RIVAAYAT MIRACLE………………..11

SOAKING IN RIVAAYAT

                                        

The first ten stories in the RIVAAYAT series have been on the culinary artists. Now, the eleventh is on a person who is not from food production.  Read on....

You may be wondering what this girl, a Software Engineer by profession, is doing at Trident Hyderabad, as their Training Manager. Pranav Virmani resigned her job from HCL Technologies to join the Oberoi Group. It was 2012. When Vishal Virmani, her husband (presently the Front Office Manager at Trident 

Hyderabad) got transferred to Trident, Agra from Oberoi, Bengaluru, she took the tough call of joining the Oberoi group. At that time Pranav was working in Bengaluru at HCL. Her daughter Khushi was just eight months old then. That’s when she decided to join the hospitality bandwagon with her husband Vishal Virmani.

 Her first stint with Oberoi group kick started with both the properties at Agra- Oberoi Amarvilas as well as Trident Agra. The role given to her: Training Manager.

In a freewheeling interview she spoke on the training related matters in connection with RIVAAYAT and what all happened thereafter.

"GM's address is a monthly activity. Here the General Manger addresses the entire team wherein the latest developments in the organization are shared. In the month of Jan 2015, our GM Sharad Puri, explained the concept of RIVAAYAT, co-partnering the three Chefs who attended RIVAAYAT in Gurgaon - Officiating Executive Chef Manik, Indian Master Chef Sandip and Chef Sidharth.

"Chef Manik had promised the team that; first our employees will be given a chance to taste the RIVAAYATi dishes.... much before a Food Festival is pitched. And last Friday (20 March 2015) in MY SPACE, our Cafeteria, we offered RIVAAYATI cuisine to our staff members. The live Jalebi counter was a super hit. Most of the team members liked the Amritsari Lassi a lot."

"Since Jan 2015, things were moving very fast. The Menu planning happened, kitchen staff were given 'on the range'  training......in  every departmental briefing, RIVAAYAT was talked about......F&B Service team was trained to talk on RIVAAYAT with the guests..... the talklines were explained in detail….the dishes of RIVAAYAT were introduced on the buffets, special functions and in the brunch...  Regular guests were specially kept informed on our efforts to revive the lost recipes of Indian cuisine" says Pranav Virmani, Training Manager, Trident Hyderabad.

Presently, a RIVAAYAT Food Festival is on at Trident Hyderabad. So far, the Oberoi properties at New Delhi, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Trident Mumbai have already orchestrated Food Festivals inspired by RIVAAYAT.

Importantly, all Oberoi /Trident hotels have introduced the RIVAYAT dishes to please and pamper the In Room Guests as well. Local foodies, equally must have been dazzled and delighted by now,   I am sure.

Discovery of India.....through a grand culinary revival, I thought.

TEXT AND PICTURES: R KESAVA MALLIA in HYDERABAD