“Whatever you do, do it with determination and passion”

Chef Manikandan Sivamoorthy, Pastry Chef, JW Marriott Mussoorie

- Sharmila Chand

For nearly two decades, Chef Manikandan Sivamoorthy has been spreading his patisserie prowess across hotels and destinations around the world. Today, he brings it all to the dessert table at JW Marriott Mussoorie, as he takes on the illustrious title of Pastry Chef. A journey that began with catering for in-flight meals, quickly progressed as he climbed the rungs from Sous Chef to Pastry Chef and beyond, showcasing his incredible skills front and centre in the pastry scene across several five-star resorts and properties: from Mumbai to Kochi, to The H Resort in the Seychelles and most recently, at Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Chef Manikandan considers having worked as a part of the pre-opening teams with major hotel chains around the world as his greatest achievement. It gave him the opportunity to set the kitchen, recipes, menus and standards at a top-quality mark. His travels across the world also earned him a wealth of knowledge and experience in learning the authentic ways of preparing the finest desserts and artisanal breads.

In an exclusive interview with Sharmila Chand, he talks about his work philosophy and more…

What are the current hot trends in the Indian Bakery industry?