Lake Shore Country Club Staff

I look back at my career and appreciate the people and places that have been most influential. Starting from the top, a young aspiring individual with a deep passion for food, I knew early on that I wanted to develop a career around this fascinating industry. Growing up in a big family house in Mumbai, India, I was always around different food. Even as a kid, I was always in the kitchen and wanting to see all the food being prepared. There was just something deeply fascinating about watching ingredients in its raw form take shape into these completed dishes. The entire process always spoke to me. A good plate of food can turn a frown upside down. I decided to pursue this as my career. I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Catering Technology and Culinary Arts from Culinary Academy of India. I had worked with the Taj hotel in Mumbai as a part of my training program during these times. Soon after, I wanted to explore the culinary world outside India. I did have the top job offers from the best hotel brands across India and Asia, like the Welcome Group Hotels, Oberoi Hotels, Marriott Hotels, but I felt the desire to be away from India and explore the culinary culture abroad. My end goal always was to secure a job in the restaurant side of the industry and not the hotel side. I decided to take up the opportunity to study at B.H.M.S with a view of gaining international exposure. The course was pivotal for me in my career. Having completed the course, I decided to take up internship at the Hotel Continental M Gallery Collection in Zurich. The work atmosphere there was one that I would see in a restaurant, hands-on experience. My career transformed and after internship, I moved back to India. Still wanting to move out of the country, I decided to take up a job opportunity as a Demi Chef de Partie with P&O Cruise lines. The experience on the cruise ship was also pivotal in the next steps of my career. After completing the contract, while I was back in Mumbai, I was approached by a restaurateur in Mumbai, willing to work with me and expanding the cuisine depth in the city. I took up the job as a Senior Sous Chef and menu developer for Mirabella, Kitchen & Bar; at the time the most trending restaurant in the city. I always wanted to help the restaurant industry develop more positive competition. Believing in the fact that a modern chef is not just bound to the kitchen, I was always interacting with guests. Alongside my job, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to help young, aspiring restauranteurs in restaurant and menu consultation. I developed a freelance section to my job as a menu consultant and restaurant kitchen designer. My next job took me to a conceptual restaurant with a lot of groundwork, being a pre-opening property. This was a first for me since I had never worked with a team to open a restaurant. I had only always worked with a team already established and a restaurant already in business. This was a great experience and it helped me gain knowledge about the business side of the industry. By this time, I had gained experience in contemporary European cuisine, focusing on Italian, French, German, Swiss, Spanish & Portuguese Cuisines. Next in line for me was modern Pan-Asian cuisine. I worked directly under a chef trained at Noma In Monte Carlo, at this upcoming restaurant in Mumbai called, 12 Union Park. Having this cuisine under my skill set gave me an edge as a young senior chef in managing positions, ready to head kitchens. In 2018, through one of my menu consultations, I received a job offer from Brx American Bistro in Great Falls, Virginia, USA. This seemed like an opportunity I could not refuse. I took up the opportunity. I have been the executive chef and managing partner for Brx American Bistro since then. My senior positions with my previous jobs helped me become a strong structure with Brx American Bistro. Working alongside the owner, we developed a successful business structure and were able to expand the restaurant company by opening a modern upscale pizzeria, named Brx Oven alongside our already established and successful International contemporary cuisine-based restaurant; Brx American Bistro. The food and beverage never fail to provide a dull day. This industry is one of the few industries that will always have a market and I strive to be a successful entrepreneur to help the restaurant industry grow bigger and better every year. The next big step in my journey has brought me to Erie. I look forward to bringing the new food and beverage vision and its execution to this part of the country.