Sandeep Pande - Culinary Wizard

Sandeep Pande, Executive Chef at JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity, on how he creates magic with the freshest of ingredients

- Tania Tarafdar

So you have lived in different cities all your life. Did the diverse food background influence your culinary interests? From Poonch to Bengaluru and Ahmedabad to Tawang, as an army kid, I grew up moving from one place to another, often living in small towns in remote areas across the country. Most of these towns had tiny, local eateries.

I still remember the taste of spiced mandarins outside my alma mater St. Augustines in Kalimpong and gorging on the most delectable kulfis at Farayalal in Namkum Ranchi. As a child, I would hang out at these eateries, observing and inundating the chefs at work with myriad questions.

From a very young age, I was curious to learn about different cultures and food from multiple places. Apart from India, I have lived and worked in six different countries, with Weligama at South Sri Lanka being my last stop. I guess it was a natural progression from getting fascinated by ingredients to discovering flavours, food and cuisines.

TT A large chunk of your guests are travellers who are on the go. How do you cater to their healthy eating needs?