledge of food grains (owing to his father who was a farmer) and no experience whatsoever, he continued serving his guests for a few Rupees until he realized he was drawn to smells and sights of people cooking. In 2005, he discovered this passion when he assisted a few experienced chefs in the top class kitchens of Pune. After securing a diploma in Hotel Management, Patil made his way to the golden streets of Saket in Delhi, in 2008, where he understood food as a business and learned the subtle nuances. "It wasn't only about cooking but also about owning your tasks and seeking its fruition, re-innovating and taking a second look on first impressions," says Patil who once cooked a 100 kg Biryani in one go. "My mom is my inspiration and my first dish was Bharli Vaangi," says Patil proudly. When asked about failures and mishaps in the kitchen, he says, "In the hotel industry you are taught how to be cost effective. The amount of food wasted, projects the efficiency of a chef, or inefficiency rather. I believe no food or ingredient can ever go waste; even the thin vegetable stems can be boiled for the delicious and healthy vegetable stalk. You must always find a way to use what is left of something. It's the jugaad that you learn with time and experience."
Chef Ranjeet Patil, who's surprisingly young in age but mature in experience, has dodged many jobs and places before bagging the post of head chef in Club Mahindra, Varca. On his nomadic duty he says, "Change is constant. Kahin pahunchne ke liye aapko pehele kahin se nikalna hoga. (You need to leave one place to get to another). After all, it's not the quantity that matters but quality. Your USP is a must, something that only you can do and others can't. That's when your demand will be persistent."
On the personal front, the fun loving and cheerful chef, who works six days a week from morning to night, expresses his desire to go to Kolhapur more often as he misses his wife but his edgy schedule demands more of his professional time that leaves him with only 3-4 days of leisure time every six months to spend with family. When asked about cooking at home or being critical about his wife's food he laughs and says, "I eat whatever my wife makes for me. Although I'm never critical, she's always nervous when I'm eating her food. I've taught her some wonderful cuisines especially sea food. I remember before marriage, families in my village would be reluctant to see me as their daughter's husband as they thought I was some not-so-well-to-do baawarchi. Luckily, this wasn't the case with my wife when she saw the ground reality. I think, media has changed the way we see chefs in India, today. With cooking reality shows and food channels, chefs are treated with respect. But we still have a long way to go." Ask him about his future goals and he says, "I wish to make a name internationally. If gotten an opportunity, I'd like to visit Europe and learn their local taste and cuisine." The ever aspiring chef, who still wants to learn more and bring a recognition to his nation, is glad that he joined the hotel industry and not the Indian army, as he initially wanted to. "Although I didn't join the army, today I'm getting to serve ex-army men and retired officers who come to dine at the restaurant. This fills me with enough nationalistic fervour," says Chef Ranjeet Patil cheerfully.
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DO IT WITH PASSION, OR NOT AT ALL
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| Chef Ranjeet Patil |
Truth be told. Sharlene Lobo explores the story of a journey that has placed Chef Ranjeet Patil in India's leading luxury hotel brand - Club Mahindra at Varca, Goa, also well-known on the global front. Toiling away in professional kitchens, long hours, monotony and the pressing tension of setting it right in terms of taste, consistency and extravagance, Chef Ranjeet Patil has mastered the art of cooking by sheer dedication, patience and persistence.
Chef Ranjeet Patil, who was raised in a middle class home in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, stepped into catering and hospitality as part time work after completing his 10th standard in the early 2000's. With fair knowledge of food grains (owing to his father who was a farmer) and no experience whatsoever, he continued serving his guests for a few Rupees until he realized he was drawn to smells and sights of people cooking. In 2005, he discovered this passion when he assisted a few experienced chefs in the top class kitchens of Pune. After securing a diploma in Hotel Management, Patil made his way to the golden streets of Saket in Delhi, in 2008, where he understood food as a business and learned the subtle nuances. "It wasn't only about cooking but also about owning your tasks and seeking its fruition, re-innovating and taking a second look on first impressions," says Patil who once cooked a 100 kg Biryani in one go. "My mom is my inspiration and my first dish was Bharli Vaangi," says Patil proudly. When asked about failures and mishaps in the kitchen, he says, "In the hotel industry you are taught how to be cost effective. The amount of food wasted, projects the efficiency of a chef, or inefficiency rather. I believe no food or ingredient can ever go waste; even the thin vegetable stems can be boiled for the delicious and healthy vegetable stalk. You must always find a way to use what is left of something. It's the jugaad that you learn with time and experience."
Chef Ranjeet Patil, who's surprisingly young in age but mature in experience, has dodged many jobs and places before bagging the post of head chef in Club Mahindra, Varca. On his nomadic duty he says, "Change is constant. Kahin pahunchne ke liye aapko pehele kahin se nikalna hoga. (You need to leave one place to get to another). After all, it's not the quantity that matters but quality. Your USP is a must, something that only you can do and others can't. That's when your demand will be persistent."
On the personal front, the fun loving and cheerful chef, who works six days a week from morning to night, expresses his desire to go to Kolhapur more often as he misses his wife but his edgy schedule demands more of his professional time that leaves him with only 3-4 days of leisure time every six months to spend with family. When asked about cooking at home or being critical about his wife's food he laughs and says, "I eat whatever my wife makes for me. Although I'm never critical, she's always nervous when I'm eating her food. I've taught her some wonderful cuisines especially sea food. I remember before marriage, families in my village would be reluctant to see me as their daughter's husband as they thought I was some not-so-well-to-do baawarchi. Luckily, this wasn't the case with my wife when she saw the ground reality. I think, media has changed the way we see chefs in India, today. With cooking reality shows and food channels, chefs are treated with respect. But we still have a long way to go." Ask him about his future goals and he says, "I wish to make a name internationally. If gotten an opportunity, I'd like to visit Europe and learn their local taste and cuisine." The ever aspiring chef, who still wants to learn more and bring a recognition to his nation, is glad that he joined the hotel industry and not the Indian army, as he initially wanted to. "Although I didn't join the army, today I'm getting to serve ex-army men and retired officers who come to dine at the restaurant. This fills me with enough nationalistic fervour," says Chef Ranjeet Patil cheerfully.
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