Entrepreneur Farrokh Khambata talks about his prolific career graph and the challenges he faces...
His name is a synonym with great food and meticulous hospitality. He's lived his life, restaurant by restaurant, menu by menu, soiree by soiree, delicacy by delicacy. Farrokh Khambata's new baby Joss at Santacruz kick-started last week and has already become the talk of the town. It's not really surprising given a glowing litany of success stories behind the entrepreneur - be it Joss at Kalaghoda, Amadeus at NCPA, Café at the NCPA or Umame at Eros.
He also runs one of city's most sought after outdoor catering unit. Over to the man of the hour... .
A day in my life
He begins his day with an hour and a half of yoga. Now he's torn apart as the new restaurant is in Santacruz while Amadeus is in Nariman Point. He sounds unfazed by the grueling commute. "I am getting used to it. All my restaurants run on their own as I have put a system in place. I am blessed with good people and there's a nice communication system - it's one big family becoming bigger."
Farrokh's heart actually lies in the nuances of food and the ingredients than balance sheet. "I like being the creative head and focus on recipes. I tend to strike a balance between the commercial and creative sides of the business. Being an entrepreneur one is in charge of everything including the accounts and a lot of decisions have to be taken and I honestly wish I didn't have to deal with that. Rather I am best at creating food," says he in all honesty.
"The new Joss has been totally recreated with a new menu. Of course some of the old favs have been retained but we have upped the presentation. The new menu has 60 to 70 per cent new dishes which comes with a dramatic presentation and includes some funky desserts," he adds.
One's keen to know if he cooks at home. "I don't cook at home as life is really hectic. We are also into the catering business which takes a major chunk of my time," he shares.
My fav eateries
"I enjoy eating out and love regional Indian food. I like Ziya and Masala Library."
Key learnings
"You have to be really consistent and maintain the same standards. Of course getting good ingredients is a huge challenge and one has to pay a lot for custom duties etc. Also, you cannot relax and get complacent. My brain needs to be ticking all the time."
Need for experimentation
"I strongly feel that people need to be open minded and get used to the new cooking style. Do things out of the box. We were the first one to open an Oriental restaurant in Mumbai and which started the Oriental movement in the city," says he with a hint of pride.
Secret to a good party
"Ambience, good food, great music and meticulous service are crucial. Food is of paramount importance and elements like live counters can make a lot of difference.
If I weren't a chef...
"I would have opted for car racing as a career."
Work life balance
"The restaurant business becomes the family life. My wife is also involved in it and helps a lot. My 13-year-old son also helps with food tasting and gives us his valuable feedback. The family understands that it's (the business) time consuming."
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