CULINARY MAESTRO : ALEX SANCHEZ

THE AWARD-WINNING CHEF, KNOWN FOR CHAMPIONING LOCAL PRODUCE, PIONEERING SMALL PLATES AND CONTINUALLY REINVENTING HIMSELF, DISCUSSES HIS PASSION FOR COMFORT FOOD AND EMBRACING FATHERHOOD

- ANINDITA DE

Alex, with your impressive culinary achievements, including recognition on the Food Superstars 2023 list by Culinary Culture and other prominent titles, it seems you prefer to remain behind the scenes. Could you share why that is?

I was blessed that when I first came to India that I received a lot of recognition for my work. It’s kind of exciting when you’re young and people want to interview and take pictures of you. After a while, though, you realise that getting recognition cannot be a goal unless you want to be famous. I never aimed to be a famous chef; all I wanted to be was a good chef, respected among my peers. So while I was really excited about it at the time, it’s not a priority for me anymore. I’ve got my small community on Instagram which I frequent every once in a while.

For me, I’m a thinker. I love coming into the restaurant every day, identifying problems and figuring out solutions. I really enjoy finding ways to make our food more consistent, or spending time on training the team, showing a new chef how to sharpen their knives. These are the day-to-day activities that bring me satisfaction.

From the time you came to India in 2011, how has the culinary landscape changed over the years in India?

When I first arrived, dining culture revolved around hotels. Rahul Akerkar’s Indigo and AD Singh’s Olive were among the first standalone restaurants to emerge from the 5-star scene. We knew early on that we stood on the shoulders of pioneers, particularly Rahul Akerkar, who offered a fine dining experience comparable to what celebrators would find at the Zodiac Grill at the Taj or the Oberoi.