BENGALURU: Swetha Kurada, 36, had a successful, five-year journey as an investment banker in New York City at wealth management firms like GE Treasury and Merrill Lynch. But her dream was to become a baker. The MBA graduate from Colombia University did not bat an eyelid when she decided to quit her high-flying job to take admission at the reputed Le Cordon Bleu (Paris) culinary school. Today, she runs Desserted Studio, a patisserie in Vasanth Nagar.
“Investing 18 hours of work a day baking apple pies and eclairs is more satisfying than strategising at a banking firm. Creating employment as an entrepreneur is the cherry on the cake,” she says.
Switching careers in her mature years was a deliberate decision as her parents wanted her to first find a foothold in a “traditionally lucrative profession” rather than becoming a chef. “Culinary arts was always my calling. So, after I established myself successfully in a sector approved by my parents, I decided to invest in myself and followed my heart,” says Karuda, adding there were many Indians at the iconic Paris campus who had quit their regular 9-5 jobs to join the culinary school.
Many millennials in Bengaluru now don’t hesitate to switch careers and join the business of food, driven by the city’s dynamic F&B industry and the rise of celebrity chefs on television and social media. They don’t want to follow the herd; they want to follow their dream. Take the case of Kannada documentary filmmaker-turned-home baker Vybhava Raj, 27. “Outdoor catering with odd working hours was not well-received by my family during college years. I dropped out of the hotel management course and studied business management,” says Raj. Once well into her 20s, she dropped management and joined a baking course at Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts. She then opened a company called The Baked Box. “It is easier to make decisions in your mature years as parents feel secure in the thought that you are making responsible choices,” says Raj, who is heading to New York in March for an advanced baking course.
Bored of her routine as a techie in Bengaluru, Karthika Shravanthi, too, quit her job and joined Le Cordon Bleu (London). “I hated the IT job as I don’t like routine. It is important to have a happy and a successful career,” says Shravanthi, who recently moved her baking studio, Bakeman Begins, to Chennai.
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Culinary schools like Le Cordon Bleu, founded in 1895, have seen a spurt in the trend in the last couple of years. Abhishek Sharma, hub manager — India subcontinent for Le Cordon Bleu, says, “We have 35 campuses, which admit about 20,000 students each year from across the globe. We receive 30-40 students each year from Bengaluru. About 30% of them are millennials making a career switch and at ease with investing in themselves and pay a fee of Rs 18-20 lakh for a 9-15 month course.
From Ramen Worth $100K To $7 Mn Of Cheese Wheels, Crimes Committed For Food
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A father-son duo was arrested for conning five-star hotels in Mumbai. The two would eat and drink and make a run for it, without paying the bill. They aren’t the only people who have entered a life of crime with food as the focal point.
A father-son duo was arrested for conning five-star hotels in Mumbai. The two would eat and drink and make a run for it, without paying the bill. They aren’t the only people who have entered a life o..
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Last month, a Melbourne man was the victim of one of the strangest burglaries. The thief did not make away with the expensive items in the house. Instead, he just ate all the chocolate. The victim was quoted saying, “He ate all my Cadbury Favourites.” The thief also enjoyed several cans of drink, cut his toenails and would have probably fixed himself dinner if the home owner didn’t come home when he did.
Last month, a Melbourne man was the victim of one of the strangest burglaries. The thief did not make away with the expensive items in the house. Instead, he just ate all the chocolate. The victim wa..
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Christmas is a time for giving and taking if this incident is anything to go by. A young nurse in the US said Christmas was a “cursed” time in her family after a series of unfortunate events happened around the holiday season. The final addition to the list was when thieves broke into her home and not only stole her children’s presents, but also the turkey, gammon and vegetables meant for Christmas lunch.
Christmas is a time for giving and taking if this incident is anything to go by. A young nurse in the US said Christmas was a “cursed” time in her family after a series of unfortunate events happened..
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Cheese is globally the top thieving food ingredient. And one of the most sought-after is Parmiggiano Reggiano. In Italy, 330 makers have been the victim of cheese heists. There is a big black market for these delicious cheese wheels and, according to reports, in the past two years, the stolen wheels have amounted to nearly $7 million in worth.
Cheese is globally the top thieving food ingredient. And one of the most sought-after is Parmiggiano Reggiano. In Italy, 330 makers have been the victim of cheese heists. There is a big black market ..
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“Anyone offered large quantities [of chocolate] via unconventional channels should report it to the police immediately.” That was the public service announcement that was issued in April 2018 in Germany when thieves made off with a truckload of Nutella and Kinder chocolate eggs. The stolen treats were worth more than $80,000. The police were clueless about the motive of the robbers and suggested they were after the truck the chocolate spread was stored in.
Large-scale food thefts are not unheard of in this particular part of Germany, as five tonnes of coffee and a truckload of Red Bull energy drinks were also on the hit list.
“Anyone offered large quantities [of chocolate] via unconventional channels should report it to the police immediately.” That was the public service announcement that was issued in April 2018 in Germ..
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Ramen noodles may be a cheap college staple but there was nothing cheap about this robbery. In Fayette County, Georgia, robbers stole packaged ramen noodles from a trailer park off the highway. There were nearly 3,00,000 packets of the noodle which amounted to nearly $100,000.
Ramen noodles may be a cheap college staple but there was nothing cheap about this robbery. In Fayette County, Georgia, robbers stole packaged ramen noodles from a trailer park off the highway. There..
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After a two-year avocado shortage in New Zealand, which has caused prices for the green fruit to surge, many people are taking to a life of crime by stealing avocados from orchards in the middle of the night and selling them on the black market.
Given the popularity of this green fruit, farmers are going out of their way to protect their trees by adding razor-wire fences around the trees.
After a two-year avocado shortage in New Zealand, which has caused prices for the green fruit to surge, many people are taking to a life of crime by stealing avocados from orchards in the middle of t..
Sharma notes that a chef today commands the same respect and remuneration as of a doctor does, making the career switch attractive.
According to Shailesh Johny of Lavonne Academy, there has been a jump in the number of bankers, fitness coaches, doctors, engineers and architects joining his baking institute and then opening a café or a patisserie or turning home bakers.
“The trend picked up in the last three years at our seven-year-old academy. About 70% of our students are millennials. Six out of 10 students in each batch come from different backgrounds. Cookery shows on television that have turned chefs into real-life stars have been an influencer,” says Johny, who, too, was a communications trainer at Dell before turning to the culinary arts.
Anthony Bourdain: The Chef Who Courted Controversy
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The culinary world - and others included - sunk into collective depression on Friday after news broke of Anthony Bourdain's death. The celebrity chef was in France working on an upcoming episode of his CNN series. His friend, French chef Eric Ripert, found him unresponsive in his hotel room on Friday morning.
The culinary world - and others included - sunk into collective depression on Friday after news broke of Anthony Bourdain's death. The celebrity chef was in France working on an upcoming episode of h..
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Bourdain, seen here in pic with Italian actor and director Asia Argento for the Women In The World Summit in New York earlier in April this year, had a chequered journey.
His walk of fame began in 2000 with the publication of “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.” Years of hard work in kitchens around Manhattan, and as executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles, finally paid off. The best-seller was hailed by critics for its witty, energetically written look behind-the-scenes of the restaurant industry. The book expanded on a 1999 New Yorker article that he had sent to The New Yorker about the underbelly of the restaurant world and its deceptions.
Bourdain, seen here in pic with Italian actor and director Asia Argento for the Women In The World Summit in New York earlier in April this year, had a chequered journey. His walk of fame began in 20..
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Bourdain followed up his literary success into a gig with Food Network hosting “A Cook’s Tour.” This happened to be his breakout moment with Bourdain’s signature programming approach — it followed the chef with the hangdog look, slightly hungover to exotic ports of call, trying out local cuisine and giving a sneak peek into foreign cultures.
He repeated the concept on the Travel Channel’s “No Reservations” and “The Layover”, both successful shows that aired from 2005 to 2013.
Bourdain followed up his literary success into a gig with Food Network hosting “A Cook’s Tour.” This happened to be his breakout moment with Bourdain’s signature programming approach — it followed th..
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Anthony Bourdain seen here with the outstanding informational series or special award for 'Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown' backstage at the 2015 Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. As part of the show, Bourdain ate grilled pork and noodles with President Barack Obama in Hanoi, examined the legacy of apartheid in Johannesburg, dug into pig ear sandwiches in the Mississippi Delta, and experienced the harvest festival, Gawai Dayak, in Borneo. It was in Borneo that Bourdain was asked and complied with a request from villagers to plunge a spear into the heart of a pig!
Anthony Bourdain seen here with the outstanding informational series or special award for 'Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown' backstage at the 2015 Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. As part of t..
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Bourdain was never too far from controversies. Apart from being admonished by some for cultural invasion, he was recently declared "persona non grata for his disrespect of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty." The Foreign Ministry spokesman of Azerbaijan told Agence France-Presse. "Filming a food show on Azerbaijan's occupied territory is an insult to one million Azerbaijani refugees who were forcefully expelled from their homes."
Bourdain was never too far from controversies. Apart from being admonished by some for cultural invasion, he was recently declared "persona non grata for his disrespect of Azerbaijan's territorial in..
