PROFILE -- 5 ::

VIJAYAN OF TAJ VIVANTA, EXECUTIVE CHEF FOR 22 YEARS!!

BY P S SUNDAR

B C Kumar, General Manager, Vivanta Surya Coimbatore by Taj, is known to support food promotions by building a committed team of kitchen and service professionals.  My treatise on his profile appears in this Blog separately.  

This highlight is on his Executive Chef H N Vijayan who has been with Coimbatore Vivanta since its inception in 2011.

Thirty four years ago, Vijayan graduated from IHMCT and started his career with Vivanta by Taj President, Mumbai.  There has been no looking back since then.  Even by 1994, he has been designated ‘Executive Chef’ by the Taj group – that means, he has been an Executive Chef for 22 years by now.   That itself speaks about his managerial capacity in Food and Beverage department.

He has worked in several Taj properties across the nation which gave him opportunities to showcase his best to cuisine lovers.   And, among the extraordinary opportunities he lists are catering to Prince Charles of the UK and being the official team leader for catering to Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh during SAARC summit in Sri Lanka in 2008.  

Known to be an ardent promoter of theme cuisines, he is remembered for his successful promotion of Chettinad food in Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Singapore.  He had specialised in Chettinad preparations for seven years at Taj Connemara, Chennai.

Chef Vijayan specialised in Ethnic Kerala cuisine in Taj Vivanta, Thiruvananthapuram.  

At Vivanta Coimbatore, he has introduced Ramasseri idli as live presentation during breakfast in the restaurant.   This speciality of Ramasseri village near Elappally near Palakkad has become a favourite among guests from all over to Vivanta Coimbatore.

Chef Vijayan, who himself belong to Badaga community of the Nilgiris, is also hailed for introducing Badaga regional cuisine at Vivanta Coimbatore with Kumar’s guidance.

“We have now introduced Kongunadu cuisine in regional home-style cooking.  This includes many traditional Kongu-style vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations as done in the homes of Coimbatore and surrounding areas”, Chef Vijayan told me.   

Today Chef Vijayan is hailed to have standardised the South Indian dishes across all Vivanta hotels of the Taj group.

“Among my mentionable contributions is the Intensive Training Kitchen Programme where we have developed young chefs specialising in south Indian cuisine.  It is six-month intensive training programme for less-educated under-privileged rural youngsters for sustainable career in food and beverage.   We have placed early 30 such candidates in various Taj hotels across the country”, noted a very satisfied Chef Vijayan.

“I focus on innovation like developing Chef calendar for gift to all departments.  I update knowledge through various sources and even by direct experience of eating at different restaurants.  I lay necessary accent on hygiene and develop many home-style cooking ingredients.  Equally significant is my obsession with cost and food wastage control as they are required not only for the hotel but the country as a whole”, sums up Chef Vijayan.  

     

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)