Coming from a family of hoteliers, Chef Ashwin’s career choice seemed obvious, but it wasn’t until hotel management college that he discovered that the world of food is limitless.

Being a chef is an excellent career choice. It helps us be a better version of ourselves

“As a child, I preferred the sights and sounds of my mother’s kitchen to playing outdoors. While other children would run out to play, I would stir the curry or listen to the sizzling of the seasoning and inhale the comforting aromas wafting from her simmering preparations. Little did I know then, that I would take charge of my first kitchen at 25 and lead a team of 21 chefs. What I love about being a chef is that one can learn new things every day and yet the learning will not end. There are always new trends, flavours, technology, or something innovative that makes you feel like what you know is just a drop in the ocean.

About working at Sodexo

During my career in the restaurant space, I never imagined I would work in any other sector. It was something that my friend (who worked at Sodexo) said that changed everything for me. He said “ Ashwin, if you work at Sodexo, you will forget everything else. You will feel like it’s the beginning of your career again. There is so much to learn!” That got me excited to explore more and thus began my journey at Sodexo. I am happy to share that since then I have been fortunate to gain immense exposure to many aspects of the business above and beyond cooking. I gained experience in management, working in different environments and sectors from healthcare to corporate, understanding the different target consumers and their demands and adapting to these- it has been an enriching journey.

My Special Recipe

My recipe Spinach & Chickpeas Mappsa Curry is a recollection from my childhood. Growing up, I remember my mother would never let food be wasted. If there was excess food at any meal, she would always find a way to refashion it into a new dish for the next meal. This recipe is an ode to her as I have replaced her upma with millets and added a bit of my creativity into it. It is also the recipe which made me the regional winner in the Global Sustainable Chef Challenge last year.

For budding chefs, I would say, it is a great career choice. It helps us be a better version of ourselves. The kitchen is a haven of valuable life lessons like teamwork, trust, management and creating things with your hands while believing in yourself and your skills. “

With a wealth of experience in culinary arts, product development, global offer adaptation, site mobilization and concept development in the corporate, healthcare and education sectors, Chef Ashwin continues to scale milestones in his career as he maintains his enthusiasm to gain knowledge and apply his skills. He is currently the AGM Culinary Lead for the food platform

Contact us Open sharing and other actions