Slurrp Exclusive- Chef Himmat On Challenges and Innovations
Image Credit: Chef Himmat S Rautela

Himmat S Rautela, the Corporate Chef of Fast Fiddle Restaurants is known for successfully launching Lord of Drinks in Delhi, Noida, Kolkata, Lucknow and other cities across the country. The man who was inspired by his grandmother, his first cooking lessons started in his village in Uttrakhand. Rautela believes that each dish has its own taste and flavour and hence one should use minimum spices and also his keen eye for details to keep with local flavours of each city. Be it the ‘Guntur Kodive Pudu’, ‘Mandya Mutton Chukka’ in Bangalore or Mustard grill fish or the Tangra Chilli chicken in Kolkata. And yes if he wouldn’t have been in the kitchen juggling between pans and knifes you would have surely spotted him either playing cricket or clicking some awesome frames.

Leading the kitchen for the brand like LOD how much challenging is it each day

Being a corporate chef of Fast Fiddle Restaurants, the largest restaurant chain in India, In this franchising world, food-based franchises and restaurants are growing rapidly so maintaining the quality and service part is the main challenging part of this industry.

With LOD opening in multiple cities you and each city having different taste preferences, How do you manage to take care of that?

Although being a corporate chef of a well-known restaurant chain may sometimes seem like a ‘get rich fast' scheme, the truth is, it takes passion, a lot of hard work and a great deal to thrive and maintain.

When conceptualizing a new project what are the few things that you always take care of?

The present food industry is showing a positive inclination towards seasonal products and organic produce in order to become an environment-friendly and sustainable industry chain so that it is profitable throughout all its stages and has benefits for both society and nature. It’s always exciting to keep the local taste and flavours in mind and curate the menu. I have personally seen that people are showing more inclination for  traditional dishes.

What it takes to sustain competition?

The present food industry is showing a positive inclination towards seasonal products and organic produce in order to become an environment-friendly and sustainable industry chain so that it is profitable throughout all its stages and has benefits for both society and nature.

What’s you take on new age fusion food and one dish that you feel has been wrongly created in fusion

Crafting the menu for these fast-growing places a chef has to be extra careful and creative. Therefore, the challenge is now to curate such dishes keeping a note of the local tradition in mind without falling for the brands' quintessence and spirit. 

What’s that one food memory that makes you go nostalgic?

My Pahadi Food cooked by my grandmother “ Jakhiya aloo”

What had been you comeback mantra to adapt to the businesses post the pandemic?

Good Food-Good service.