Be a high-flying chef
Mandaar Sukhtankar at work. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar
CARE TO cook up some delicious dishes as a "halwaii" (sweet-maker) at a South Indian restaurant in Boston? Or perhaps on board a yacht on Lake Malawi in Malawi, Central Africa?
There are an amazing variety of jobs for those in the Hotel Management industry. Take a look at the site http://jobs.escapeartist.com/openings, and you'll find out that from Kosovo to Kozhikode, chefs are in great demand.
Mandaar Sukhtankar agrees. "In a hotel, half the revenue comes from the rooms division, the other half from the food and beverage (F&B) division," he says. Mr. Sukhtankar is Chef-De-Cuisine for the Park Hotel in Bangalore. And at just 31, he's the specialised chef of the Italian restaurants in the chain.
How did he get there? Mr. Sukhtankar is a graduate of the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), New Delhi. There are IHMs across the country affiliated to the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology.
"Students wanting to get into this line need a basic Hotel Management degree. It teaches you the fundamentals — handling the front office, housekeeping, food and beverage (F&B) production and F&B services," he says.
But students must also study a foreign language. "French is a necessity because many culinary terms are in French."
You can do such courses right after pre-university. The IHMs, for example, have an entrance examination. Courses run by hotel chains such as ITC or the Taj group may have their own procedures. "You could top your class and have great technical and language skills, but you must also be passionate about food and know how to cook," Mr. Sukhtankar points out.
Placement
Usually, the institutes arrange for campus interviews with established hotel chains. These sessions can get really tough. "You will face an entire panel. There will be written portion, a group discussion and a viva voce (to test your technical knowledge). A psychoanalyst will be around to see how you cope with various case-studies," says the chef.
A good hotel could then train you further for a year or more. Mr. Sukhtankar, for instance, trains chefs to set up Italian restaurants in Park properties.
Fees
Hotel Management courses are expensive. Eleven years ago, Mr. Sukhtankar paid Rs. 35,000. "Now, you could pay over Rs. 3 lakh as fees for one year." Swiss institutes charge Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 30 lakh.
"But their programmes are better structured than the Indian ones."
Choose wisely
Mr. Sukhtankar advises students to go for an established course. "In Bangalore alone, there are over 30 institutes, most are fly-by-night ones. The problem is that there is no rating system for Hotel Management courses," he explains.
Pay
Starting pay for a trainee at the supervisory level ranges from Rs. 3,500 to Rs. 8,000 a month.
At Mr. Sukhtankar's level and at the Executive Chef position, pay can vary from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 4-6 lakh a month. "Foreign chefs earn the most. Now, though, hotels take fewer expatriate chefs."
The chef says the job is glamorous. "I've had calls from sheikhs and oil-czars asking me to be their personal chef, but frankly, that doesn't excite me," he confesses.
But behind the fat pay packet, there's lots of hard work. He regularly logs 12-14 hours a day. "You also need to be physically fit to lug around huge cauldrons of food. That is why you find few women chefs," he explains.
Opportunities
There's a high rate of attrition in the industry. Other hotel chains try to lure you away. "Now, some trainees work in call centres, others opt for cruise liners where they'll get paid in dollars. So yes, it is good if more young people join the industry," Mr. Sukhtankar adds.
So, if you've done a course from a recognised institute and are passionate about cooking, the world is yours.
DIVYA SREEDHARAN
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