We are going to launch the modern Australian menu in one of our
outlets to see how that works. Everybody in India likes the (cooking
show) Australian Masterchef,
they look at what's happening and how they do the food. So we are
trying to introduce that cuisine in Grand Hyatt Goa," said Long, the
executive chef who moved to India three months ago. He has cooked for
former US Vice President Al Gore, golf legend Tiger Woods and Formula
One champion Michael Schumacher during an earlier stint with a boutique
hotel chain based in Australia.
With premium hotels coming up
everywhere - consultancy HVS says the number of five-star and five-star
deluxe hotels in India has gone up by almost 40% since 2011 -
hospitality groups like Hyatt, ITC, The Leela and Starwood say the
Indian consumer can identify even one missing ingredient in global
cuisines. To satisfy them, specialised expatriate chefs are being flown
in. So, masters of Teppanyaki, Dim sum, Sushi, Yakitori, Lebanese,
Australian slow cooking, Western-American style and the Peking duck are
being wooed to set up kitchen in India. The hunt for the chef is
as rigorous as that of a CEO.
International recruiting agents who focus
on chefs say they have to comb through standalone restaurants and
popular joints of Bologna, Tuscany and Piedmont in Italy as well as in Australia, New York, Japan and the Middle East for at least six months to zero in on the right chef. And then the wooing starts.
The offer usually includes salaries of $70,000-$110,000 (taxes borne by
the employer), annual holidays to home country with family and
schooling of children. Accommodation and all bills are taken care of
too, and assurance is given that their recipe secrets will not be
declared.
Fresh ingredients will be sourced from across the globe. They
are even flown in for tasting sessions. Hotel managers say these
chefs are more like 'performers' and need to talk to guests while they
are cooking and not relegated only to the kitchen. And, only if all
conditions are fulfilled does the chef give his nod. "I had to
undertake a business trip detour from London to Bologna to source an
Italian chef skilled in making stuffed pasta by hand on a special
mandate," said Neha Garg, director of Red Kite Consulting
that specialises in hospitality recruitment.
The Delhi-based firm has
seen a 20-30% increase in hiring of specialised expat chefs in the past
year and a salary jump of $6,000 per annum. Every hotel chain or
restaurant opening a branch in India is hiring an expat chef to offer a
unique cuisine or maintain the same standards as those of the parent
group. Also in high demand are expats who are wine sommeliers, beverage
brand ambassadors, tea sommeliers and pastry chefs.To know more visit our site http://www.allindiayellowpage.com.