IN FOCUS
OLIFE THE
THER ON
ON THE WAY UP My father ran restaurants in Bombay, where I grew up, and that’s how I got into the catering business. I joined Taj Hotels as a trainee chef 32 years ago and worked my way up to my current position. I oversee Taj’s Quilon restaurant at St James’s Court, London’s Taj Hotel, for which I won a Michelin star 13 years ago, and I also supervise Bombay Brasserie.
Sriram swapped law studies for the kitchen back in 1984
Michelin-award winning chef Sriram Aylur travels the world in his work for Taj Hotels. He reveals how he ensures a smooth journey, which airlines he prefers and who serves the best in-flight food
HAUTE CUISINE Emirates’ in-flight food is as good as it can be. I understand, from Taj’s previous experience catering for Jet Airways, how hard it is to create good onboard food. Having said that, Vistara, owned by our parent group Tata, offers fantastic food and service, and I fly with them within India whenever I can.
The Quilon, London
FEET FIRST I’m away about 120 days a year. I fly business class and, where possible, with the airline of the country I’m travelling to. I fly to India three or four times a year for work and to see family, and once or twice a year to the US. I over-pack rather than under-pack. As chefs are on their feet all the time, I always take two pairs of shoes. I also pack between three and five knives, tweezers for fine work and even certain tongs which I am used to.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT I cater events for corporates throughout Europe on behalf of Taj, and for the past 12 years I’ve been cooking for chief executives and world leaders at the World Economic Congress in Davos. I’ve met many presi- dents and prime ministers.
MAKING MEMORIES The challenge is constantly having to reinvent what we do. We customise every event rather than following a formula. This gives people a reason to come back to us. The hosts may be happy, but even more important is for the guests to remember the experience.
10 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
buyingbusinesstravel.com
FUELLING THE BODY I’m strict about what I eat; I eat to keep my body going at the speed and agility at which it has functioned for the past 32 years, and follow the same diet as much as possible when I’m travelling. That includes an omelette for breakfast and a lunch with no carbohydrates.
EUROPEAN FLAVOURS Our hotel in London is the only Taj in Europe, and I feel our palace hotels are the best in the world. But there are other hotels I like: Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris; Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin; Hotel Arts in Barcelona; and Epic Sana in Lisbon. Global Insights: India, p92-95
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