Do you know the core of Japanese cooking? Its harmony in every detail, from tasting notes, sour (suppai), bitter (nigai), sweet (Amai), spicy (punish) and salty (siakaray), is used for a balanced palate melody. After having trained in European, Chinese and Lebanese kitchens as a hotel operations management trainee under chef Hemant Oberoi at the Taj for two years, in 2007, the opportunity to work with the world’s best Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto scooped Chef Parvez Khan into the cuisine world. “The cuisine chose me,” Chef Parvez believes. He was sent to Japan on short training stints. He also got the opportunity to cook alongside Morimoto and his international chefs on multiple occasions. As Chef de Partie, he began his journey and ended in 2021 as the head chef. He has many awards and accolades to his name. After 15 years at Wasabi, Chef Parvez is ready to dish out Wakai, a young and fresh take on a cuisine that has intensely captivated Indian palates. He uses creative imagination to represent the technical nuances of Japanese cuisine and peppers them with his contemporary expertise. As a result, the chef creates his cuisine version that stands out on the Asian map to the globally well-travelled guest. Chef Parvez balances the outcome with experienced precision, bringing all his Asian, French, and European cuisine training to the canvas of Wakai. He compares a traditional Teppanyaki setting in the pipeline to a live theatre of consuming a meal.
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I have never been exposed to the concept of delivering food. But very soon that will be my new project.
Any piece of advice for aspiring chefs?
Have patience. I see the young generation lacking patience. Not just the F&B industry but any. Culinary, I believe, is a skill you have to keep polishing all the time. Keep learning and keep upgrading. I genuinely believe that being a chef is not about how much you know but how much you have experienced. And also I wouldn’t mind saying that even after 15 years I learn one new thing every day.
