Page 59 - Iconic Restaurateurs - The Entrepreneur Mag Ed. 3

Newsroom Round Up Round Up

Anushan

Perera

Sous Chef, California Grill, Galadari Hotel

When did you first realize you had a passion for always experiment and innovate on the plate and customers are
culinary arts? more than happy to give me their feedback. This is what makes
I have to say that I owe it all to my mother. Her cooking was very me a better chef, day after day. Even though we have a fantastic
passionate and filled with love, so naturally, after observing her in menu here, if a customer has a request to go off the menu, we will
her element I began to help out in the kitchen. After I completed my accommodate their requests with pleasure.
education at Royal College, I decided to join hotel school and make
a career out of cooking. My passion was further fueled during my What challenges do you face working in the kitchen
industry training and my knowledge on the subject grew deeper environment?
when I attended training overseas. It has been a long way since my With so many great restaurants and international hotel chains
beginnings, and I am proud to have reached the position that I now opening their doors in Colombo, competition is high. This has a
hold. direct effect on the kitchen environment as chefs have to strive to
improve upon themselves. You could even say that we have to be
What are some of your signature ingredients and as sharp as the knives we use! I am quite the perfectionist as well
why? so this makes me lose my patience at times, but I am quick to cool
I lean more towards fusion cooking. As a result, Sri Lankan down and get my head back in the game.
ingredients and condiments are at the core of the dishes that I
plate up. With the effect of globalization, many guests prefer to What sets chefs of Sri Lankan origin apart from the
have international cuisine but as we are all Sri Lankan, one must rest?
not forget what our taste buds naturally crave. In order to satisfy Back in the day, we would receive training from foreigners. Without
both ends of this requirement, fusing the traditional with the a doubt, this was extremely beneficial for us. However, as Sri
contemporary is something that both myself and my guests enjoy. Lankans, we have begun to embrace our cooking DNA, fusing it
with the skillset that we have learned. So, in a few words, Sri Lankan
Tell us about the most pleasurable aspect of your job chefs are all-rounders. Perfecting anything with ease is what sets us
It lies in the responsibility of always pleasing the customer. We have apart.
a good client base of regulars who come to the California Grill. I

The Entrepreneur Page | 56 The Entrepreneur Page | 57