Chef Aashutosh Shende Interview

In a brief interaction with ItsGoa, Chef Aashutosh Shende, Sous Chef at Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa, Goa, shared details about his life, his journey in the hospitality industry, his favourite Goan dishes, and lots more.

ItsGoa In Conversation With Chef Aashutosh Shende

Chef Aashutosh Shende serves as the Sous Chef at Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa, Goa. A native of Nagpur, Chef Aashutosh’s journey in the culinary world has seen him working for some of the toprated hotel chains in the world, including Four Points by Sheraton, The Lodhi, and Shangri-La. He has also worked with celebrity chefs Gary Rhodes and Vikas Khanna.

In a brief tete-a-tete with ItsGoa, Chef Aashutosh shared insights into his life, his career as a chef, his favourite Goan dishes, and lots more.

Tell Us A Bit About Yourself

I hail from Nagpur. However, I did my schooling in Delhi. After completing my schooling, I pursued my degree in Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Hyderabad.

What Was Your Childhood Ambition?

Becoming a chef was my ambition from childhood and I feel truly blessed that it fructified.

What Inspired You To Take Up Culinary Arts As A Full-Time Career?

My passion and love for cooking and experimenting with different recipes has been the motivating factor behind my decision to take up culinary arts as my full-time profession.

How Did Your Interest In Cooking Begin? Was There Any Incident That Took Place During Your Childhood That Led To You Developing A Strong Interest In Cooking?

I had a happy childhood and I remember when I was as young as ten, I would help my mother chop vegetables and sauté. When the end result was a success, I always felt that I was part of the process and that somehow, my contribution helped in making the dish taste better. This thrill enticed me to start preparing dishes from scratch to the finish by the time I was 14 years of age.

At times, when my parents were out of town, I would call friends over to my house and cook for them. It became a regular affair since guests would often visit and ask me to cook something for them. www.itsgoa.com tomato carpaccio, goat cheese, Taggiasca olives & capers

Take Us Through The Journey Of Your Professional Career After You Completed Your Higher Studies.

I started my career at Four Points by Sheraton, Visakhapatnam as a Commie. Later, I moved to The Lodhi Hotel in Delhi (Formally, it was Aman Resort). After a year, I travelled overseas to work with Michelin Star Chefs. I was blessed with the opportunity to work under Chef Gary Rhodes in his outlet Rhodes Twenty10 at Le Royal Meridien, Dubai. This restaurant is a fine-dining steak house. Within four months, I got an opportunity to work directly with him on his upcoming restaurant Rhodes W1 at Grosvenor House, the Luxury Collection Hotel, Dubai as part of the pre-opening team.

With these pre-opening stints and a lot of experience under my wings, I chose to explore more about modern Indian Cuisine and joined Junoon Dubai by Chef Vikas Khanna as a CDP and got promoted to Jr. Sous Chef within a year.

I also worked at Shangri-La, Dubai and then moved to Shanghai and worked at The Tandoor –North Indian Speciality Restaurant, Michelin Bib Gourmet which has four outlets operating in China.

I returned back to India during the pandemic and joined Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa, Goa as a Sous Chef overseeing operations at Kokum Kitchen, the multi-cuisine coffee shop and banquets kitchen. Two years later I joined the preopening team for the debut launch of Paper Moon restaurant in the country. In my current role, I continue to be a part of the speciality Milanese cuisine restaurant.

Name A Fe Goan Dishes Which Are Your Personal Favourites.

Chicken Jirem Mirem, Fish Haldi Chilly and Goan Prawn Curry.

Name A Fe Dishes & Drinks Offered St Paper Moon Goa Which Are ery Popular With Diners. Popular Dishes At Paper Moon

Carpaccio Di Pomodori Con Caprino, Olive

Taggiasche e Capper

Pappardelle Paper Moon, Salsa Al Pomodoro, Panna E Bacon Croccant

Tiramisu' Paper Moon

Popular Drinks At Paper Moo

Watermelon & Mint Martin

Mayarit

Pineapple Sun

Did You Face Any Challenges During The Course Of Your Career As A Chef?

Opening a restaurant is always a challenge but when the restaurant is up and running with happy diners, all that apprehension, pain, challenge and heartache seems worth it.

There are times when I feel that I am missing important milestones of my personal life while honing my knowledge, skills, and talent at work. However, it has made me a better Chef and I am blessed to have been able to fulfil my childhood dream.

Could You Name A Few Celebrity Chefs (Both Indian As Well As Foreign) That You Look Up To For Inspiration And Consider As Your Role Models?

Indian Celebrity Chefs: Chef Vikas Khanna, Chef Vineet Bhatia, Chef Ranveer Brar, Chef Gagan Anandm, Chef Himanshu Saini

Foreign Celebrity Chefs: Chef Gary Rhodes, Chef Carlo Cracco, Chef Massimo Bottura, Chef Grant Achatz

Finally, What Thought Would You Like To Leave Our Readers With?

If you really want to know about honest Italian food, you must visit us at Paper Moon at Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa, Goa and allow us to serve you the best Italian dishes you have ever tried.