<p>Chef Ramasamy Selvaraju says that he couldn’t have been more thrilled. <br /> His culinary journey, which has not only been colourful but also adventurous, has finally borne fruit. <br /><br /></p>.<p>After 25 years in the hotel industry, Selvaraju has been adjudged as the ‘Best Chef in the Five Star Category’ by the ministry of tourism at the <br />Annual National Tourism Awards. <br /><br /> And Selvaraju sounds humble when he says, “There’s still a lot to learn and so much more to be discovered in the culinary world.” <br /><br />An executive chef with Vivanta by Taj (MG Road), Selvaraju has every reason to be proud. <br /><br />He has catered to the taste buds of who’s who across the globe. Pope John Paul II, AB Vajpayee, Amitabh Bachchan, Nawaz Sharif ... he has fed them all with the choicest of dishes. <br /><br />“I was thrilled when Amitabhji said badiya khana hai. And when I found the Pope relishing the dishes, I made changes according to his requirements,” recollects Selvaraju.<br /><br />Selvaraju has specialised in modern European cuisine and has served extensively with the Taj properties in Sri Lanka and Dubai before moving back to Bangalore where he lives with his family. <br /><br />Cooking is an art, believes Selvaraju, whose family was taken aback when he first told them that he wanted to study hotel management.<br /><br /> It was unusual those days for men to venture into the hearth but he managed to convince his parents and today, looking at Selvaraju, they understand that cooking goes beyond the four walls of a kitchen. <br /><br />“I cook straight from my heart and I don’t want to compromise on the quality of dishes. If I don’t find a particular ingredient, I make sure I hunt it down. I don’t believe in a half-baked job,” shares Selvaraju. <br /><br />The chef enjoys cooking fish, lamb, salads and stir fry stuff. “I toss into the frying pan things that look good. One must experiment with cooking, stay away from the set format and come up with something new. There are so many dishes that have emerged from my experiments and have worked well with the people,” feels <br />Selvaraju. <br /><br />Ask the chef about his food preferences and he quickly says without a second thought, “I like what my wife cooks and I largely stick to home-made food,” he <br />beams. He occasionally makes something special for his sons. <br /><br />“My children cook a little and I make some stir fry stuff for them, when they crave to have something different,” he adds. <br /><br />Why didn’t Selvaraju think of starting something of his own, perhaps a restaurant? <br /> “I am content with what I am doing at the moment but someday, maybe I will start something of my own,” he sums up. <br /></p>
<p>Chef Ramasamy Selvaraju says that he couldn’t have been more thrilled. <br /> His culinary journey, which has not only been colourful but also adventurous, has finally borne fruit. <br /><br /></p>.<p>After 25 years in the hotel industry, Selvaraju has been adjudged as the ‘Best Chef in the Five Star Category’ by the ministry of tourism at the <br />Annual National Tourism Awards. <br /><br /> And Selvaraju sounds humble when he says, “There’s still a lot to learn and so much more to be discovered in the culinary world.” <br /><br />An executive chef with Vivanta by Taj (MG Road), Selvaraju has every reason to be proud. <br /><br />He has catered to the taste buds of who’s who across the globe. Pope John Paul II, AB Vajpayee, Amitabh Bachchan, Nawaz Sharif ... he has fed them all with the choicest of dishes. <br /><br />“I was thrilled when Amitabhji said badiya khana hai. And when I found the Pope relishing the dishes, I made changes according to his requirements,” recollects Selvaraju.<br /><br />Selvaraju has specialised in modern European cuisine and has served extensively with the Taj properties in Sri Lanka and Dubai before moving back to Bangalore where he lives with his family. <br /><br />Cooking is an art, believes Selvaraju, whose family was taken aback when he first told them that he wanted to study hotel management.<br /><br /> It was unusual those days for men to venture into the hearth but he managed to convince his parents and today, looking at Selvaraju, they understand that cooking goes beyond the four walls of a kitchen. <br /><br />“I cook straight from my heart and I don’t want to compromise on the quality of dishes. If I don’t find a particular ingredient, I make sure I hunt it down. I don’t believe in a half-baked job,” shares Selvaraju. <br /><br />The chef enjoys cooking fish, lamb, salads and stir fry stuff. “I toss into the frying pan things that look good. One must experiment with cooking, stay away from the set format and come up with something new. There are so many dishes that have emerged from my experiments and have worked well with the people,” feels <br />Selvaraju. <br /><br />Ask the chef about his food preferences and he quickly says without a second thought, “I like what my wife cooks and I largely stick to home-made food,” he <br />beams. He occasionally makes something special for his sons. <br /><br />“My children cook a little and I make some stir fry stuff for them, when they crave to have something different,” he adds. <br /><br />Why didn’t Selvaraju think of starting something of his own, perhaps a restaurant? <br /> “I am content with what I am doing at the moment but someday, maybe I will start something of my own,” he sums up. <br /></p>