Rohit Ghai discusses his role as Head Chef at JKS Restaurants and his own inspirations with regards to pursuing a career as a Chef.
Name: Rohit Ghai
Place of work: JKS Restaurants
Role: Group Head Chef
Bio: Rohit Ghai is the Group Head Chef of the Sethi family’s Indian restaurants, JKS Restaurants which currently includes Trishna, Gymkhana and Hoppers. Since his appointment as Group Head Chef in 2013, Rohit has gone on to achieve Michelin status with Trishna and Gymkhana both earning one star respectively.
Prior to working for JKS Restaurant Rohit's cooking career has seen him working at Michelin-starred restaurant Benares restaurant and Bar, Vatika restaurant, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts and as a commis at Central Park Hotels.
Rohit’s CV covers experience at Oberoi and Taj Hotels and Benares, and he now holds a Michelin star at Trishna and Gymkhana.
Rohit Ghai takes us through his personal experiences whilst being in the Culinary Industry. These key skills that young Chefs and industry professionals learn as part of their basic training.
How long have you been in this role?
2 years 9 months.
How did you get into cooking?
Cooking was always something that interested me and I decided to be Chef when I was in school as a child. My main inspirations were my parents who have always supported me in every way.
Do you think there was enough advice available when you were first starting out?
I think the advice available when I was starting out my career is drastically different to the support available today. I've never had a godfather or mentor in the industry, but I have been lucky to have brilliant grounding and training in my field from the Institute of Hotel Management in Gwalior, to the start of my career at the Oberoi Hotel.
Cooking is a skill that I learned from everyone, everywhere when I’ve trained and worked, including JKS Restaurants. Today there are many mentors and restaurateurs that support the growth of Chefs so I think it’s much more encouraging then when I was first starting out.
What are your ultimate top five tips for someone looking to start a career in the food industry?
Having a passion for cooking is the best tip. Success in the kitchen often comes from curiosity and experimentation, another tip, so having a passion for cooking often lends itself to skill eventually. It’s not a methodical thing where you just pick up the pan and cook and someone directs you on how to complete every step. The best meals come from cooking with heart and soul.
I would also say that hard work, dedication and organisation are also great qualities to bring to the table and improve on throughout your career. Becoming a Chef is not all cooking, you also have to manage a kitchen and your team.
What are you looking for on a CV or in an interview if someone was applying for a position with you?
I would be looking for dedication and someone who hasn’t moved from restaurant to restaurant, I would like to know that someone who I will be working with is going to really want to be there and become part of the team. Many qualities also can’t be found on a CV, I would also be looking for creativity and a natural inclination towards cooking and experimentation.
If you could go back and tell yourself one piece of advice, knowing what you know now, what would it be?
Although there are lots’ of pieces of advice I could give myself I do believe that the mistakes you make along the way help you develop and improve as a Chef.
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
