Current job
Currently, I am the executive chef for a nutritional meal prep and catering company based out of Vancouver that caters to various diets such as Keto, low carb, plant-based, vegetarian and diabetic. I help develop menus while working with nutritionists and dieticians to cater to people with various dietary restrictions or preferences.
Influence and inspiration
My parents, especially my mom, has been my number one food idol. Coming from an Indian background, being around my mum in the kitchen, watching her cook, always trying things and gradually helping her, really got me to fall in love with food. Since a very young age, I always knew I wanted to be a chef and the moment I told my parents that, they were fully on board with the idea and supported me with every step towards getting here. I owe my journey so far into the Canadian food industry all to them.
Standout NC experiences
Niagara College has truly been the foundation of my culinary life. Filling out that application form about eight years ago to get into NC was the best decision of my life. The level of chef professors and faculty at Niagara College is just phenomenal; they will always go above and beyond to help you and guide you through every class — every step of your time there. The amount of support and the positive push that I got from the chefs at Niagara College was very crucial to me at the time and, looking back at it now, I would never be where I am if it wasn’t for their guidance.
I was on the board of directors for the NC Student Administrative Council and in the two years of my Culinary Management program I was involved with numerous events at the College’s Benchmark restaurant, seafood galas, Decadence event, Icewine festivals and culinary competitions such as Caps, Corks and Forks. I also volunteered and helped the international department with open houses, orientations and cultural festivals.
All these voluntary experiences eventually led me to be awarded with the prestigious Ontario Youth Volunteer Award in 2014. I really owe it some amazing professors like Chef Olaf Mertens and Avi Hollo, and to the amazing [former] college president, Dr. Dan Patterson, who always had my back and that didn’t stop after I graduated. To this day, I am honoured to be in touch with them and be able to still pick up the phone and call them without any hesitation – may it be for any professional advice or just to say “hi.”
You just don’t see that in every college; the professors are so much involved in your life, even after you have graduated almost six years ago.
Career words of wisdom
One simple advice that I got back when I was just starting my culinary education and have always passed it on to anyone looking to get into the culinary industry … ‘You need to 100% love what you are doing and, if you don’t, then you shouldn’t do it.’
It’s easy to do something because you think it might be good for you but when you actually get to it, it’s different or it’s something that you never thought how it would be.
Do anything and everything with your whole heart in it and not because someone told you to. The hospitality industry can be daunting. It’s not glamorous and it definitely isn’t easy but if you really love cooking, and if food brings you joy, then it is the right career for you.
You won’t see the results of your hard work right away, maybe not even for a few years, but with your end goal in mind and the continuous drive to push to get to that goal is what will get you there. I was lucky enough to have found that drive earlier in my life and even luckier to have been able to apply that drive with the help of such incredible faculty at Niagara College. Almost 10 years in this industry, I still love it as much as I did when I decided to get into it.
The hospitality industry can be daunting. It’s not glamorous and it definitely isn’t easy but if you really love cooking, and if food brings you joy, then it’s the right career for you.”
