‘Cooking is like love. Both come from the heart; need a tender touch and a soulmate to relish it,’ says Chef Hemant Oberoi.
Executive Chef of The Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, Hemant is also the Grand Chef of the Taj Group of Hotels and the Corporate Chef of the Taj Group Luxury Hotels. Leading a team of 1,000 chefs, he oversees 23 hotels across the globe.
A ‘super chef’ who has fed prime ministers and visiting presidents as well as Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities and corporate heavy-weights, Hemant introduced ‘Varq’, the contemporary Indian brand at the Taj, and also launched the Japanese restaurant ‘Wasabi’ in Delhi with an incredible vegetarian spread.
Internationally recognized for his innovative approach to Indian cuisine with his promotion of ‘Masala Art’ and ‘Masala Kraft’ restaurants at the Taj hotels in New Delhi and Mumbai, he was awarded Executive Chef of the Year in 1993, and Guest Chef for the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore in 2002.
‘I want to outdo myself ... again and again,’ says Hemant. ‘What gives me utmost satisfaction is the spontaneous smile on the face of a guest after a satisfactory meal. Trying to better my best is the philosophy which drives me.’ The woman behind his success is none other than his wife Malika, a fact he acknowledges emphatically.
