Chef Rahul Khare was intrigued by his mom’s cooking, which inspired him to become a chef. He relished preparing food to satisfy his family and friends. Chef Khare went on to study hotel management from IHM & CT Meerut Cantt. From a Chef trainee at Landmark Hotel to working in several positions at well-known hotels and Restaurants like Impresario, Taj group, Italiano, Molecule, Ruby Tuesday, etc., he has achieved growth in his career by hard work and passion for food. Chef Rahul's culinary philosophy is: ‘Work with what you have. Instead of following recipes set by others, I like to experiment with what I can find in the kitchen.' Chef's favourite cuisine to work with and eat Italian. At The Finch, he believes in serving simple food with good flavours in a new and distinctive manner.
Name your first childhood memory of cooking?
Growing up, I would cook amazing Tehri (Vegetable Pulao specially made in the Awadh region with many available vegetables, rice, onion, tomato and spices).
What made you follow cooking as your career?
I have taken up my inspiration from my mother’s skills when it comes to cooking. She would make fantastic food. Her cooking rubbed on me and has brought me where I am today.
Tell us about the journey to Finch, Mumbai, the roadblocks and the success?
When I came to Finch at the beginning of Covid onset, the whole industry was shut down. My immediate task was to reinvent and bring in a new menu…..MENU 2.0. I poured my years of experience to create a menu from across the world. Months of preparation, R&D and thought went into creating the same. We have seen great reviews on the menu, and people travel from far off to try it. It’s tough to get a reservation on weekends in Finch Mumbai.
What is your favourite recipe or comfort food?
Mutton keema Lasagne (It’s a progressive Indian dish made with keema, makhani gravy, brown onion and mascarpone cheese)
The pandemic hugely affected the F&B industry. How did it affect you personally?
While the industry was shut down, I used the interval to study different cuisines, explore different menus and get better knowledge.
Did you see and try any food trends becoming prominent shortly?
Hygienic Delivery and Cloud kitchen was trending during this time. We worked a lot on delivery menus and saw good results with their sales.
What would you like to tell aspiring chefs?
Discipline and time management. Time management is essential because you can't execute anything correctly if your time is not managed correctly.
What are your plans with Finch going forward?
We are expanding rapidly in Punjab and Maharashtra. Soon we will also be present in Thailand.