Episode 159: Food Styling, Working in Cinema and Constant Learning with Chef Sandhya Kumar
On this episode I chat with Chef Sandhya Kumar. There is nothing better than your passion being your profession. And that is exactly what Chef Sandhya Kumar has always believed in. Passion for cooking hit Sandhya at an incredibly young age owing to her grandmother’s influence. Her Mom let her loose in the kitchen where she made lots of cake and a lot of mess Pursuing her passion, she acquired her bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management and Hospitality Administration from The Institute of Hotel Management, Kovalam. Sandhya was trained by the head chefs at The Oberoi, Bangalore and Marriott Chennai, before starting her career at Four Seasons. She worked in the culinary department at Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai where she gained valuable experience working under reputable international chefs across various cuisines ranging from Japanese, Chinese and Thai to Italian and French. Chef Sandhya recently did a major feature film project with Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan in the remake of Jon Frauveau’s Hollywood movie ‘CHEF’, which released in October 2017 in India. She was the Stylist and Consultant for the movie. “Cooking in my family was a skill, handed down over generations, from my grandmother to my mom and now to me, something I’d like to call my legacy. I would like to make a mark and give back to this global community, what I have learnt over time from some extremely gifted people and what I carry within me, my heritage” – Chef Sandhya. She was on the lookout for a change when home and her brainchild ‘Indulge In’ came calling. As an enterprise, our primary focus is to help upcoming restauranteurs in setting up their dream projects the way they want it, however big or small. Indulge In provides technical assistance in developing a restaurant concept, understanding the market, design and implementation, operational strategies and business management, human resource handling and marketing approaches that are tailored to your specific needs. She also organises regular Culinary Workshops, in either a corporate format or for individuals, to help them learn the basics of cooking and preparing easy, healthy meals at home. Food styling is what gives the first impression of your product to your target audience. Indulge In works with top photographers, cinematographers and branding companies in the field to better the portfolio of your brand, which can make your customers crave your product. Indulge In started off as a small home-catering business when I had left Four Seasons and was back in my hometown. Mostly catering to friends and family for their small, exquisite events where they had the liberty to indulge in food that they loved to eat but couldn’t find in the city. Then it slowly grew into a restaurant consultancy where people want me to help their dreams of owning a restaurant become a reality. I kept the same name as Indulge In, as I wanted them to know they could be free to indulge in their dreams and the worrying, and getting things done part can be left to me. So, Indulge In by Sandhya came into realisation along with other people’s dream projects. She took yet another leap by joining for her master's degree in Food Design and Innovation at the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, Italy and is currently exploring and learning what the future, a more sustainable future might hold for the Food & Beverage industry. ~~~ Chef Sandhya Follow us on Instagram & Facebook : https://www.instagram.com/travelingchef_sk/ http://i.instagram.com/indulge.in/ https://m.facebook.com/catererindulgein Leave a review on Apple, and go to linecookthoughts.com for more info on the brand.