BE THE CUSTOMERS' FRIEND, NOT THEIR SERVANT

You may not see Manu Chandra on reality cook shows or hawking his line of ladles and spatulas, but that has not stood in the way of this Delhi-born, New York-bred, Bengaluru resident from becoming a 'celebrity' chef who has won multiple 'Chef of the Year' awards and been noticed by the likes of The New York Times and Time magazine.

- K. SUNIL THOMAS

INTERVIEW/ Manu Chandra, chef & restaurateur

After picking up the tricks of the trade from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and a stint with the Michelin-starred Norwegian chef Eyvind Hellstrom, Chandra returned to India to join Olive Beach in Bengaluru in the mid-2000s. He has not looked back since, and became chef-partner with the likes of Monkey Bar, Fatty Bao and Toast & Tonic.

Right after the pandemic, Chandra left the Olive Group and started his independent business in partnership with longtime colleague Chetan Rampal. The business includes Lupa, an expansive restaurant in Bengaluru, and a bespoke catering set up and a digital creative studio. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

Q/How do you effortlessly straddle the spheres-being a chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur?

A/ Chefs, by virtue of what the profession is, are a very passionate masochistic bunch of people who chase perfection and not necessarily bottom lines. That can mar the development of a great business. A lot of good businessmen have been able to capture the sentiment that a chef possesses and then navigate it in the right direction to make sure that you're running a tenable business as well as a great food and beverage outlet. Or vice versa.

I have been fortunate enough to be the sort of chef who always knew that bottom lines were important. I understood that I will be in charge of the business and not just the kitchen, and I think I've always viewed a lot of what I've done in the past from that prism. I think that has stood me in good stead as a businessman from my previous role where I was answerable to a lot of directors.

Q/ Can you take us through your many restaurant ventures; what is it that has worked for all these places; why is it that one place works when another doesn't?