Jerson Fernandes, an industry veteran with over a decade's experience, is currently working as the Executive Chef at the Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach. With years of experience, he has received numerous accolades and awards and proved himself a critically acclaimed chef. Chef Jerson’s career garnered multiple honours, including being felicitated and recognized by Goa's Chief Minister in 2020 for his exceptional contribution to Goa food culture and tourism. In addition, he held the Guinness World Record for the most significant bread varieties in 2020. Having worked with Accor properties, including Novotel, Taj, Marriott, P&O Cruises, and associated with Los Angeles based Berggruen (Keys) Hotel, when Jerson is not in the kitchen, he enjoys capturing moments and different food aspects through photography. In addition, he is passionate about travelling in search of great food. In an exclusive interview with Slurrp, Fernandes takes readers on his approach towards sustainability and culinary journey. Extracts.
What is your childhood memory of cooking?
Like most people, I, too, have multiple favourite childhood memories, which has been shaped in context to home-cooked food, fun and laughter. Back in those days when I was seven years old, barely able to even peer over the kitchen counter, it was the smell of eggs cooking in the kitchen that excited me, and the classic pan-fried omelette was my only experiment. Interestingly, many of my neighbours invited me to experiment with local cuisines they prepared at home, and the food flavours and textures were all so different and enticing. These are very vivid childhood memories of food.
What made you pursue cooking as a career?
At the age of 16, I discovered real love in the simplicity of ingredients and believed that this was the only relationship I could nurture with practical skills and dedication. From then, it has only been a natural progression and never planned, through the miles travelled and the roads lesser-known. I then decided to demonstrate my signature creations, plate by plate, and create an impact by culturally defining the richness of cuisines.
Tell us about the journey to Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach, the roadblocks and the success
With the increase in travel restrictions, domestic tourism became synonymous with staycations. While my responsibilities and duties were on the rise, the challenging situation was for the team to develop new strategies to attract residents. Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach opened its doors to pets (dogs and cats), thus embracing a new guest segment that helped us gain an advantage over the competition and reach out to residents looking for the option of a staycation with their pets. We introduced this initiative during the pandemic, contributing to our business and success story.
What is your favourite comfort food?
Something super easy to make and quick to cook. I am not fussy about my food and prefer anything wholesome and soulful. My comfort food is a bowl of ramen or simply an omelette wrapped in a Chapati along with some veggies.
What are your favourite recipes that you love to cook for your guests?
The butterfly garden prawns, chef’s laboratory chicken seekh, vegan vegetable cigars and the quinoa chicken salad are our bestsellers at the Gadda Da Vida, the beach view bar at Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach.
The pandemic hugely affected the F&B industry. How did it affect you personally?
The initial days of the pandemic caught me by surprise, as I was juggling wellness, the news of unemployment, slashed operational budgets and employee resource teams managing responsibilities. I wanted to support the industry in the best way possible. I took the opportunity to introduce changes in work performance outcomes, significantly focusing on health and well-being and maintaining variety and wholesome experiences within the Food and Beverage segment.
The pandemic also led to many food trends. Did you try any and see any of them becoming prominent soon?
I observed increased fine dining experiences at home during the pandemic and decided to explore this as an upcoming trend. The team worked together to develop and market this idea and implemented interesting takeaway and home delivery options. Our focus was to achieve tangible results, keeping in mind the freshness of ingredients and health and safety protocol. By implementing changes through our home delivery menus, we saw a 60% increase in transactions within two weeks, higher retention rates and positive levels of engagement. We continue to innovate with our culinary offering and provide this service, which has become popular.
What would you like to tell aspiring chefs?
Food memories are powerful, and therefore chefs need to be knowledgeable, adaptive and innovative. In your commitment to culinary excellence, ask yourself what ‘value’ am I bringing to the table in terms of uniqueness in service quality and dining experiences through sustainable gastronomy.
What are your future plans?
I see myself not merely as a change agent but as a catalyst leader. Therefore, my efforts in impacting the industry and community will be through consistent transformation. Within the organization, I would like to create small engagement groups to be agile and active, and in the larger context, empower communities through food and education, mentorship in association with culinary schools and industry support groups.