Cool and collected, 25-year-old Neel is an alternative type of practised Chef and it’s not just because he’s exceptionally young. Currently working as part of Tesco’s Head office on their exclusive Food Academy team, the culinary innovator helps develop contemporary diverse dishes that are later stocked on the famed chain’s shelves. “My job is to inspire the product team, in terms of new concepts, trends, emerging foods and techniques so we can create great goods that become Tesco’s own brand after the development process. The facilities are excellent. We are highly equipped: we have a BBQ area, for example, and a lot of specialist apparatus.” Combining his classical chef’s training, including gastronomy and microbiology, with a sharp business acumen, Neel pursues an altogether more corporate cooking career. This is known as a Product Development Chef.
As well as an innate creative pragmatism, the young Cuisenaire has also brought imitable marketing and research skills to the kitchen table. In line with the rise of Veganism and “reduction of meat consumption”, Neel told of us his latest discovery: an ingredient called ‘banana blossom’ which has a distinct delicate texture. This “makes a good fish substitute. It’s an exciting idea. I look at the gaps in the market, or what competitors are doing and not. Another great vegan option is the King Oyster Mushroom. You can chop them up and use them in a variety of ways – not just chucking them in a stir fry.” Here, Neel’s signature dish is his Smoked Butter Chicken Masala where the conventional version of this is becoming popular on British menus. However, Neel emphasised: “more than owning a restaurant, I would love to have my own brand in the supermarket. This would represent traditional Indian flavours but with my personal unique twist. I love to explore the global larder of spices and new ingredients, reflecting my appetite for travelling the world. Particularly, I enjoy experimenting with the 'liquid smoke method' which creates the professional BBQ flavours. Imaginatively and aesthetically then plating the idea is also fun.”
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A delectable blend of the artistic and scientifically technical has consistently shown itself through Neel’s palatable portfolio. When he worked for the UK’s largest airline catering company, Alpha LSG, Neel “was responsible for developing and presenting menus to a wide range of airline customers such as Emirates, British Airways, Qatar, Etihad, Singapore airlines and more.” He elaborated on the balancing of two different skill-sets when evolving products in the kitchen: from the fine grasp of finances and logistics to ensuring attractive flavours and the best delivery. “At Alpha LSG, together with a team of ten chefs, we had to make sure the altitude of an aeroplane would not alter the taste. If we added salt to compensate for this, we still needed to stay conscious of health, sourcing replacement herbs and sauces. I enjoyed using soy sauce and tomato to accentuate umami flavours. In a restaurant, preparation of food might take a few hours, but when working in retail the process is much longer. You are factoring in the process on a much larger scale e.g., a vegan potato soup that feeds fifteen people won’t be constituted the same way as that for thousands. You need to have the brains as well as the talent to make those recipes work.”
Neel’s first foray trialling and researching into the wonderous world of food began shortly after he graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in Culinary Arts Management. He jumped straight into the Head Chef’s position for an independent caterer “which supplied high-end London retail chains with ready-to-eat foods and tailored meals.” There, the prolific chef was tasked with producing 70 recipes “for the company’s first book, which immediately became a fantastic seller and can be found on Amazon. I make sure to carry it to all my interviews!” However, despite the grandeur of Neel’s current success, his piquant passion for cooking began “when helping out mum in the kitchen with basic food such as omelettes whilst binge-watching cookery programs starring the likes of Jamie Oliver, Marcus Wareing and Atul Kochar! Basically, I knew what I wanted to be from the humble age of sixteen!”
And so, just as the prevailing formula for good gastronomy is the addition of individual accoutrements after learning to master the simply fundamental so too is the evolution of individual success: one cannot find their authentic, nuanced niche without also remaining foundationally connected. Of course then Neel’s colourful spin on customary Thai Curry has earned him a prestigious star under a Great Taste Award: “this was when working supplying Planet Organic, which was taken from zero to hero within the space of a few years.” Neel concluded: “my advice is to pursue what you love and find yourself naturally drawn towards. You don’t always have to sit behind a desk or chase stipulated reputation. At the end of the day, you’re at work more than you’re at home so it’s better to live what’s in your heart as well as knowing the industry.” Hearty happiness, it seems, then gradually follows.
Tell us a little more on how you progressed in this unusual career?
Well, I was inspired at home initially and then pursued my passion both at school in Food Tech and recreationally after-hours: I attended educational cookery classes. There, I really immersed myself in the industrial kitchen, learning British recipes alongside the traditional Indian cooking I was picking up. I also read a lot of cookery books.
In terms of a wider career, I have also developed a special dahl and Jalfrezi as well as the award-winning Thai Green Curry when working supplying Planet Organic. Later, working at Alpha LSG, I had the pleasure of learning a lot from fellow talented cooks one of whom had worked with Heston Blumenthal. There were a lot of ‘great highs’ in that job. I also worked at the Michelin acclaimed Benares, working under Atul Kochar.
Is Branding as important as the food itself?
Well, yes: people don’t just eat with their eyes, they buy with them! That’s why people often pick premium goods over own brand foods. It’s the packaging…
What emotionally drew you to the corporate chef’s path?
In terms of lifestyle, being a restaurant chef requires you to work at unsociable hours and sacrifice a lot. I wasn’t a fan of this. Also, one of the main attractions of cooking for me is the satisfaction of people really enjoying what you’ve made and how it brings them together. My dishes have a lot of reach.
Finally, I can imagine training in gastronomy would come in useful for such a mathematical area of the culinary world?
Yes, I’ve actually completed a short module in microbiology alongside the chef’s skills and it’s certainly come in handy!
