On Friday, Nov 25, we had a very interesting session by Chef Sudhakar N Rao, founder Director / Principal of the Culinary Academy of India. He is the first person to author a book on the authentic cuisine of Telangana, called Aromas of Telangana. The book is still not on sale and only complimentary copies are being distributed.
About Chef Sudhakar N Rao
Chef Sudhakar N Rao was instrumental in introducing the Bachelor of Culinary Arts degree in India in 1996 with the approval from Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education and with affiliation to Osmania University. Today the Bachelor of Culinary Arts is considered a professional qualification to become a chef in Europe and America. The Culinary Academy of India is also the first professional culinary college in India to offer a full-fledged Post Graduate Diploma in Culinary Arts. The concept of simulated Cruise Galley training started in 2003 by Chef Sudhakar N Rao has generated almost 7500 jobs for the young Indian chefs in the global cruise industry.
Chef Sudhakar has been adjudged as the Best Culinary Educator of India by the Indian Federation of Culinary associations. He was the Chef Director for the record setting ‘World’s Longest Cold Meat Platter ‘ measuring 30 feet long and 8 feet broad. He is the world record holder for the “Maximum Number of Cakes Displayed at One time at a Single Venue”. He has led the team for the Tallest Cup Cake Christmas Tree World Record -2017. Chef Sudhakar is the Guinness Book Record Holder for the highest number of international breads displayed at a single venue. Recently BRAND CAI has bagged a World Record for the Tallest Chef Hat in the World. Chef Sudhakar has received the prestigious award for the best catering and culinary institute in Andhra Pradesh from the Department of Tourism, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh.
How he became a chef
In 1984, when Chef Sudhakar finished his intermediate, most of his friends were looking for admission to engineering, medicine, dental or other professional courses. But he wanted to do something which would leverage his strengths in drawing and painting. Many laughed at him for aspiring to be a cook and wanting to serve food in a hotel when his father who was an important politician could have easily arranged a seat in a Dental college in Karnataka.
Those days, especially in South India, the hotel field was looked down upon. In fact, there’s a saying in Telugu that if somebody is missing you should go and search in a nearby hotel. He will be working there or sleeping there because he will get both employment and food.
Fortunately, Chef Sudhakar stuck to his own decision. Today, he has achieved much more than many of his friends who chose a conventional stream of education. Moreover, thanks to his work, culinary arts has become one of the important career options available for the students pursuing higher education in India.
Setting up a culinary institute
After working for a couple of years in India, Mr Sudhakar realized that opportunities were limited in the country. To get more exposure and broaden his perspectives, he went to work for the Walt Disney Premier Cruise Line. He quickly understood that culinary arts was one of the top professions in Europe. He also realized that the Indian education system had failed him. All he had got was a diploma in hotel management. There was no distinction in the curriculum between food production and hospitality. In the absence of this bifurcation, students were poorly trained for the jobs they would opt for.
Mr Sudhakar got the idea of starting a culinary training institute in India and wanted to bifurcate hotel management into hospitality and culinary arts. At that time, the Bachelor of Culinary Arts course was not available in India. He had to run from pillar to post and collect documentary evidence to substantiate the utility of such a program. Finally, in 1996, the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education issued a government Order approving the course which was affiliated to Osmania University.
Chef Sudhakar started with a batch size of 40, which went up to 80 in a few years. Since then, he has not increased the intake. The selection to the course is based on an all-India exam, a group discussion, and a personal interview. Only one out of five applicants get admission. So far 2500 people have graduated while 7500 have done other courses. The attrition is less than 5%.
Chef Sudhakar feels that anyone who has completed the Culinary Arts course successfully will do well in an industry which is tough and demanding. Unlike other courses, Chef Sudhakar’s program offers more practical inputs (70%) and less theory (30%). This emphasis on practical hands-on training is the key differentiator. Today, there is a lot of buzz around skill-based training but Chef Sudhakar had thought of this way back in 1996.
Concluding remarks
Chef Sudhakar expressed gratitude to his friends who stood by him, educationists who supported his idea and his wife Vijayalakshmi, who has been steadfast in her support.
Even after 27 years and many achievements, Chef Sudhakar believes in maintaining a low profile. He lets his work speak for itself. In today’s world of social media, it is tempting to indulge in self-promotion with superficial 2 minute videos. But people will see through such gimmicks.
Chef Sudhakar concluded that it is important for us to chase our passion, live with it, and work hard to maintain the level or position we reach. He has encouraged his son to pursue his passion. Right from his childhood (age of 10), his sporting talent was evident. Today, he is a successful third division footballer in the Spanish league (Barcelona). No mean achievement for someone who is just 18. In short, we must give heart and soul to what we want to achieve. If we do that, no one can stop us.
Q&A
On the Indian cuisine landscape
Indian cuisine has been traditionally classified into:
- North: Tandoori roti, nan, chicken kabab, etc
- South: idly, sambar, Chettinad, appam stew, etc
- East: Oriya, Bengali, North east, etc
- West: Gujarati, Marathi, etc
- Central
Regional cuisine is becoming passe. Sub regional is the way forward. Thus, we talk less about Telugu cuisine today. It has become bifurcated into Andhra and Telangana cuisines. In fact, there are also specialty restaurants serving sub regional cuisine. A good example is the Park in Hyderabad, which has a restaurant for Deccan cuisine.
Food business: Critical success factors
Many restaurants open with a lot of fanfare only to close a few months later. The main reason is that most people who are entering the industry (90%) do not have experience in this domain. It is important to appoint professionals and empower them to take care of the operations and all the technical aspects like cuisine, interiors, décor, etc. Only professionals can handle this and they must be involved right at the concept stage. The owners can bring in the money and manage the finances but the core operations should be left to the professionals.
The two key success factors in the restaurant business are product manoeuvring and quality. Food has great psychological value and is also close to our heart. Quality is important. If there are quality problems, there will be bad word of mouth publicity and the news can spread rapidly on social media. It is also important to keep the menu fresh and vibrant.
There should not be lethargy when it comes to the menu. While a complete revision of the menu cannot be done frequently, special items at designated times of the day or on designated days are necessary to make sure that the customers keep coming back. The restaurant should have a chef who is qualified, open to ideas and is innovative.
Marketing Indian cuisine abroad
In 1990-91, Mr Sudhakar along with a friend started a restaurant in Miami, Florida. Though it was a favourite tourist spot, the business did not do well. The blunder they had made was to offer very spicy food (like in India). When they came back with a less spicy menu and a new name for the restaurant, Indian Khana, the business took off in no time. The lesson is that the menu should be tweaked taking into account the local tastes and food preferences. It is also important to have a long-term view of the business. Then only we can succeed. It takes time to enrol customers. (The UK is, however, different as Indian food has gained widespread acceptance there.) The market is huge. Only 10-15% of the families in America and Europe cook food at home.
Leadership in culinary arts
The food business depends heavily on people. Only about 20% of the operations can be handled by machines. Leaders in the business should be able to carry the team along and be knowledgeable about the trends. Many of the people are young without much experience. So they have to be groomed or trained in specific skills. This means that the leaders must be good mentors and teachers and must necessarily be patient with people, who should feel psychologically comfortable. Regular training is important to improve the skills of people. Unlike many other businesses which are formula based, making great food involves intuition and a good use of the five senses.
Food Aggregator platforms
Aggregation is a good idea. But for the idea to really take off, the different players must come together and collaborate. Currently restaurants make a margin of 30-35% and in some cases, 38-40% if the business is managed really well by the chef. The aggregator platforms expect a fee of 25-28%. In that case what will be left for the restaurant operators? At the same time, the restaurant owners cannot manage without the aggregators. The need of the hour is amicable discussions (facilitated by the government or the industry association) that can lead to a viable and sustainable arrangement for all the players. Currently the arrangements are too one sided in favour of the aggregators and it becomes difficult for the restaurants to sustain themselves for long in the market.
Patents
Chef Sudhakar’s area of specialization is cooking food hot and serving cold, like desserts, etc. Innovation is routine in this field. Chef Sudhakar has not applied for any patents so far. But every day, he does come out with new concepts. Patenting is difficult, as food takes various forms and shapes and changes from locality to locality. All the five world records of Chef Sudhakar are not from Indian cuisine but from classical European cuisine. He wanted to prove that Indian chefs are second to none and are good even in continental cuisine.
Cloud kitchens
Cloud kitchens only deliver food. They do not have dine in customers. So, they operate with less overheads. They are an integral part of the restaurant business and are a welcome addition to the industry. We must remember that the food industry in India is largely unorganized but generates about 30% of the employment (direct and indirect) in the country. All around us, we see many food outlets each employing at least 3-4 people. So, we should encourage the growth of the industry. It is important that the different segments of the industry (including cloud kitchens) come together and collaborate for the benefit of the entire industry.
On the role of AI
We cannot escape technology. The non-skilled areas (about 20-30%) will get automated. But in areas where skills are involved, AI will have a less important role. In the food business, customer psychology and the personal touch are important. These include presentation of the food, talking to the guests, etc. Here, AI will not play a big role.
Blending Indian and western cuisine
This will not happen. There is a lot of hype about fusion cuisine started by the new generation of chefs. But we must note that Indian cuisine is unique, and time tested. The Indian cuisine ethics is very different. So Indian cuisine will retain its identity and will not merge with continental food.
On the McDonaldization of Indian food
Indian cuisine has different traditions and customs. A simple formula cannot be applied. Fast foods are different. It is about filling the stomach and not about enjoying the food. So, the McDonald’s model may be more difficult to apply. However, standardization may be possible in case of specific food items. Later, Chef Sudhakar mentioned that vending machines for soup and noodles are already very popular and similar machines have been set up for idlis also, in Bangalore. These machines are amenable to analytics and customization. Post Covid, hygiene and safety are taking precedence over taste. People want minimum handled food, carefully packed, safe to consume and with a longer shelf life. Such requirements will give an impetus to standardization and automation.
Chef owned restaurants and Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) are also becoming popular. QSRs can be seen in every nook and corner and are becoming popular in Tier 2 cities as well. There is some scope for mechanization but they also employ many culinologists who blend food science and culinary arts which is the key for freezing, canning and bottling of frozen foods.
Role of herbs in cooking
Herbs and spices, an Ayurvedic tradition, are an integral part of Indian cuisines. The addition of herbs and spices gives Indian cuisine medicinal value. However, we must know how to use the herbs. Some cannot be fried. Others cannot be boiled. The impact of heat varies from herb to herb.
Hotels vs Cruise lines
Some people are ok with taking the long route (slow and stable growth) to success. Others are impatient and want to make money quickly. For the first group, working in hotels is preferable while the second group will find cruise lines to their liking.
While there are many similarities between hotels and cruise lines, there are some important differences as well. The cruise business gives exposure to multicultural teams. People get valuable experience working with European chefs and become used to working long hours. It also provides training in making a large number of meals (1500) in a small amount of time. Both are good career options. It is ultimately a matter of individual choice.
On the impact of the pandemic
The restaurant business was badly hit by the pandemic. The food industry depends on tourism, events, exhibitions, conferences, seminars, airlines, etc. All of them were hit by Covid. After a tough period, the industry is bouncing back and will be back with a bang in the next 6 months to a year.
Similarities between education and the food business
In both industries, there is a need for qualified experts. Just like customer psychology is important in the food business, learner psychology is important in education. There are taste buds in education also. Personalization is important. All students do not learn in the same way. Just like leaders in the hotel industry, teachers must be mentors. Besides being experts, they must also inspire and support students. And as in the hotel industry, the Indian education sector has also produced talent for the global market.
Chef Sudhakar suggested that IFHE should develop management programs exclusively focused on the hotel industry. The courses available currently are more like tunnel bridge courses, i.e. with little customization. Qualified backend professionals are not easily available and the professionals working in the industry are functional, not domain experts. Chef Sudhakar agreed to review and provide feedback on the hospitality and tourism courses currently offered by ICFAI in the Northeast.
