Hot Seat

The Sound of hospitality

When it comes to culinary skill and success, few have achieved excellence, and fewer still have given back to the fraternity in a quiet and subtle way. Rajesh Rodrigues looks at the life and career of Chef Soundararajan along with the milestones he has crossed.

Having been part of the hospitality industry for the last 25 years, Chef P Soundararajan has achieved what most young hospitality graduates would dream of. But the path he took was not an easy one. Known to be very soft-spoken, he let his work do all the talking.

Soundararajan, the seventh child born on August 19, 1959, lost his father at a tender age of eight. A good mathematic student, hospitality industry was probably the last thing in his mind. His uncle, Subramaniam, who had taken the responsibility of young Soundararajan, advised him to join the Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai so he could become a successful catering professional. He decided to join the food production department of the hotel industry in the first year itself. He says, "All that I did was with my heart, not hands. When I decided to make culinary art my career, my mother said to me to always cook with my heart and not my hands." Soundar, as he is known by his friends and family, was encouraged to pursue his newfound love by them.

Teetotaller

A teetotaler, Soundararajan's favourite drink is hot chocolate and hot tea. He says, "I do not smoke or drink any alcoholic beverages. I feel that they destroy the ability to smell and taste food. I enjoy food that is cooked with natural ingredients and retains its original flavours irrespective of the cooking style and the country. I only enjoy chilled, freshly squeezed fruit juices as far as cold drinks are concerned. I do not like carbonated drinks."

He performs pooja every morning. Married to Paneer Selvi, he has a daughter, Soupa who is studying in the first year of engineering. He proudly says, "My family is very proud of me as they find me very focused and career-oriented. Soupa finds great motivation in my work." Talking about his retirement plans, Soundararajan says, "I want to live till the age of 100 years. But till then I want to pursue something connected to food, culinary and cuisine. I breathe, eat, dream and drink only culinary!" However, apart from that he also likes to collect statues of Lord Ganesha and is a numismatist (coin collector).

A first class and a rank holder of IHM Chennai, Soundararajan started his career as a chef trainee with the Taj Group of hotels. With an aim to be an executive chef, his first reaction when he stepped into the hotel kitchen was a pleasurable one. He adds, "I was pleasantly surprised that I could do all the work myself. But I also realised that there was a lot of room for improvement. The first days were not a cakewalk. The senior staff of the hotel constantly discouraged me. But I had a vision and wanted to achieve it. I worked very hard and gained their support and confidence."

Later attracted by the renowned French Chef Roger Moncourt, he switched over to Ashok Hotel, New Delhi as a kitchen management trainee in 1982. His first assignment was catering to 6,000 athletes participating in Asian Games everyday. After a few years, he moved on to other hotels working under renowned chefs and learning the nuances of Indian and International cuisine.

The mid-career

In 1992, at the age of 33, Soundararajan was shouldering the responsibility of corporate chef with Guestline Days Hotels & Resorts. It was during this period that he nurtured and brought about variations in the operations and developed a new systems operating procedure for the chain. He created a new cuisine called the Kongu Nadu cuisine and his aim to be an executive chef and then corporate chef was accomplished. Soundararajan says, "My aim in life was is to create the finest culinary training ground in the world. My innovative mind started working and I wanted to introduce new techniques and concept of waste management such as composting, herb/kitchen garden, use of recyclable materials and conservation at Hotel Guestline." As a result, the hotel was awarded American Express Hotel in 1993. He is presently corporate executive chef of Club Mahindra.