FROM THE OBEROI CECIL, SHIMLA

FROM MILKMAN TO CEO AWARD WINNER

The CEO Award (Jan - March 2015) sat softly on the shoulders of Chef Rajkumar Bhatia (46) Senior Kitchen Executive, The Oberoi Cecil Shimla recently. This award was presented to him for his contribution to innovation & creativity in food, for demonstrating Oberoi Values & Dharma, for exceeding guest expectations, making process improvements and achieving cost optimisation. The CEO award is part of the Corporate Reward and Recognition Program and is announced every quarter. The award includes a certificate of appreciation from the Executive Vice Chairman, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer plus a token gift voucher worth Rupees 10,000/-.

I am not surprised. Chef Bhatia deserves many more awards.

Recently during my stay in this hotel I was interviewing him at the lounge in the evening hours of August 16, 2015. The 70 minute interview was interrupted seven times. All pleasant interruptions though   - either guests needed his intervention or Chef Bhatia got up voluntarily to wish them – both signs of his personal presence and guest centricity. A six year old girl came and requested him to get her a cake. He did it immediately! (For him every guest transaction is an opportunity to excel, no wonder).

I was really taken aback to witness his attitude and approach. He was there to receive me when I checked in; he was there to see me off as well. Wedded to his profession. Always ready to help. No wonder, his name is especially quoted by the guests in their Trip advisor reviews. Even I wrote on him on Trip advisor, in embarrassingly superlative terms. He deserves it, for sure.

Believe it or not Chef Rajkumar Bhatia started his career at the farmhouse of M S Oberoi (Founder, Oberoi Group of Hotels) in New Delhi in 1991 as a gardener after passing Standard X in school. Soon, he wore many a hats...driver, helper, security guard, milkman, electrician, personal attendant and even a cook of PRS Oberoi... His fingers were in many pies. Remember: He was a very good cook.

As a milkman he connected with the hospitality world. He was given the job of supplying milk to the Oberoi New Delhi, The Maidens and thirdly to the Oberoi flight kitchen at Delhi. This pulled him into the hospitality world. With the blessings of PRS Oberoi, he joined the Oberoi New Delhi, in the Thai kitchen. That was in 1998. Thereafter, Rajkumar never looked back. A Chef was born… The cook in the Oberoi farm house quickly rose to become a Thai Chef. Sheer providence, what else!

"At Oberoi New Delhi, other than Thai cuisine, I learnt on people, work culture, attitude, team work and guest connect" says Chef Rajkumar candidly. The experience in the Oberoi motor vessel Vrinda (in the backwaters of Kerala) for ten years pushed him to acquire higher culinary skills, his spoken English also improved and even his guest focus became sharper. His next stop was The Oberoi Cecil Shimla. Come Sept 2015, he will be completing three years with the Oberoi Cecil, Shimla.

Whether it is handling difficult guests or conducting cookery classes or confronting a crisis situation... Chef Rajkumar can face any event with Zen like calm. He can turn any situation to his advantage.

He is married to Sunita Devi, a home-maker. Blessed with two children- Rahul (15) and Ruchi (12).

Ambition: He wants to be part of the food production team of an International  Oberoi Property. (.....and I can see that coming, soon).

Text and Pictures: R Kesava Mallia in Shimla