The Hindu : Front Page : Ready to tickle taste buds

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 10, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Ready to tickle taste buds

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA : His father wanted him to do something different. Coming from a Defence background and opting for a kitchen-training programme may sound an odd choice. But then, his father wanted him to be different and so he scrupulously followed the instruction and became a chef, a corporate chef at that.

O.P. Khantwal set out in pursuit of success and the mad chase was unstoppable until he scaled envious heights. The obsession to stand out in the crowd was mainly prompted by a couple of fascinating factors - being a successful chef meant securing a passport to travel across the world and getting to meet highfliers besides the advantage of finding only happy faces around.

Taking pride in being the corporate chef of ITC Welcome Group's chain of Fortune hotels, Khantwal cannot wait to tickle the taste buds of city-dwellers too. His keen eyes gleam as he watches workers lending a regal touch to the magnificent structure Hotel Fortune Murali Park -- that promises to be the most happening place in the city.

Smiling with the effusion of an enthusiast, who is ready to explore newer facets of a gourmet spread, he narrates with patience the numerous modes that help him to be a multi-tasking chef.

The founder president of the Culinary Association of Andhra Pradesh, Khantwal, is also the regional director of the Indian Federation for Culinary Association.

Training

After completing the training programme at the Oberoi School of Hotel Management, New Delhi, he was chosen for foreign assignments with Hilton International and Sheraton Worldwide.

He took over his first assignment as an executive chef in 1984 after returning to India and joining Oberoi International, New Delhi. In 1992, he shifted to the ITC hotels. A food crafter who has researched, studied and experimented through his culinary skills across the world, Khantwal is now eager to feast the city on a range of delectable delicacies that would be an out-of-the-world experience. His mantra to entice the city is to blend world cuisines even while taking care not to deprive people of the local flavours. Khantwal would visit the city every month to oversee the smorgasbord at the Mural Park.

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