-B Swaminathan (publisherchefbharath@gmail.com)
Mysore: Grand Mercure, Mysore appoints Satyaseelan(Satya) as their new Executive Chef. One of the newest hotels to join the Accor Hotels Group, Grand Mercure, Mysore is a property reminiscent of the rich local culture and heritage of the historic city of Mysore. The hotel which has been positioning itself as one of the best Business and Leisure hotels in Mysore is excited to have Satya recreate a new menu that will further enhance the experience of people staying at the hotel or just visiting the restaurant.
Satyaseelan comes with over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry and brings to the table years of culinary expertise. He specializes in cuisine from the southern part of India and is known for his traditional approach to cooking. Chef Satya started his career working in ITDC and went on to work with some of the best hotels in India and UAE. The Oberoi Group of Hotels, BURJ-AL_ARAB, Novotel and Jumeirah Emirates Towers were a few of his stints until 2012 when he started working on redesigning and recreating restaurants. Boardwalk at Ramada Chennai Egmore, ADNEC and Novotel, Chennai were some of the projects he successfully relaunched.
Known to emphasize the natural flavours of meats and vegetables using select array of spices and other ingredients, Chef Satya is excited to work on the relaunch of the only rooftop restaurant in Mysore; By the Blue and work in La Uppu, the all-day dining multi-cuisine restaurant that provides an eclectic mix of global cuisine with local delicacies. His current focus is to recreate the menu to make it one of the most exciting culinary experiences one can get in Mysore.
In an exclusive chat with Chef Bharath, Satya speaks about the plans and strategies he has for promoting the
How Mysore is different/ unique from other cities from the point of view of a Chef?
Mysore is the cultural capital of Karnataka and this status can be experienced in every aspect of the city, be it the palaces, sacred temples, heritage, yoga, culturally rooted residents and food. For a complete leisure experience, Mysore is an apt location and it can satisfy every kind of traveler. Mysore is known for its rich and flavorful old world delicacies like Mysore Thali and Mysore Pak, which remain unaffected by the every changing surrounding..
What are your key plans in the hotels in terms of?
In terms of Menu, we are planning to explore Global cuisine and Mughlai food. With of course the usual focus on locally inspired cuisine and fat-free healthy foods.
On the equipment side, Grand Mercure Mysore has the latest equipment in their spacious kitchen eg: combi /convection/rob coup /tilting pan/ and other. A drive into food fashion/sou-vide/will also be introducing soon. The kitchen strategy is to maintain key focus on the health and safety, authenticity, quality, and quantity of the food prepared to give customers a value for money experience.
Mysore is a cultural capital and a place that has both tourists, as well as a corporate sector, are there. How your menu will be balanced to meet all their requirements?
We have trained chefs from different cities of India who have come together to serve our guests at Grand Mercure Mysore. We also tailor made the menu keeping in mind leisure travelers, both national & international. Our al-a-cart menu is created with a global and inclusive theme and any special requests are catered to with special consideration towards the client’s request. We have also made sure to include flavorful healthy options for long stayers and fitness freaks