Zone of Hospitality By Vinjamuri Sriram Dutt,Assistant Professor Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration

Zone of Hospitality

Hospitality 101 comes with a multitude of acronyms and customer service rules that can be applied in any business where service is a key element of the experience

One of the first rules taught by hospitality companies big and small is the 10 and 5 Staff Rule, also known as the ‘Zone of Hospitality’.

Understanding the 10 and 5 Staff Rule

Simply explained, the 10 and 5 Rule suggests that anytime a guest is within ten feet of a staff member, the staff member should make eye contact and warmly smile to acknowledge the oncoming guests. When a staff member is approximately five feet from a guest, a sincere greeting or friendly gesture of acknowledgment should accompany the eye contact and smile. Successful companies in and out of the hospitality industry have adopted their own versions of the 10 and 5 Staff Rule.

At Wal-Mart, founder Sam Walton coined the ‘Ten-Foot Attitude” and said, “…I want you to promise that whenever you come within 10 feet of a customer, you will look him in the eye, greet him and ask him if you can help him.”

At Walt Disney World, the rule is taken a few steps further by outlining what should happen any time a Disney “cast member” is near a guest with Disney’s Seven Service Guidelines:

• Make eye contact and smile

• Greet and welcome each and every guest

• Seek out guest contact

• Provide immediate service recovery

• Display appropriate body language at all times

• Preserve the “magical” guest experience

• Thank each and every guest

The essence of the ’10 and 5 Staff Rule’ is applicable throughout any service industry, as it demonstrates to guests that the staff member is aware of his or her surroundings and understands that the essential part of their job is to be helpful and welcoming.

Do you employ the 10 and 5 Staff Rule in your company? If not, is there another rule like it that you apply to your overall customer service strategy?

BEING SELECTIVE ON ELECTIVES IN TODAY’S HOSPITALITY JOB OFFERINGS! By Dr. Kaviraj Khialani.

BEING SELECTIVE ON ELECTIVES IN TODAY’S HOSPITALITY JOB OFFERINGS!

Competence and confidence the two of the many list of essentials required in the field of hospitality has also been facing a slight twist and elements of change since the last few months. In recent times my observations and experiences have a lot to say about the thought processes and mind sets of certain aspiring to be futuristic hoteliers. It has always been a challenge to get the right person for the right job at the right time and place when it comes to building the teams and filling in the gaps which arise and appear almost at all times in last few years.

From fresher’s to slightly experienced and even the higher ups have been looking for something good and being able to meet up self-expectations, growth plans, increments, promotions and beyond. The very fact that the industry has just picked up in the last few months have seen a huge rise in new appointments, new recruits and positions available for almost every single department in the hotels from top to bottom. 

If I look back around a year and a half, the scene was very un-expected and unavoidable which left a big number of candidates in a lot of confusion and unsurety on what next? a lot of counselling, mentoring and lifestyle coaching, career guidance picked up and I even came across experienced profiles asking shall I switch my industry? Will there be any luck of things opening sometime in the near future? The level of bewilderment rose to great heights and many gave up for the survival fact and some thought of self-driven ventures too. The fact of the matter remains that we have all lived through the challenging times and have evolved as better individuals, brands, hotel chains, restaurant business, airline companies and more.

A few of my thoughts and experiences are shared below and I am sure many of you will somewhere resonate with a few facts.

1. The Connective Social Media: while most people don’t even remember the passwords to their social media accounts very easily, their presence on them is widely visible and has been for the fact that I myself have received hundreds of messages asking for job references, referrals on whom to connect with? queries like which department shall I apply for? What salary and benefits shall one look forward to? Is brand A better, competitive or less adviced to join than brand B? having been stood in a little contributing support towards our industry I did get a chance to counsel and advice a number of people on the above and more, and I must share that we should maintain connects not only when we have tough times in life, or not having any other options, or needing help from each other in challenging phases of our careers. The need to keep the connect is important.

2.MAKE YOUR RIGHT MOVE: while a lot of today’s young generation gets carried away with peer suggestions, online visibilities, ratings and surveys, a dream profile and a dream start up job with a particular brand or hotel, we also need to look at the realistic approach factors. I came across candidates who said they wanted to have their jobs within 4-5 km of their residence, since they read somewhere that saving energy is maximising quality at work. Another example which comes to mind is that I wanted to join a particular hotel, all went well, got selected, joined and within 2 weeks left the place of work since there was nothing much to learn and therefore wish to quit. After a little interaction and understanding the views of such candidates a few inferences which came to mind we are we not in a position to adjust in new environments? Or is there something like a fast forward mode which needs to be activated upon starting a new job.

3.BEING INSIGHTFULL & NOT IGNORANT: Due to the online mode of education system in recent times the student fraternity across the globe have been a little under experience when it comes to the real true face and expectations by the practical industry on the whole. Theory and online practicals have indeed been a way of instruction and learning for a while now, keeping that in mind candidates need a little time to be a part of conversations, guidance, special career planning seminars etc which can play a role in shaping minds and bridging the gap between demand and supply. If a candidate during internship is being asked to cut and chop/slice onions, bags full of them which is the case since our times, instead of complaining about it and making a fuss at work one should take it up as a challenge and task to enhance your cutting skills and more. Every task we do or come across has something to teach us, be it polishing of glasses, cleaning tasks in house-keeping, carrying out store pickups, setting up banquet venues and requirements or for the fact of simply filing papers at the back office.

4. AFFIRMATIVE APPROACH TO ADVANCEMENT: A pre-set mind, pre-conceived notions and hearing a few unpleasant experiences doesn’t make work places unsuitable or cutting them off your lists. No human being is perfect and hence we need to be able to accept the law of nature which says acceptance, affirmations and being adjustable. Interactions via offline sessions/seminars/ career guidance meets with graduating hospitality students offered a lot of new world thoughts and queries which came up checking on working conditions, people’s behaviour and comfort zone expectations upon joining a new place of work. A few instances and experiences also showed me lack of affirmative thoughts being instilled upon carrying out even a short term internship exposure which was meant to be a value added approach beyond online classes to get first-hand experience and practice which is being offered by almost all hotels in the city and country at the moment. In spite of being mentored by academic team members, guides, the human resource department teams at hotels giving up too soon has been the observation which is not really advisable. One has to get used to new environments, people, situations and work cannot be defined to that extent where a fresher does mis-en-place for a week and starts working on the live range cooking up guest orders. A steady phase of understanding nuances and building confidence side by side will all make it happen.

5. SKY IS THE LIMIT TO ACHIEVEMENTS & PERFORMANCE: well-phrased, written and endorsed! The fact of the matter remains whether we are ready to even take a few steps to reach out where we wish to. While most candidates choose to pursue hotel management to become chefs, has now become a shift in thoughts and today we come across aspirants who say we wish to do something different, want to be a self-made entrepreneur, guess I can be a good sales and marketing professional, some of the passionate ones wish to be celebrity chefs, a good name in the industry, would like to get into event management, have in mind to start my own restaurant chain, aspire to be an in-flight manager with a leading airline company, see myself working on a well-known cruise traveling around the world making big money! With time things change, and guess some of we the seasoned ones are well-tempered and accustomed to managing change with our enriched experiences and realistic lifestyles. In conversation and interactions with leading teams from human resources, training managers, learning and development specialists across India gave me nourishing feedback too on the same and while some focussed candidates who join in for internships or start their careers with reputed brands and hotels are able to meet up expectations and keep up their spirit of learning, experiencing and work on themselves as well to in-still a sense of discipline, dedication, consistency, performance and feedback strategy plans, multi- departmental skills development approach and more.

6. ALTERATIONS & REVIVAL PLANS MAY WORK:

Not everyone is born with a golden spoon, all five fingers aren’t the same size, Rome was not built in a day, patience is the key, persistence pays! At times we see, hear and say a lot of things without actually reading in between the words, thoughts and statements. Our industry is not a bed of roses for all, it is a two-way approach which always works. We cannot be selecting a job because the brand offers six or eight off days in a month or has limited work load or will be a general shift from nine am to six pm. Making a choice with the right homework being done in advance can help one to be more sustainable. Operation departments like kitchen, bakery, restaurants, banquets, house-keeping, front office cannot be time bound all the time, there are times when we have to stay back and adjust to situations, meet up the guest expectations, offer our one hundred percent and more at work to maximise revenue and maintain guests with us for long. The competitive world today which has loads of competition cannot be taken so lightly and hence joining a place of work and living it day by day, working up the ladder, having a need to accept challenges and to be able to get recognised as well should be on the to do check list of aspiring future hoteliers. Giving up too fast, not giving yourself a second chance, not being open to getting the right guidance, thinking one sided only, concluding things by just facing a few tough days is not the solution.

On a Concluding Note: a passion to achieve, a keen interest and liking to do something, utilising your own inner skills, talent and capabilities not only help us to evolve much better on a personal level but also on a professional level. In times to come, we will witness a lot of development and positive steps being coming to real in our industry on a global platform. My little advice to all would be to not deviate yourself from your selection choice, do not change your mind every day on selecting a department, choice of subject for a specialization, attend certain lectures, practical and theory sessions etc. being open, receptive, willing to take part in self-development, speaking your mind out, connecting with experienced resource people is the need of the hour. Let us all take a vow that comes what may we shall not give up on our dreams and achieve the very best from the electives on our selection list.

Dr. Kaviraj Khialani.

Celebrity Master Chef.

Author- Academician- Advisor to the Hospitality Industry and Education Sector on National Level.

REPORT OF NAAC PEER TEAM VISIT @BCIHMCT, NEW DELHI

REPORT OF NAAC PEER TEAM VISIT @BCIHMCT, NEW DELHI

A National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) Peer Team visited Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology during May 04 –May 05, 2022 for the reaccreditation of the BCIHMCT for the 3rd cycle . NAAC Peer Team comprised of Dr J.P.Sharma Vice Chancellor  M L Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Rajasthan ((Chairman, NAAC Peer Team), Dr. Bivraj Bhusan Parida Professor, Department of Tourism Management, The University of Burdwan, West Bengal ((Member Coordinator, NAAC Peer Team) and Prof. Amar Zachariah Cherian, PRINCIPAL, Sarosh Institute of Hotel Administration, Mangalore, Karnataka (Member, NAAC Peer Team) visited the institute in connection with Assessment and Accreditation.

Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology aims at enhancing the education quality through various learner centric methods, which provides practical meaning to Learning Outcome Based Education for the students of hospitality.

Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University has voluntarily taken the lead, went ahead and invited the members of NAAC – National Assessment and Accreditation Council, an Autonomous institution of the University Grants Commission, for assessment of quality of its Institution of Hotel Management and Catering Technology for getting it accredited as an institution imparting quality education in its state of the art infrastructure. Previously, the Institution has been accredited on a seven-point scale at A Grade with CGPA of 3.13. The certificate of accreditation was presented to the heads of accredited institutions during NAAC Accreditation Awards Ceremony convened in Bangalore.

 During the welcome address by Principal Prof. R K Bhandari, he highlighted the role of BCIHMCT in shaping the careers of budding hospitality professionals through appropriate academic and modern methods of teaching and learning. The focus of Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology has always been to empower and enrich the new generations of hoteliers and to contribute to the future of the hospitality sector.

 He welcomed the dignitaries and thanked the NAAC PEER TEAM for their valuable suggestions and hoped that everyone in the institution would strive for taking the college to greater heights by their dedicated work. Speaking on the occasion of the Exit Meeting, Dr J.P.Sharma Vice Chancellor  M L Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Rajasthan ((Chairman, NAAC Peer Team) shared his observations with the staff and students. He was happy by the work carried out by BCIHMCT and noted that the college is making steady progress in becoming college of excellence in the near future. Finally, the chairman presented the exit report of re-accreditation to the principal and IQAC coordinator of the college.

 The two day visit of The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) Peer Team visit was concluded with an exit meeting held in the BANQUET HALL of College premises on Thursday 5th May 2022 at 5.00 pm

THE TREND OF FUSION COOKING,Understanding The Basic Fundamentals To Fuse & Not Confused By Celebrity Master Chef Kaviraj Khialani.

        THE TREND OF FUSION COOKING Understanding The Basic Fundamentals To Fuse & Not Confuse

It seems and appears really fascinating these days when a lot many of us start to feel and realize that cooking is fun at times and we can try to use our minds and ideas to dish out new concepts, variations and flavors onto our plates and invite loads of compliments! Sounds good indeed but the real practical approach towards just mixing things together doesn’t always really work. 

Experience and understanding your ingredients, your passion to bring out the complimenting concoctions do need to find their perfect equations into that dish before it gets plated and appeal to the eyes of its truly deserving connoisseur.

I came across this word fusion since almost two decades now where people from home cooks to the aspiring to be chefs and a few foodies shared thoughts and ideas where for some it happened by accident and for some it turned out to be disasters as well for the first time. It’s a mixed bag of emotions and experiences that people speak about when it comes to something new! There is a segment of the foodie market that is not at all able to digest and accept this trend while some percentage goes for it feel the changing concept and to some the mere concept of it only is quite mesmerizing.

Let us try and understand this concept in a little more detail:

What does Fusion mean?

The concept of Fusion refers to the combination of flavors, and aromas to gel them up well to create something variant and new in order to appeal to and excite our senses and create a new experience of eating and enjoying the open-mindedness of the person working on with his experience and creativity.

How did this concept of Fusion start up?

The concept of fusion is not new to us and it has been around since a few decades now it is believed that most parts of Asia and Europe started with this idea of doing something out of the box in order to have the guests try new touch with their routine cuisines also presenting a little bit of cross culture affiliations and inclusions into the dish.

What do I need to know before getting into fusion concepts?

• Knowing your Basic of Cooking: I usually relate this with a very simple example like not knowing how to make a cup of tea and planning to pour out an herbal infusion based innovative cuppa full of confusions.

• Need to Learn the ABC: to me Fusion has been ever exciting since many years and it refer it to as

 A- Articulate, B- Believe, C – Compile: This simply means that we need to first chalk out the base cuisine which we want to work on, be sure on what changes/alterations are to be made on it and finally take notes on the same and then develop the recipe.

•  Follow an E – T – C Model: 

E- Experiment, T- Taste, C –Change: These are of course the terms and codes designed by myself over the years as I worked on this trend and it made it easy for me to share it with budding chefs on how to relate to it. So firstly, we need to be able to put those compiled ideas into a practical lab/kitchen set up & work on it to make it come out the way we wanted it to for example if I want to try a fusion recipe like a Tex-Mex Stuffed Olive and Cheesy Makhana Koftas in Makhani Gravy using sun-dried tomatoes and fenugreek soil I need to make sure I do it step by step understanding the changes being made from the basic recipe to this new modified Italian & Mexican fused flavors into my gravy & koftas.

While doing this I will be taking note of all the changes and alterations happening in the saucepan and hopefully expect it to work with my final recipe. Once the dish is ready, I will plate it, garnish it as per my thoughts and check for Reality Vs Plan. 

Once I have done the comparison I will look for any improvements if needed and make the necessary changes and re-schedule my trials.

• Get a C –C – C Evaluation done for your dish:

• C- Checking for taste.

• C- Confirming on flavors.

• C- Critical improvements if any.

• This really works a lot since I still remember the first time I made a recipe with a fusion concept and upon doing a blind fold tasting with it, the results were surprisingly 90 % YES and a 10 % NO. what mattered more to me was the element of NO and the critical feedback is very important before we decide to finalise the dish to feature on our menu card of our restaurant.

• I agree all of us have varied choice of tastes and flavors with foods but what ultimately matters are how successful it can be when it goes to the guest table and the feedback form/comments/its social media posting and coverage also needs to be thought about.

• S O P your Fusion Concept: referring to a commonly used term here called standard operating procedure, which makes you maintain your recipe from start to end process and also shows stability and continued quality on the plate whenever it is being prepared and served. Once you have achieved your final plan as per reality check it becomes imperative to have the futuristic approach model ready for the same by documenting it with the revised final recipe plan, method, garnish and plating design, take photographs of your finished dish, also note on portion size as well how many gms, ml etc will be served per portion and of course it will lead to the costing of the dish in order to fix up its selling price if being used for a commercial purpose. 

• Which are some of the most common cuisines one can try for fusion combinations and which of them usually work well?

• The varieties of cuisines are as long as we can imagine them to be, from the very basic like Indian cuisine, French cooking, Italian cooking, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, English, American, Spanish, Filipino, Indonesian, Sri-Lankan and more! I started with Indian cooking and worked on it and my first ever recipe with fusion was a Dal-Khichdi, the wonder comfort food!

• It was fun and a great experience working fusion with a dal rice combo with international flavors and watching it picking up well in the pan leaves back wonderful memories to cherish! 

• for Instance: Trying a Indo – Mexican Fusion Dal Khichdi having the lentils and rice soaked, cooked up, lightly mashed and tempered with garlic, herbs, peri-peri spice, tomato salsa, olives to top garnished with curry leaf and pepper dust, served with Aamchuri Avocado raita relish and Sprout – Cabbage salad with desi Achari dressing.

• Another example which I feel like sharing with fusion is with desserts which most of us are fond of and love trying something new once in a while. 

• Desh- Videsh ki Mithaas: a fusion dessert with a combination of our desi rabdi being infused with cinnamon, blueberry and rose petal salsa layered with walnut brownie soil/crumble, stewed dragon fruit, topped with mini betel leaf samosa with a stuffing of Kiwi Gulkhand and Coconut –Cashew Praline.

• Some of my tried and tested ideas with FUSION RECIPES:

• Indo-Italian- Spanish Fusion Pasta Dum Biryani: Choice of pasta, bell peppers, mildly spiced cooked soy chunks or mini meatballs in Kadai masala, birishta, saffron cream veloute sauce, slivered almonds / pistachios, black and green olives rose water, fresh herbs like basil, coriander, grated cheese all layered up in a pot, sealed, given dum and served piping hot!

• Indo- Filipino Mini Chicken Tortas [mini cutlets]: These are originally non-spicy made with pork mince, here I made it with chicken mince, onions, potatoes, garlic, oil cooked up together, spiced up with garam masala powder, crushed peppercorns, coriander, green chili, mixed herbs, chili flakes. Adding egg into the mixture and little grated cheese, they are spooned out into a pan with oil and shallow fried, golden browned and enjoyed with tomato ketchup but for now I did a pesto- peanut- coriander chutney to go with this fusion.

•  Indo- Italian- American Fusion: Western Lasagne Florentine Delight: in this concept we have two options For the pasta sheets, 1. We can use variety of flours and flavors, natural colors as well to make it different for example a chili tomato paste into a soy- whole wheat dough. 2. We can also use leftover chapattis, theplas as well being fusion. 

• For the fillings/layers for the lasagne we have multiple options as well in Fusion: 1. Assorted vegetable fillings-peas-potato subzi, stir fried veggies, Aloo Gobi, kadai mix veg, paneer bhurji etc. 2. For non-veg we have options as well like egg bhurji, scrambled eggs with chicken keema and cheese, mutton keema mattar, boiled cubes of chicken in Thai sweet chili, grilled sliced prawns in Achari masala. We also have a choice of using our tikkas and kababs as well into the lasagne concept.

• We will also be needing our white sauce, cheese, olives, chili flakes, herbs, and baked beans to be spiced up with green chili, onions, garam masala and coriander leaves for this recipe. Once all is ready, we can start layering the dish for baking, with white sauce, pasta sheets, layers of veg- or non-veg options, cheese, spiced baked beans and repeat the layers. Finally temper it on top with oil, curry leaves, bohri red chilies, fresh herbs and top with grated cheese and bread crumbs, bake and serve.

Final Words of Advice: to me this topic is never ending and cooking and creativity are two sides of the same coin and the more we indulge the more we innovate is the key! I’m sure this would be a good eye opener for all those who always thought how to get started and create some impressions on people and loved ones. Fusion to me also has been an easy way since using leftovers also a good option and saves on time as well, what is most interesting is the final output on the plate and that first bite and not to forget the reactions and expressions, they are truly worth the watch! Remember to make good fusion you must not be confused but open to trying out new stuff!

So here’s wishing you all good luck for your fusion cooking, do try it for sure, it is extremely interesting working on it, do it patiently, be planned and watch out for the wonders getting you the wow’s!

Happy Cooking!

Celebrity Master Chef Kaviraj Khialani.

Aspiring To Be a Successful Chef - Chef Kaviraj shares his opinions and experience

ASPIRING TO BE A SUCCESSFUL CHEF

A REALISTIC 360 DEGREE APPROACH

Living a passion, enduring its journey & assimilating all that goes together into a success story can become a book by itself! The word “Chef” has not only been a very catchy and attractive one since a while now but also become a befitting title to almost everyone who loves cooking or aspires to be a culinarian during the course of time. When I look back in time and evaluate my own interest towards cooking which started since the age of seven observing and admiring the best home chefs in the world, my mother, my grandmother and the associated ladies of the house and family it brings back fondest memories which can replicate no other experience.

I was always very fond of and liked my table to be well set and arranged during all my dining times at home & a sense of being particular of the water glass, the cutlery, crockery, things to go alongside from condiments to accompaniments too became a part of detailed note as I grew along the phase. My favourite dishes included butter chicken, fried rice, hakka noodles and fish- n- chips since childhood and I had a quest and inclination to see how  my food was being cooked in the kitchen, mom would make me sit on the side shelf and some of the admirations of her skills included the way she chopped onions with a speed and finesse! Which made me try it too…a best guide and mentor to have since a young age is a mother or an elderly figure from home who can help set the goals right, since we didn’t have social media, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms to jump onto and build castles.

Long hours of dedication, persistence to pursue ones dreams and ambitions, being able to meet up expectations of self and family, exceeding self-realisations and to be able to match the demand and supply curve, facing competitions with a positive mind and a never give up attitude have been some of my self-motivating factors all the way long. 

A few reality checkpoints to look at before getting into it:

1. K.Y.S: Know Your Self – a little self-introspection, why do I want to be a chef? what attracts me into it? Is it just social media or? how about talking out your mind to a successful chef or one who can guide the real way through his/ her experience.

2. F A Q: Factors Affecting Quality- there is a need to check on what the factors which can affect one from diverting attention and focus away from the goal towards becoming a culinary expert, a known name and one people can look up to.

3. B T S: Between The Scenes – what ultimately matters during the work phase are realistic factors like sustainability, being able to stand, work for long hours, to get conditioned with all kinds of human behaviours and to be able to take all that comes our way on the journey, there will be ups and downs, good and bad days, testing times, but what we required in this industry is a continued vision with humility and grace.

4. A Q A: Ask Questions Always – one of the important point during our learning stage is asking questions, clarifying doubts, being able to get the answers to the unclear technical and beyond. Somehow some people feel that becoming a chef doesn’t need theory, it’s a practical industry, but one needs to realise the importance of know-hows before getting onto a range and tossing over a wok!

5. G A M E: Get A Mentor Evaluator: we usually think that by joining a professional course and completing a degree and diploma etc will be all enough for a lifetime to carry on the journey. It needs constant mentorship and guidance along the way too, there is a need to connect with professionals, work under or associate with skilled technically sounds and known chefs in order to improvise and update ourselves.

6. O W A A: Overcome Worries And Anxieties: it is important for budding professionals to keep an open mind towards situations, people, circumstances & unexpected case studies which are a part and parcel of our profession, be it any department. My observations somewhere tell me that the young generation today is anxious about rising up soon, getting titles, promotions, taking up responsibilities when not ready yet etc which at times can be disappointing for some.

7. S I O P: Success Is Ongoing Persistence: In my opinion and experience success comes to those who work towards it and strive to be different in their thoughts, actions, and creations. Being a chef is much more than just cooking and to be able to do a monotonous job can be a little put off for a few ambitions in the lot! I always liked to work in various sections, departments, front and back both understanding the nuances and approach systems, etc which go into the efforts of making a guest satisfied, be open to exploring more.

On a Concluding Note: The prestigious title of a Chef and its visibility, recognition, and value-added perks have grown in recent times as compared to a few decades back, the entire thought of being able to get into a kitchen, cooking up a storm, impressing loved ones and guests with something exciting, interesting & innovative has crossed all boundaries in modern times. we need to motivate, counsel, advice and encourage young minds to get more focussed before choosing this profession and with a continued effort of the community and industry on the whole we can create and look forward to a lot of competitive talent which can make the Indian food and hospitality industry reach up and stay on top of the charts on a global platform.

Celebrity Master Chef. Dr. Kaviraj Khialani.

Food & Hospitality Consultant.

Author- Academician- Advisor for Culinary and Hospitality Industry & Education Sector.

EDUCATION IN HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT 2K22

EDUCATION IN HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT 2K22

REVIEW- RETRIEVE- REAFFIRM IN THE NEW NORMAL

The education sector in the field of hotel management, culinary arts and overall hospitality education has witnessed the effects of the pandemic and we all have had our own experiences and observations on effective learning and delivering online sessions along with the nuances of the changes around us in the last couple of years. The Covid- 19 phase has much taught us the importance of a lot of things and importance of values, being humble and being able to extend our little best support in all possible ways and means to enhance and develop aspirants to reach their aims and desired opportunities in order to walk on the path to success.

As well all firmly believe that hospitality management courses, subjects and technicalities need face to face interactions, offline mode exposure and a physical contact to an extent in order to understand the finer aspects of the studies involved under various subjects be it theory or practicals. Little to my surprise I came across hundreds of messages, connect requests on various social media platforms from students across the country from Kashmir to Goa and from West Bengal to Rajasthan loaded with queries, doubts and anxiety about what is going to happen in the days to come and how would the new normal be favourable for the student community to work on the path of self-development and revival stage.

The fact of the matter also remained that students did attend the online classes to a great extent which also had its own plus and minus points. While some found it easy to concentrate on the sessions due to not much distractions, many faced unexpected network issues and a few also thought that it was not very effective and impactful. The similar understanding was also shared by the teaching professionals and academia, long hours of screen time, back to back sessions online, managing home and classes side by side, not very comfortable for all subject teachers due to limited expression via online mode. But somehow we all faced it, we went through it and we tried our level best to adjust ourselves with the situation in the benefit of our students and their learning.

POST LOCK- DOWN PHASE: As things got better, life started coming back to normal and we all got a chance to come out of our homes slowly and steadily the excitement and the energy exchange process made way re-connecting back to training rooms, practical labs, seminar halls and sessions which saw benches getting full with students and lively expressions day after day. Though it was a great feel to speak out, share experiences, hear the students speak after a long time, a little observation also showed that the expressive ability of some students had gone for an inner phase direction which means they were not very comfortable opening up, speaking out their thoughts and views due to the online mode of delivery.

The Review Mode: subjects in hospitality courses dealing with the core operation departments like front office, housekeeping, food & beverage service, food production including cookery and bakery called for a thorough brush up on the basics in order to move up the ladder to advanced versions. From the basic sauces, to the types of service, the role of cleaning agents, the seventeen course french classical menu have been few of the classic examples where the students needed a little push and pull strategy approach in order to revise themselves to be open and ready to accept and understand the further upcoming chapters and modules. Kitchen and Bakery practical demos and live on campus sessions also saw a good number of student attendance since most of them have had a passion towards cooking, baking and trying out new foods and products which is quite normal for a hotel management student to since most students when they come for admissions have this thought process in mind that hotel management signifies chefs, celebrity chefs, food experts and more as a part of the growth and opportunity scenario which is exhibited on social media as well to an extent.

The Retrieve Mode: the opening up of the industry and academia both saw the need to bring back people, professionals, students, trainers, human resource teams to re-connect and bring back the much awaited and needed support to run operations and activities from coffee shops to restaurants, banquets to house-keeping, front desk associates to pastry and bakery teams to meet up the demand and supply curves in order to offer better value in service quality and to also polish the new comers into the culture of the organisation in order to prepare them towards perfection for becoming team leaders and managers in the near future. A lot of hospitality management institutions and training centers have retrieved old connects from pre-lock down phase and build back the association and bridged the gap between the industry expectations and enhanced quality delivery systems from the academic point of view. A lot of industry experts, departmental trainers, professionals also have been invited on campus at various educational set ups to come and speak to the students in the form of guest lectures, one to one interactive sessions, speak out your mind career guidance sessions, master class sessions by mixologists, culinary heads, technical support sessions from facing interviews to polish your personality workshops also have been happening. Another aspect of retrieving the connects has been a phase when colleges organise events and theme related assignments which are presented by final year students or as a yearly college fest which picked up pace after couple of years this year. The common platform as one for all and all for one is a good practice as it gets students to be motivated and when it comes from the industry it is always like cherry on the cake.

The Re-Affirm Mode: affirmations and positivity are a couple of words which help is stick onto our goals in life and somewhere the ray of hope deepens and gives us a better dimension towards where we need to head towards, especially when it comes to fresh graduating students after completing degree courses in hospitality management from reputed institutions and universities.

While almost every educational institute is trying their level best to be able to be of utmost help in terms of offering the best of the available job opportunities to their passing out batch students, there are some students who still sound a little unsure whether they would really be able to get something worthwhile and interesting to start up their careers. A simple piece of advice in the new normal reveals that to be successful we need to also start thinking that success starts with us and we will work hard towards achieving it. Nothing happens overnight, no managers and chefs have grown in a day, week month or so, it is a journey and it has to be enjoyed, it has to be teaching us a lot every single day and we need to have an open mind towards being receptive and to accept change as it comes our way. Resistance to change can lead to delay in a great opportune time and phase in life. Taking advice of seniors, mentors, guides, teachers, friends and family members is much required in a lot of new beginnings and we need to be more open towards asking questions and also answering them to our fullest capability when it comes to moulding the future of our country, our children, our students because what stays back on the mind is the imprint of someone who stood by us in our tough times, how we make people feel around us has a very strong impact on our lives as we grow by over the years, we all remember a few of our teachers, a few episodes of our college life, a few instances which make us laugh as we look back through the journey from when we started.

On a Concluding Note: Hospitality as an industry is a vast and huge sector and we all are a part of it under various verticals playing numerous roles over the years, we need to in some way or the other extend our cooperation, guidance, support system and motivate the younger generations towards staying more focussed and be able to develop themselves with a 360-degree approach of being a better person, a well-groomed candidate and a successful hotelier and or hospitality brand name in the days to come not only making our industry a much fulfilling, satisfying and a better place to be a part of but also in developing more jobs, careers and continued nation building activity as well.

Personal Effectiveness for Hospitality Professionals

Personal Effectiveness for Hospitality Professionals

By: Dr. Suhas Rao

In our flourishing and multidimensional hospitality industry which is highly competitive, we need to have the right skillsets that will help us understand and analyse the global trends and the constant challenges which need to be in sync with the demanding exalted expectations of our guests. Every employee in our industry needs to constantly polish ones’ Personal Effectiveness by sharpening the saw optimally & to understand our teams better.We can constantly have an endeavour to develop these to achieve our personal and professional goals.

This emphasises on the following Outcomes:

• Fine Tuning of our Professional Image

• Refining the Art of Communication 

• Creating A Lasting Impression

As Oprah Winfrey, the leading award-winning American Talk Show Host rightly puts it –

“The more You Praise and Celebrate Your Life,

                                  The more there is in Life to Celebrate.”

Personal Effectiveness in hospitality is very critical for leading to breakthrough success whether online ( these days) or even in face-to-face/offline/hybrid environments. 

Personal Effectiveness harps on a few things like:

• Clarity in Thoughts

• Proper Goal Setting

• Effective Use of Time 

• Inculcating Regular Learning

• Developing of Resilience

• Being Experiential

• Making It Happen

• Having A Positive Mindset

This is possible if we are emotionally and physically happy, enjoy what we do, and care and share with our guests, peers, teams, family members, and for that matter with whom we come in contact in the community and society.

To be successful In our professional and personal lives, We need to equip ourselves with some vital and must-have skills and competencies: 

• Communication with Others

• Practicing Empathy 

• Collaboration and Team Dynamics

• Critical Thinking

• Redefining of Leadership 

• Managing Self & others

• Being Analytical

• Decision Making & Problem Solving

• Understanding our Business 

This will help in Increasing Profitability, Enhancing Productivity Boosting Engagement & being Exponential at the Workplace. Change in Our Mindsets will help bring a Shift in Our Behaviour and Becoming More Positive in Approach, Reinforcing Our Learning and Validating Our Actions more so ever during these pandemic times.

Personal Effectiveness at our workplace demands -

• Visualizing what our Guests Really Want

• Connecting with our Value Systems

• Identifying with Priorities of meeting our guests needs

• Welcoming and Seeking Feedback from them

Exercise : (Check Your Personal Effectiveness Quotient (PEQ)- Let’s practice   a simple way in understanding how to enhance our Personal -Effectiveness by preparing and using a simple and pragmatic Individual Development Action Plan [IDAP]:

There is no right or wrong or any restrictions on the number of times for attempting and completing the above IDAP, which is an important technique for Self Development. We can be personally effective in different ways because each of us has different goals, values, and priorities which are best suited to us individually & in groups. 

All personally effective hospitality employees need to make optimum use of their resources and are skilled at achieving their set goals/targets.

Creating the WoW Factor is the hallmark for serving our guests and creating pure customer delight. This would help in repeated clientele, increase in goodwill, going the extra mile,& being very pragmatic in guest handling and giving phenomenal customer experiences.

Brief About Writer

Dr. SUHAS RAO

He is an Ln’D Architect | Academician | Content Developer | VILT Enabler with rich industry & academic experience having impacted employees of 50+ top brands with verifiable success in HRD, Customer Delight & Performance Optimization.

NEWS | Effat University & Kerten Hospitality partner to grow human capital, innovation & entrepreneurship across the Kingdom

Effat University & Kerten Hospitality partner to grow human capital, innovation & entrepreneurship across the Kingdom

Creative collaborations and mentorship for young Saudis at The House Hotel Jeddah City Yard

Jeddah, March 2022: Effat University, a private university in Saudi Arabia, and Kerten Hospitality, a responsible lifestyle operator, have joined efforts to support entrepreneurship, innovation, human capital upskilling for young Saudi talents in the Kingdom.

Innovation hackathons that spur creativity in problem-solving capabilities, entrepreneurial knowledge-exchange held jointly with hospitality experts as well as facilitating opportunities for students to launch their own business are just few of the initiatives within this partnership that will be spearheaded by Maria Bou Eid, General Manager of The House Hotel Jeddah City Yard.

Additionally, at The House young Saudi leaders of tomorrow will be motivated and stimulated to enter the hospitality space with expertise acquired during internships and apprenticeships right in the heart of Jeddah’s lifestyle destination. Joining a global team of disruptors, students from non-hospitality backgrounds willing to connect on a global level will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience in the industry and witness first-hand how meaningful collaborations take shape, evolve and deliver impact to the communities around.

Dr. Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, President of Effat University, said: “With the Kingdom’s new focus on tourism, our partnership with Kerten Hospitality will not only open up a wide range of employment opportunities to our graduates, it will also enable them to actively contribute to welcoming international visitors, shaping perceptions and re-shaping stereotypes, contributing to transforming Vision 2030 into reality.”

Maria Bou Eid said: “We’re proud to partner with a mission-driven university that aspires to bring down barriers for entrepreneurial students who think outside-of-the-box, want to establish their own business and are ready to drive innovation further. We are looking forward to bring together our leadership capabilities in the industry and to help nurture talent through our knowledge-share networks, tech-focused initiatives and real-life experiences.”

Effat University, the first private institution of higher education in Saudi Arabia which provides quality education as per global standards is a fully-accredited non-profit educational organization is a pioneer in the innovation and entrepreneurial space. Established in 1999 by Queen Effat Al-Thunayan, wife of late King Faisal. Operating under the umbrella of King Faisal Foundation, the University offers rigorous educational graduate and undergraduate programs conducive to lifelong learning within four colleges.

The House Hotel Jeddah City Yard is an ESG-oriented lifestyle destination connecting international travelers with the local community as part of curated events throughout the year. The focus on the human capital development of Saudi talents and the establishment of meaningful connections within the neighborhood has become the property’s attraction point for employees and visitors alike. For instance, the first Career Day hosted at The House attracted over 1300 applicants willing to join the tourism industry – one of the pillars in Saudi Vision 2030 and a key GDP contributor.

Hilton Invests in New, Industry-leading Continuing Education Benefit for Team Members through Partnership with Guild Education

Pic Credit Hilton

In a first for the hospitality industry, Hilton team members will be able to earn a vast new variety of educational credentials at no cost to them

 In an industry first, Hilton has announced a new educational benefit designed to empower its team members to continue to learn, grow and thrive. Through a new partnership with Guild Education, Hilton will provide its team members with a best-in-class continuing education platform to help them pursue and attain their educational dreams. 

Beginning this spring, team members at Hilton’s U.S.-owned and managed properties and corporate locations will be able to earn a vast array of new educational credentials debt-free as they pursue their personal and professional goals.

“At Hilton, we’ve been on a life-long journey to build an inclusive culture of continuous learning for all. We want work at Hilton to be one of the best parts of our team members' lives, and that means creating opportunities for continuous professional growth and development,” said Laura Fuentes, Hilton executive vice president and chief human resources officer. “This partnership with Guild Education – a first of its kind in our industry – is yet another way we will be able to better meet our team members where they are right now on their educational journeys and help them achieve their career aspirations.” 

The new continuing education platform will offer a robust variety of learning offerings, debt-free for all team members. These options include everything from high school completion, English-language learning, digital literacy, professional certifications in high-demand career areas such as culinary, business, data analytics and technology, and college degrees. 

A continued focus on growth through education is key to attracting and retaining top talent, now more than ever, which is why Hilton sought out best-in-class partner Guild Education. Guild has partnerships with the nation’s top universities and learning providers for working adults, offering more than 2,200 programs and the expertise to guide all learners through their educational aspirations and journeys. 

“Hilton is enhancing its commitment to creating a top work environment and a workplace of growth with its new education program,” said Natalie McCullough, Guild Education president and chief commercial officer. “We’re proud to partner with Hilton to provide their team members with career mobility opportunities that will give them the skills needed for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow.”

Hilton has developed a strong reputation as a purpose-driven company with a great workplace culture, driven by its team members. Amid one of the most challenging times in the history of the hospitality industry, Hilton continues to be recognized for its exceptional and resilient workplace culture and team member benefits. Great Place to Work and Fortune named Hilton #1 on the 2021 Best Big Companies to Work For® list and #3 on the 2021 Best Companies to Work For® list in the U.S. Hilton is the highest ranked hospitality company to appear on both lists, especially notable given the significant impact the pandemic has had on the travel industry. DiversityInc also ranked Hilton #1 on its 2021 list of Top 50 Companies for Diversity.

“At Hilton, more than 40 percent of U.S. team members have been part of the Hilton family for 10 years or longer. We are thrilled to be partnering with Guild Education to expand our efforts to support our team members in building lifelong, fulfilling careers here at Hilton,” says Gretchen Stroud, Hilton’s senior vice president of talent and inclusion. 

Prior to adding these new educational opportunities, Hilton already offered more than 25,000 online professional development learning courses. In addition, Hilton offers a comprehensive benefits package including mental well-being offerings, paid personal and parental leave, sabbaticals and GoHilton travel discounts. 

Hilton is actively hiring. The company has nearly 2,900 hotel job openings available in the U.S., with levels spanning entry-level through general manager, at all of its 18 brands.

For more information on Hilton’s partnership with Guild Education, its award-winning workplace culture and the many kinds of jobs available, please visit jobs.hilton.com.

Chefs Day | International Chef’s Day Special- INSPIRED TO ACT!

International Chef’s Day Special- INSPIRED TO ACT!

On the occasion of International Chef’s Day, Auro University School of Hospitality Management presented Chef Jerson Fernandes, Executive Chef of Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach a dynamic platform to engage aspiring hospitality professionals with ‘The Art of Food Plating’.

With plant-based diets on the rise, the value of bringing knowledge via a workshop  with a focus on ingredients that benefit the planet and sustainability helped emphasize the theme ‘Healthy Food for the Future’ on International Chefs’ Day. 

According to Chef Jerson, art inspired presentations of food influence the diner’s perceptions and responses. The visual tasting experience adds to the complexity of the composition, and represents the culture of the food, through traditional or contemporary techniques. 

Food presentation, Chef Jerson avowed is a reflection of the personality of the chef, and being artistic and original in plating, further amplifies  the delightful flavour experience.   With detailed principles of plate presentation being demonstrated, the importance of  communicating quality through the components of the visual aesthetics were reiterated.  

The interactive session concluded with essential wisdom: “plating is the final step of respecting  food to creating that final first impression. 

In the words of Amreesh Misra, Registrar and Head of School of Hospitality Management, AURO University, “By being able to see the structured process and not just the final product, on the plate made the session relevant, and the content comprehensive for the student community. A true collaboration that promotes ongoing learning, and an opportunity of the wealth of  knowledge and insights; from Chef Jerson Fernandes.”

CHANDIWALA HOSPITALITY ENSEMBLE, 2020

Hotel Management is all about passion, innovation and dexterity in the world of hospitality. Chandiwala Hospitality Ensemble provides the perfect platform for the students to showcase their skills and push the envelope while participating in this awe-inspiring event. Through this ensemble, participants across many catering colleges get a unique chance to discover their calling and compete against the best in the industry.

The 19th Virtual Chandiwala Hospitality Ensemble is scheduled to take place on 22nd and 23rd November, 2020, in an online mode. This would be the virtual unlocking potential of hotel management students, through a series of events, comprising of culinary and non-culinary competitions.

This year, Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, New Delhi has associated with Korean Cultural Centre India for the occasion of International Kimchi Day, November 22, 2020.

One of the major highlight of CHE, 2020 is Korean Culinary Challenge. This Challenge will test the knowledge and culinary skills of budding student chefs of various Hotel Management colleges and professional chefs PAN India through virtual mode due to unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. This challenge is about showing through cooking that we can still do things that we enjoy, and at the same time ensure that we keep communicating with one another through digital platforms.

The Kimchi event will be judged by panel of eminent International judges who will be specifically looking at the recipes, technique, passion, knowledge of the product, and plating skills, to determine the finalists and the ultimate winner. Participants are supposed to prepare any one Korean dish of their choice by using authentic recipe or innovative fusion for the dish prepared. The event winners will receive cash prizes. All the winners and participants will receive a printed certificate confirming their participation in the 19th ‘Virtual’ Chandiwala Hospitality Ensemble- 2020 and Korean Culinary Challenge 2020.

Lecture on “Disruptions and Happiness” will be delivered by Ms. Deepika Pandita, Director-Human Resources, Hamstede Living Pvt. Ltd on Jul 10, 2020 04:00 PM India

This is the Seventh online lecture of “Career Talk” series for Hospitality students by IHM Ranchi.

The lecture on “Disruptions and Happiness” will be delivered by Ms. Deepika Pandita, Director-Human Resources, Hamstede Living Pvt. Ltd. A Business Leader who is passionate about shaping & building organizations, culture, talent & leaders. She is having 15 years of experience in Hospitality, including over 13 Years in Human Resources, Handling Talent Acquisition in Leadership Hiring, and Campus Recruitment. Worked on Manpower Budgeting, Deployment, Talent Management, Learning & Development, Employee Engagement, and various other facets of Associate Management and business well being. Currently working on assembling a great leadership team to craft a global organisation in the field of revolutionizing the Co-Living Ecosystem.

You are invited to join the lecture on: Jul 10, 2020 04:00 PM India

Register in advance for this lecture: https://tinyurl.com/yamg65v6

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Lecture.

'Planning Hospitality Career amidst the Fourth Revolution’, a session by Dr. Sudhir Andrews

Servo Hospitality School organised a significant & remarkable session titled, ‘Planning Hospitality Career amidst the Fourth Revolution’, by the versatile & dynamic personality of the hospitality industry, ‘Dr. Sudhir Andrews – The Living Legend’.

Dr Andrews is an alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and was the first MBA from IIMs to join the hospitality industry in 1971. He had set up the Oberoi School (OCLD) as the Director and later set up the Ecole Hoteliere, Lavasa as Dean Academics. The guest speaker holds a gigantic status in the hospitality industry and has written several hospitality books of all core departments, for which he has bagged several noteworthy awards including the Rashtriya Gaurav Award (2010) & Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence (2010).

In the Servo Hospitality School’s sixth online talk of the web series, Dr Sudhir Andrews expressed the brilliant standards of centring and imbibing the fundamental hospitality traits, so as to lead a successful career. He emphasised on the significance and need of going Digital in this COVID era since the people are the drivers of the change. As indicated by him, digitalization implies going from screen to screen and its two important components are disruption and innovation, which in today’s scenario shall change the entire World’s perspective of observing the things. He said this is an ideal opportunity to give our clients the astounding touch less guest service and create a wow experience.

The speaker termed different types of generation i.e, Z & Y as Millennial, out of which generation Z (the current one) is driven by technology, text savvy, not looking up for positions and is unquestionably more digitalized than generation Y. Dr Andrews boosted the morale and confidence of the budding and aspiring hospitality professionals and advised them to manage their own work and not to be dependent on anyone for their daily chaos, as in their younger age, someone readies the tea for them, puts on the geyser, make up the bed and room, prepares the breakfast for them and so on. Referring to the student’s mindset, he quoted that working in a different way or finding an alternate way out to complete a task, converts the idea into an innovation.

Thinking out of the box is what is required in the present time. College life is brimming with fun consequently should be utilized productively. Post completion of the hospitality course the student can opt for higher studies, pursue a specialization in a particular department, join academics, decide do a job or become an entrepreneur. He gave the mantra for success i.e, Fun + Mastery + Network, wherein, fun alludes to passion required in the field, mastery indicates the excellence required over the competencies and skills and network refers to have a good connection which the concerned people, so as to excel in career. He stressed on the importance of learning good English, which has consistently been the most significant resource. The speaker educated the students that their playground is not the colony, district or country they live in, but the entire world and that they have to work in such a way that makes them recognized globally.

Dr Andrews was pleased to hear and appreciated the efforts of Servo Hospitality School while promoting students for internships and jobs, globally. His professional advice to students was, to get certification in their respective field, subscribe to journals, spend time in crafts, download subject related talks from youtube and make good networks. He said that it’s very necessary to make and keep companions of school and college, as to cherish joy and sorrow. Adulating the youth, the session expert stated that they are very anxious to showcase their talents, are full of energies and charisma, works beyond the constraint of temperature and time and have higher dreams. In today’s world, the things are changing so fast that the old ones get obsolete very soon; hence learning is a continuous process. Projecting an image of a buffet, he correlated various dishes with the subjects being taught to the students and how one finds a specific or numerous dishes appealing or vice versa.

Speaking on the industry, Dr Andrews emphasised on quality and said how the organizations are now looking for unique specialists. The interview of the candidates will be conducted online; by first viewing the student’s skills, in created a video clip format. He advised the students to work towards Point casting which means centring to just one particular area and excelling in it. Quoting some examples of his successful students, he overwhelmed the audience by their point casting techniques in different fields such as ice sculptures, cake models, linen supplying and carpet shampooing etc.

On the contrary to the current hierarchy chart that is followed in the hospitality industry, the speaker stated that the inverted chart has to be followed up, wherein the staff who are in contact with the clients directly, will come first and needs to be perceived and paid well since they are the ones who deliver delightful experiences and get businesses, followed by the support staff such as the I.T. team. Furthermore, the speaker enlightened the audience with his thoughts on prospective future hospitality avenues and as to why the hospitality is still renowned and shall remain one of the demanded industry, globally.

Speaking on the sub-theme i.e, Job scenario after COVID -19, the distinguished professor inquired with students whether or not they have learnt new skills or art during the lockdown period and if not, then they have burnt through the time since it was a golden opportunity for them to upgrade themselves. He mentioned that post-COVID the skills that would be required from the candidates are unique skills, soft skills and entrepreneurial skills. The future hospitality jobs would be data analysts, front office associate, revenue managers, owners of outsourced, estate managers, banquet coordinators, concierge, IT specialists, Chef.

He briefly explained how several countries have outsourced almost all their operations and are performing well; hence, for this reason, he focused the student’s mind towards point casting. Outsourcing can be of rooms, spa, food, travel, cars, linen, banquets etc.

Edited by Mr Vipul Bhandari HoD – F&B Services Servo Hospitality School

The event was held on Monday 15th June 2020

Carole Ackermann, new President at EHL Holding SA

Dr. Carole Ackermann will succeed EHL Holding SA from 22 June 2020 as President of the Board of Directors and President-Elect of the Board of Governors. Having 20 years of management experience on the boards of SMEs and large companies.

For More Details Click Below :

hospitality-on.com/en/appointments/appointment-carole-ackermann-new-president-ehl-holding-sa

This young chef is building own food brand

Key Take Away

Chef Karanveer Singh (21), who was earlier aspiring to work in the hotel industry after his graduation, is now working to set up his own home catering business. He is pursuing a BSc in hospitality and hotel management from New Delhi. He had finished his internship with ITC, Maurya when the pandemic struck.

He spent his lockdown working on his own niche home catering business with his father Chef Arundeeep Singh.

For More Information click below :

www.tribuneindia.com/news/amritsar/this-young-chef-is-building-own-food-brand-102017

Plant Based Food - Culinary workshop successfully organized at IHM Ranchi

Institute of Hotel Management Brambe, Ranchi in collaboration with Human Society International successfully organized the Plant Based Food Culinary workshop for students on 23 and 24 June 2020. The two days online workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Bhupesh Kumar, Principal, IHM Ranchi. The workshop was conducted by the owner of Bodhi Green Chef Varun Sharma.

The workshop focused on new plant based food products, innovative recipes and repurposed ingredients in line with paradigm shift taking place in global food Industry as healthier food. As recommended by the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology the plant based food alternative and effects at culinary institutes is crucial to cater the increasing consumer demand for sustainable and ethically produced food. The workshop’s vision was to educate citizens on social and ethical concerns of the food industry especially the students who are the future of this industry, to ignite conversations about animal welfare and motivate them to make conscious food choices.

The recipe demonstrated during workshop by Chef Varun were Coconut Cream, Green Smoothie Soy/Peanut Yoghurt, Mango Banana Nice-Cream With Coconut Cream, No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies and Vegan Fried Chicken. Dr. Bhupesh & Chef Rajnish Singh of IHM Ranchi and Mr. Arnab & Mrs. Radhika C.Rao concluded the two days workshop with vote of thanks to Chef Varun and all the attendees. In his closing remarks Dr. Bhupesh Kumar said that the workshop was successful in sparking a sense of companion towards animal and the duty of students as citizens to help create a humane, sustainable food industry.

Vikram Aditya Singh joins The Leela Palace Udaipur as General Manager

Key Take Away

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has announced the appointment of Vikram Aditya Singh as the General Manager of The Leela Palace Udaipur. 

He comes with a rich experience of over two decades wherein he has been associated with some of the iconic domestic and international hotels.

Singh has spearheaded many successful projects and has risen to fame with his distinguished approach and proficiency.

For More Information Click Below:

www.hotelierindia.com/operations/11221-vikram-aditya-singh-joins-the-leela-palace-udaipur-as-general-manager

Campus Reopening: EHL Becomes the World’s Best-Equipped Hospitality School for a Digital Future

key Take Away

After two months of campus closure and confinement, EHL Group announces the reopening of its campuses

In order to ensure the best conditions for the return to the campus, the School has put in place a complete disinfection plan and has reviewed all its teaching methods, technologies, and on-site facilities.

 In total, more than 7,000 hours of courses have been given online since the beginning of the containment, with close to a hundred professors who had to switch their entire programs to distance learning in just a few days.

For More Information Click Below :

indiaeducationdiary.in/campus-reopening-ehl-becomes-the-worlds-best-equipped-hospitality-school-for-a-digital-future/