OT: Did you harbour ambitions of becoming a chef?
Ravi Saxena: I never wanted to be a chef. Back in the 1980s they were called cooks, none of these fancy terms they use now. I come from an Allahabad family of professionals: doctors, lawyers, university professors. I had absolutely no interest in cooking. I would enter the kitchen just to make a cup of tea, if at all.
OT: So how did it come about?
Ravi Saxena: After school, I had to choose. And like anybody at that age, I applied to a number of institutes, including the government-run Institutes of Hotel Management. Back then, these were the only places in the country for training. Anyway, I got through to a BDS programme to become a dental surgeon. But then I got a telegram saying that I’d secured admission to IHM Goa. Now, I’d never been anywhere beyond Delhi. And I hated the idea of studying for another six years. So between Goa and dentistry, the choice was clear.
OT: Did you develop an aptitude for cooking?
Ravi Saxena: When my turn came at the kitchen, I quite loved it. Of course, you don’t start cooking from Day One. On Day One you wash dishes.
OT: Your favourite cuisine?
Ravi Saxena: Definitely the NWFP cuisine that we make here at The Dhaba by Claridges. But my favourite is Italian. I love cooking it, I love eating it. As the Executive Sous Chef at San Gimignano (at The Imperial), I was sent to study the cuisine in Italy. I realised that the best way to really get under the skin of a cuisine is to understand the culture that it’s coming from. I immersed myself in Tuscan culture, and I was pleased that it showed in what I made. Dhaba is a venerable institution at The Claridges.
OT: Why did you decide to branch out into a retail chain?
Ravi Saxena: So that more people can get the chance of eating the excellent food that we have been creating at Dhaba. You’ll find here that the dishes are almost half the price they are at the hotel. Also, I love new projects, especially the setting up of back-end operations, the systems required for running a good and successful restaurant. We’ll be expanding the franchise to other parts of the country soon.