‘I cook to keep my passion and spirit alive’

Life was not easy for the young hotel management trainee Hemant Oberoi when he started working with the Taj Bombay (now the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower) back in 1974. The days were full of challenges. “I joined the group for a training period of two years but back then it was not as oganised a training programme as it is nowadays. You had to work your way up with hard work and dedication. It was tough because the masters of the kitchen were not willing to teach much. You had to convince them with actions about your interest in learning the craft. Only the ones with loads of perseverance and patience could reap benefits,” reminisces Oberoi, now a celebrated chef. 

Aiming to learn the maximum in the given time, Oberoi evolved a strategy. He divided his day into three parts: The mornings were reserved for the soup section and butchery; the evenings, he worked at garde manger while late nights were dedicated to experienced cooks. “There was so much to learn. I wanted to utilise every waking minute,” he smiles.

But becoming a chef was not something he envisioned as a teenager. “I wanted to become a doctor but wasn’t eligible to appear for the pre-medical exams as I didn’t have enough marks,” he recalls, adding that he was so interested in becoming a doctor that he used to catch frogs on his own to dissect. His next love was joining the Defence Forces, but here too fortune didn’t favour him for he fell sick during the final round of examinations. Exasperated, he even considered taking up cricket as a career. But, as they say, God had some other plans for him. 

“As nothing seemed to be working out, I went into depression. My sister then asked me to apply for hotel management course at Delhi’s Pusa Institute. I followed her advice,” he says. “But, this also didn’t come easy as there was a lot of opposition from the family. His father, Prakash Chander Oberoi, a Station Superintendent with the Indian Railways, wanted a gazette job for his son. “Plus, my dadiji was totally against it – she asked me why on the earth did I want to become a khaansama (cook)?” he adds. While becoming a chef was not what Chef Oberoi had in mind when he applied for the course, this is what he blurted out in response to a question during the final interview. 

“That’s what we call destiny. All of it happened so rapidly that I didn’t realise but, today, when I look back, I relish every moment I spent at the hotel, including the time spent in washing dishes with the workers,” says Chef Oberoi whose family had moved to Ferozepur (Punjab) after Partition where he was born on February 6, 1954. “My earliest memories of my childhood days is the Punjabi khaana prepared by my dadi,” recalls Oberoi who is recognised around the world for his pioneering approach towards Indian cuisine.

In 1977, Chef Oberoi joined the Royal Guest Palace (managed by the Taj Group of Hotels) in Muscat, Oman and stayed there till 1986. “The Palace housed only the heads of states and state level dignitaries. It was during this period that I served Gerald Ford, Henry Kissinger, Shah of Iran, and Hosny Mubarak among others,” says the legendary chef who has also served the Clintons, Obamas, Brangelina, Ambanis, Bachchans, Tom Cruise and a host of other celebrities and dignitaries from around the world. 

“These nine years gave me a lot of confidence to handle VIPs and heads of states, but I never felt the pressure. I remember some of the senior management members were far more stressed than us in the kitchen whenever the VIPs arrived. I would only go through their dietary restrictions and details to finalise the menus and each one would be different. Quite a few times, the spread was Indian, innovative and classical, as our country has so much to offer,” he informs.

One of the top chefs in the country with over four decades of experience, Chef Oberoi, was witness to one of the worst terrorist attacks our country faced – the 26/11 attack at The Taj in 2008. He was instrumental in saving the lives of several guests – a movie, Hotel Mumbai, has also been made on how he did it wherein Anupam Kher played Chef Oberoi. Recalling that dreaded night, Chef Oberoi says, “26/11 was a nightmare. I hope and pray it never happens to any hotel or place in the world. The spirit shown by the Taj staff was unmatched that day. I was proud to be there to help the guests walk out safely. That was the main motto: guest is god and we have to look after not just their needs, but safety and security as well. My young and old colleagues did not care about their own lives while saving others. This spirit cannot be taught in a college; this is what you learn in an organisation which runs on ethics and principles.” 

Though it has been close to seven years that Chef Oberoi hung his apron as the grand executive chef of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower and Corporate Chef for the Taj Luxury Hotels to turn a consultant, he says kitchen was, is and will forever be his temple. “I cook to keep my passion and spirit alive,” says Oberoi who is the first Indian chef nominated to the World Gourmet Club.  “The basic thing is to learn the right techniques and build a strong foundation, but one needs to cook from the heart for your food to be loved and appreciated. I firmly believe that you should never forget your roots else the roots will forget you one day,” opines Oberoi who has been behind some iconic restaurants like Zodiac Grill, Wasabi, Varq, Souk, Blue Ginger and Masala Kraft.

Talking about the biggest challenge the industry faces today – of addressing a more demanding and knowledgeable consumer who has now learned to cook, Chef Oberoi says, “Today’s customer is more knowledgeable as he has travelled the world and eaten at good restaurants across the globe but so has the chef who has access to most recipes through internet. “Unfortunately, the internet can only guide, not cook. Cooking can be done only by the chefs and that’s where skills come into picture. Everything that can be rolled cannot be sushi. And, of course, curry in a hurry is my biggest worry.” At present, Chef Oberoi runs his own company, OB Hospitalities which operates exclusive restaurants in Mumbai, Delhi, California, San Diego and Abu Dhabi which are named after the master chef himself. In December last year, he launched a 48-seater restaurant, Amuz, at Ivy Anjuna in Goa where he aims to create a timeless fusion of old and new, blending familiar comforts with boisterous, playful modern flair. Prior to it, Martabaan was launched in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

The pandemic, feels the veteran chef, has changed our lives completely. “There hardly are any celebration menus as festivities have come to a halt. Food delivery platforms initially made a killing as people were not willing to cook at home but after a while everyone started experimenting since they had enough time at hand. Our industry has been suffering for almost two years now and I hope all gets well soon,” he says, adding that food is like fashion and history. “It keeps on evolving and comes back in cycles. Whatever tickles the palate of people is the trend. The best of the good-looking food sometimes can be disasters while simplest can be the winner,” he signs off.