Winning Hearts

By Mrinalini Singh · Nov 2019 · 3 min read

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You have mastered the art of Chinese cooking. What inspired you to be passionate about food and become a chef?

I derive my passion from the ones who dine on the food that I cook, thereby, giving me an immense degree of recognition and pleasure each time they relish my food. Before being a chef, I am a person who loves to cook. Food is my motivation to wake up everyday and create culinary heaven for the diners at TCK by The China Kitchen.

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What has been your greatest achievement as a chef, and what do you infer to be your greatest failure?

I take immense pride working as a chef at TCK by The China Kitchen, a homegrown brand of Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. However, being in the hospitality industry you always have to be on your toes and sometimes it gets difficult to strike a balance in between your work and personal life.

If you had to help someone discover Chinese cuisine who has never tried it before, which two dishes would you prepare for them?

To begin with, I would cook a lavish plate of Hot Pot because this is the type of dish that would indefinitely satiate everyone’s needs, followed by Kung Pao Chicken, spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish which is yet another pith of flavours. These are the two dishes, which are my personal favourite and helped me unravel the world of Chinese food.

If you had not become a chef, what other roles you would have taken in on the hospitality industry?

Had I not been a chef, as luck would have it, I would have probably opted to become a Hygiene Manager.

What advice would you give to someone who is contemplating joining the industry as a chef?

Would you enjoy mentoring the novices in the culinary world?

Here is my short piece of advice for the newcomers - Do not be afraid of the times when you fail, struggle and entirely exhaust yourself because these are going to be the moments that will eventually build you and give you the motivation to achieve bigger thing in life.

To add to it, I would absolutely enjoy mentoring the novices in the culinary world, impart my decades of knowledge and experience to people who are passionate about cooking and learning new techniques.

Chinese cooking varies drastically from place to place, do you believe one restaurant can provide an all-encompassing food experience to everyone?

Despite the fact that Chinese cooking varies immensely, the chef can still make the best out of the regional authentic taste, and the dishes can easily cater to the requirements of the guests. At TCK by The China Kitchen, we ensure that we cater food to every taste palate with an authentic touch.

You have about 20 years of culinary experience, what is the most challenging thing you had to do in your career?

To begin with, it has been 20 years of my career and all my life until now, the most challenging element in this field of profession was to transcend myself and break the tradition – all while cooking real Chinese authentic flavours food for people visiting from other nations. TCK by The China Kitchen runs on a Beijing street-style food concept, which gives me a plethora of opportunities to experiment with look and feel of a dish.