Chef Dinesh’s Journey from a Village School Boy to Reels Star

STORY

Over 685,000 followers on Instagram are going gaga over Chef Dinesh’s posts and Reels. How does he balance a hectic professional assignment in the kitchen with prolific shoots for social media content? We asked Chef Dinesh from Accord Metropolitan, a proud student of celebrity Chef Venkatesh Bhatt.

@ChefDinu’s fare has found numerous fans in the real world. And his pull power online seems to be from one-minute authentic recipes, secrets to mastering exotic and original vegetarian dishes, and an inside view from the real world of a hotel kitchen.

In conversation with Lifeandtrendz.com, Dinesh opens up on his cooking skills, inspirational chefs, favourite cooking shows, recipes and more. Edited excerpts:

When did you realize that you wanted to become a Chef? What sparked the interest in the profession?

I started cooking at a very young age due to my family situation. I lost my mom early. I used to cook with my friends in my village and then I got appreciated for my cooking at home. That was the spark. But I did not choose this profession just because I was good at cooking. I failed my 12th grade and I wanted to join a course using only my 10th score. And I thought there is a good opportunity for catering and so I chose it. I was interested in cooking and knew a little about it, but not as a career. It was all because of circumstances and our financial condition that I chose this career.

You have studied at the Oscar Catering Institute at Vellore. How did your education prepare you for the job?

When it comes to other jobs, your degrees will definitely help you. But to become a chef, education alone will not support you. You should be physically and mentally strong. When we do the course, it’s all theory. But when it comes to working in the kitchen practically – working long hours, under workload pressure, standing for hours – practical knowledge will be much more helpful than theoretical knowledge.

At the early stage of one’s career, practical experience will be more helpful. Only when you come for training will you get to know more about cooking rather than while in college.

But then, when you go for positions like Supervisor, then education will help you a lot.

Do you believe that today a professional education is mandatory to be a successful chef? How does it help?

Yes, 100 pc. Professional education is mandatory to be a successful chef. One of my seniors used to say that there is a difference between a professional chef and a cook (samayal-kaaran). Although both are considered to be chefs, there’s a difference. At what temperature should the food be prepared? Name of the dish and serving… It is essential to inculcate education to organise these things. To maintain a standard of preparing food at particular consistency and texture in hotels and restaurants, you need to know the food standards, for which, education is a must. Educational qualification will help you upgrade your position to the next level, or even say to work abroad.

How would you define cooking?

Every individual will have his or her own definition of cooking. According to me, I consider my cooking career as god-given. I did not plan to choose this career but what I have achieved is comparatively huge (than if I had chosen any other career). I have been in a better position in the chosen career than I thought I would. So, my job is divine.

What is your best dish? And what is the best appreciation you have received till date for a dish?

I got appreciation mostly for vegetarian dishes. I have got appreciation from a few well-known chefs.

Firstly, late Chef Jacob (who appeared in Sun TV cooking program ( Aaha Enna Rusi), appreciated my chutney recipe which I prepared for actor Vikram. “You did very well. What are the other dishes you prepare? You have a specific talent,” he had said.

Secondly, celebrity Chef Venkatesh Bhatt. He trusted me with preparing an Onam special for almost 800 Keralites that got appreciated. Even before their appreciation, it was Bhatt Sir who appreciated me. That was in the early stages of my career. Those are my two huge appreciations in my entire life.

Name one dish that went terribly wrong (at any stage of your career) and how you made up for it or made it better.

I would say not one dish but two – Aappam and Ada Pradhaman. There are certain dishes like sambar and poriyal which we can make easily. Thinking that it would be a similar exercise, I started preparing Aappam for the menu. But it did not come out well with the perfect texture. The guests were not amused. However, it was my mistake to prepare the dish without enough practice as a chef. So, I did learn that lesson. From then on, I started practising and trying different types of Aappam with the help of senior and junior chefs and techniques. After which, I aced the method of preparing the best Aappam.

Next comes Ada Pradhaman, a delish dessert from Kerala cuisine. It was to be prepared by Chef Venkatesh Bhatt Sir but I thought of making it before he came in. The dessert was so hard when he came and checked it. He got a bit tense but we later sorted it out. There are reasons why our seniors say certain things, which we should listen to and act accordingly.

Cut to now, I can prepare both the dishes easily and perfectly. At that time, those were two recipes which went terribly wrong.

What can’t you live without in the kitchen? What are your favourite ingredients?

One thing that I cannot live without in the kitchen is my Uruli vessel – a traditional cookware. I have a sentimental attachment to it, regardless of me being a non-sentimental person. I will prepare any type of dish using the vessel, including Fried Rice, Pasta or Puliyodharai. It gives me such confidence. It was used by Chef Venkatesh Bhatt, followed by me. I have been using it for nearly eight years. If that vessel is not there in the kitchen, then I will be upset.

There is nothing like a favourite ingredient of mine but there is one important ingredient – oil. Without oil, we cannot cook. If we talk about my favourite ingredient, I would say mushrooms, and then prawns. Although I cook vegetarian dishes, I like to eat non-vegetarian food too.

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How do you monitor the quality of dishes?

The quality of ingredients comes first. Be it vegetables or meats, the quality of ingredients matters the most. Vegetables that are not of the best quality can actually change the texture and consistency of dishes.

Secondly, cooking temperature plays a major role. As a chef, you have to know the level of flame to use for preparing different stages of a recipe. Thirdly, the food should be served to the guests at the right time to get the most out of it.

How do professional chefs handle high pressure situations in the kitchen? Is there a system to avoid conflicts amongst staff?

There is a system to avoid conflicts amongst kitchen staff. Professional chefs do have emotions and it does come out at times. At the end of the day, we are all humans. Everything is usually fine until someone complains about you.

On the other hand, we have senior staff who guide us in the kitchen. They may scold us for some mistakes, because that person is responsible for what we do. So, it is understandable in some way. This will come across as respect if he is like a guru guiding and treating us in the proper way.

Beyond this, if someone is offended or feels targeted or harassed, then the person can complain to the HR and immediate action will be taken. The hotel is a safe place for all employees, men and women.

When it comes to working under pressure, we have no other go but to work. We will have personal issues and it may sometimes carry over to the working hours. We have no other choice but to work with will power to overcome the hard days.

Besides being busy in a large hotel’s culinary work, how do you manage to shoot Reels and post regularly on Instagram?

Mostly, I shoot videos of what I prepare for the guests. So, I feel like I am not working separately for it. Comparatively, shooting at home becomes difficult for me. At the end of the day, if we want something or are passionate about something, we have to do it ourselves.

Sometimes, it consumes a lot of time. But we are not doing it to waste time but to earn. Above all, the talent will be recognized – which is most important for me.

This was not the same case for people back then. They would have struggled to get recognised. Because of the popularity and growth of social media today, people are connected and you recognise my talent easily through my videos. What if there was no technology? I could not have done any of this; not without a background.

Meanwhile, my juniors help me to shoot Reels and they are even more excited like I was to work with Chef Venkatesh Bhatt at the beginning of my career. And like him, my juniors know that if I prosper, I will make them flourish as well.

Is being on social media a passion or is it an essential extension of a chef’s profession today?

I listen to Audio Books. I remember some words from it. Something like, “If a person wants to become a Superstar or powerful, then what will be the person’s position after achieving it? What can s/he do with the title alone if there’s no salary (attached to it)?” But there are people who are doing things because of their passion on social media.

On the other hand, the definition of being wealthy may differ from person to person. But frankly speaking, to earn respect, we need to be wealthy in today’s world.

Through passion, we can earn both money and respect. So, I found my passion and I wanted to work on it.

However, I did not do anything focused only on the money. In fact, I ignored doing certain things on social media, even when I was offered huge amounts. For example, I will not encourage drinking alcohol. I will follow certain ethics and morals.

But it is not an essential extension of a chef’s profession. Today, it may be an exciting thing to see one or two chefs on social media. But when hundreds of chefs land on social media, this will turn out to be the normal thing. It is not that everyone who knows cooking is not equipped to post videos. The harsh truth is that the chefs are not ready to open up the secrets of their recipes. However, it may change in the future.

Money is important. Even if we wish to support needy people, we need money. If you wish to be respected or want to bring a change to society, you have to hone yourself as a strong person firstly. While some people can create change through words, I cannot do the same. So, what I have is my occupation, through which I wish to bring a change in society.

What are your favourite cooking shows? Who are your favourites on Masterchef Australia and why?

I don’t watch Masterchef Australia. I like travel cooking shows. But my favourite cooking show is Chef’s Table, a Netflix series. It showcases a Professional Chef named Grant Achatz, an American. Their style of cooking is totally different and the series is all about how the chefs work in the restaurant and how they prepare the menu.

Unfortunately, I did not get any opportunity to master my plating skill. But this chef from the series insisted on evoking all the senses of the guests. He further explained how foods should create magic. It was very new for me and I loved watching it. Chef Achatz’s restaurant in the US has customers reserving six months prior. Through the show, I got to know that they even do research on foods; they promise to provide a life-time experience for the guests through their recipes.

Wondering how they do it? They serve foods which will activate your senses. They will make guests sit in a dark room and bring foods from above, swinging. Another concept is that they will bring a sugar balloon which will pop and melt in the air. It will include the flavours of what you are going to eat. It will pop near your face before you start eating. That’s how they provide a magical feel. It is a complete treat.

Chef Achatz faced enough struggles in his personal life and he then became a chef again and has an inspirational life story. He also explained how he wanted to grab the attention of guests through food without any distraction – just like people do while watching the films as the visuals are such a treat. So, what chef Grant Achatz does cannot be done by everyone. I did not come across any of the chefs talking about it and so while watching it, I am inspired. Although I cannot implement it completely, I tried creating attention through my recipe videos.

Do you aspire to be on cooking reality shows some day? If yes, which ones?

I am not interested in competitive cooking reality shows. But l am interested in travel-cooking, cooking in the wild, and research while cooking authentic dishes. For example, I like visiting a village and cooking some forgotten dishes. In the future, I may travel down that path.

How do you handle food waste just in case it occurs?

When it comes to food waste, there are some categories. There are several ways to control food waste in hotels. It should be controlled when receiving the ingredients in the first place. For example, we need to do quality checks and quantity (excess) of vegetables.

And if there is extra food, most people may think about providing it to an orphanage or similar home. But there was an issue when one of the hotels did it. So, it should be provided at the right time – calculating the time of cooking to time of consumption – to avoid food poisoning and other health issues.

We try to avoid food waste in the first place. We should also prepare the right quantity of food. Suppose if there is a very little amount of food left, then it will be provided to the staff. But there should not be an overload.

We calculate and cook for people by analysing the type of functions or gatherings and counts.

Tell us about the chefs who inspired you and why.

I started liking Chef Grant Achatz from Chef’s Table series, instantly. I like the way the chef thinks. He is one of my inspirations. There are so many other chefs I have to research about. However, the first chef I got inspired by was Late Chef Jacob and then Chef Venkatesh Bhatt Sir. I have been working with Bhatt Sir for about 8 years and he has proved the potential of a Chef. They are my inspirations.

What are your future ambitions as a Professional Chef?

Since I stepped into the media platform, I can only showcase what I know but I cannot learn even more. But it can be possible if I continue to be in the cooking field as a Professional Chef. I wish to flourish in my peculiar cuisine.

I am strong in South Indian cuisine but I have to reinforce my skills in it by developing myself to reach greater heights. Currently I am at a very small stage and I have to sharpen my communication and technical skills.

Do you cook at home? If yes, what do you cook, and how does your family react to it?

I do not cook at home mostly. I wish to take rest at home – this is a restless job along with which comes Instagram Reels. But if I cook one dish at home, it is Biryani as my family asks for it. They like it the most.

What is the one dish you love made at home?

It is the ‘Killipotta Sambar’. It will be subtle and flavourful in taste. It is more like a comfort food for me. My wife nails it every time and I ask for it often.

BLURBS

Because of the popularity and growth of social media today, people are connected and you recognise my talent easily through my videos. What if there was no technology? I could not have done any of this; not without a background.
____________________________________________________

It is not that everyone who knows cooking is not equipped to post videos. The harsh truth is that the chefs are not ready to open up the secrets of their recipes. However, it may change in the future.
________________________________________________________

While some people can create change through words, I cannot do the same. So, what I have is my occupation, through which I wish to bring a change in society.

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