Exclusive Interview | Chef Shamsul Wahid, Group Executive Chef of Impresario Handmade Restaurants
/“ Understand what your customer wants and overdeliver to become a Successful chef”
Editor: How did it all start? Share your culinary journey with us
As a family, we love cooking and eating by the time we finish lunch we used to start thinking about what we would have for dinner. So the love for cooking and eating was pretty much in my DNA. My leap into professional cooking happened during my time at IHM Mumbai where I was fortunate to be taught my basics by the best Chefs like Chef Coelho, Chef Jaeson, and Chef Mugdha. I was fortunate enough to start my first serious job on a Cruise Ship which was a kind of Baptism by Fire. Worked a lot learned a lot gained hands-on knowledge of some of the most exotic and expensive ingredients and this exposure really helped me when I matured enough to run a kitchen. When I hung my boots as a sailor I started working for Impresario at Smoke House Grill and the Culinary freedom we get in this company has made me a better chef definitely but the learning curve is still very steep and we keep doing new things for new brands new outlets every day. So the journey is still very exciting. Different days, Different problems, Different solutions, Different solutions to the same problem. Never a dull moment
Editor: What are your earliest memories of the kitchens you worked in
As a Chef, I was very fortunate to always work in high-pressure kitchens. During my early stages on Cruise Ships where a small team would dish out over a thousand meals every day. It was really the best learning a chef could get about managing time and about correcting things and generally thinking on your feet. And later when I was heading a kitchen of Smoke House Grill I could apply this and came as second nature to me and I could think more about creating dishes as my day-to-day running was like clockwork. Now when I am responsible for multiple kitchens coz of this experience I am able to create as well as standardize things more easily as creativity is not always an issue for me so I can focus on simplifying standardizing and consistency.
Editor: A dish your patrons/guests love
I think our patrons mostly love our menus it’s very difficult to pinpoint a dish but I think people love our Boss Style Spaghetti so much that we do it across both our brands
Editor: A dish that you love but do not have on your menu
I love Baingan ka Bharta but I can’t put it on the menu for obvious reasons. Maybe someday I will
Editor: What according to you does it take to become a successful chef?
At the end of the day, a successful restaurant makes a successful chef. So be a team player and work with people. Keep thinking about how to make things faster, easier, and better. Understand what your customer wants and overdeliver. Keep things simple but keep them true. Understand your ingredients understand your tools and don’t be too orthodox
Editor: What advice would you give to a young culinary student?
My advice to a young Culinary Student or to any student would be to step into something only you feel is right in your bones because this profession is all about passion and it will challenge you at all levels.
Editor: What, according to you, will not change in the food business?
Good Food will always be good food no matter how and where and when you have it
