Full name: Hari Ghotra
Role: Chef and Founder of harighotra.co.uk
DOB: 11/07/1976
Birthplace: Wolverhampton
Twitter Handle: @harighotra
Website: www.harighotra.co.uk
Fun Fact: “Whilst I love my heels, I take them off once a week as a mean goal attack with some local mums to play netball!”
So, let’s start at the beginning then. I read that you leaned to cook by following your mum around the kitchen. Your family was from the Punjab in North India, but you were born in Wolverhampton right? Could you tell us a little about Sikh culture, Punjabi food and your formative years? It sounds like you’ve always been a foodie to some extent…
Yes, I’m born and bread in Wolverhampton but grew up in a traditional Sikh home. The fundamental belief of Sikhs is that we are all equal men, women, Hindu, Sikh and we should share all we have with those who are less fortunate. I think it’s a very humanitarian religion and I’m very proud to be a Sikh. The Punjab known as the land of wheat and honey with its gorgeous fertile land boasts some amazing produce. A place where wheat and bread is the main staple.
Punjabi food is simple, mainly vegetarian but it’s all about thick rich sauces, lots of lentils, mustard leaves, milk yoghurt, paneer and breads.
I grew up standing on a stool in the kitchen stirring pots of curry, learning when the onions were ready and adding brightly coloured powders to the pans. We’d pick stuff my mum had grown in the garden and make chutneys but we ate very simply. Dad was a bus driver and we didn’t go out for dinner, we always ate at home. Mum would create all kinds of stuff that we loved and some stuff (stuffed kerela) we hated, which I now love.
Food and cooking has always been part of my life and I love every aspect.
Leading from above, some of the things you teach people to cook are ‘hybrid’ English/Indian dishes from your childhood right? I’d love to hear about that!
Mum would try to dabble with some English dishes because we always complained that we only got Indian food. I loved school dinners as it was the only time I got to eat English food! She would add an Indian twist to English dishes so we would all be happy and cook things like Indian spiced fish and masala chips, Indian masala baked beans. I have taken it a bit further with my Spiced Fish Pie and Indian Shepherds Pie and now my kids love those hybrid dishes!
Prior to your transformation to chef extraordinaire you were working in marketing at Tesco, right? Could you tell us about how Jellyfish (the digital marketing agency) got involved, why you made the transition, and what (if anything…) carried over from the corporate world and your previous life?
Cooking and food have always been a huge part of my life and after years of being asked how to cook indian food, I a started business teaching people how to cook in my spare time. Before I knew it, all my evenings and weekends were taken up doing classes and I was totally overwhelmed with how to move the business forwards. How did I make the transition from cooking and teaching to a full time career? Do I leave the corporate world? Do I franchise?
So I spoke to Jellyfish CEO Rob Pierre about my dilemma in the hope they may be able to offer some advice. Luckily for me they were also looking for a case study. They had never had the opportunity to use their full range of services on one business to demonstrate what Jellyfish are capable of. So from website creation, creativity, SEO, video, photography etc they could start to build a brand from the ground up with the ability to track all activity in the digital world.
There are very few times in your life you get the opportunity to do something that you love. So in my case, cooking and using the marketing skills I gained from years in the corporate world and still have the opportunity to learn new skills and grow everyday.
You now cook at The Tamarind Collection, right? Could you tell me what that entails and how you ended up doing that gig? On that note how did you end up getting involved with Great British Chefs? Sounds like another great gig…
Yes, I do! I am part of the team at Tamarind of Mayfair and work in the kitchen with head chef, Peter Joseph. From prepping and plating up to writing new menus, I’m in a fortunate position as Peter has taken me under his wing and he’s teaching me how a Michelin star kitchen works.
As the website grew, so did our audience and Peter spotted what I was doing on YouTube. Because my style of authentic, North Indian cooking lined up with the food served at the restaurant, Peter invited me to check out the restaurant. Peter and I got on so well that he asked me to come back and join the team. This has lead on to me being appointed chef of their new restaurant, Tamarind Kitchen in Soho which opens this summer.
Great British Chefs is just an amazing website and they have very close links to Peter and Tamarind so when he introduced me to them they were naturally intrigued by what I was doing. They liked some of my more unusual recipes and asked me to contribute to the website which is a great way for me to reach a wider audience.
I’ve heard you described also as a ‘mumpreneur’ – as a guy who runs his own business I’m always amazed that anyone can do this AND raise small human beings. How the heck do you do it?! Are you raising little chefs?
Mumpreneur is a funny word, I’m just a mum who works and I always have. I went back to work part time after I had my children and it was great when they were little but part time never suited me. I always felt that I missed out at work because I was only there three days and I missed out at home too so I was dissatisfied on both fronts. I felt like my marketing career had just turned into a job and I no longer added any value which is difficult when you’ve worked so hard.
Having a baby was fine but my fear has always been about making sure the children turn into decent human beings. I love to work and my children see that everyday. They need to grow up with a strong work ethos and understand how important it is to strive and always do your best.
In terms of little chefs, kids need to understand where food comes from so my kids cook with me all the time. They know ingredients, they will try new things, and yes they know basically how to cook. It’s a skill that I think is being lost so I am making sure my kids can put a decent meal on the table. I’m just prepping them for life!
What’s a ‘day in your life’ like? Could you give us an insight into the life of Hari Ghotra?
That’s a difficult one because each day is different where I’m faced with new challenges and new work to do. The only thing that is constant is getting the kids up and out the door for school and then from there my day can take a multitude of directions. I could spend the day at home formulating, designing and researching dishes or recipes for the Hari Ghotra website. I could be in the kitchen at Tamarind of Mayfair prepping for lunch service or talking recipes with Peter Joseph for the new restaurant, Tamarind Kitchen, as well as doing tastings for new dishes.
Some of my days are spent at the Jellyfish office in Reigate to refine the website, add content and talk about social media activity. It’s very important that the website continues to develop and grow, so some days will include photo and video shoots of my new dishes, all of which requires a lot of preparation.
I’m also out and about a lot meeting other people from the food world; from working with The Chefs Forum to attending food shows.
As an ambassador for an amazing charity called Find Your Feet, I spend time helping to spread the word about their Curry For Change campaign. It’s all about cooking to raise much needed funds for some of the poorest families in India and Africa and giving people the tools to support themselves.
Other days I will be teaching cookery classes both in my home and at weekends for other cookery schools such as Kent Cookery School and Abinger in Dorking.
Everyday is underpinned with constantly being aware of and active on social media across every platform. I could probably go on and on but in a nut shell, it’s a very varied job!
What’s your greatest/most memorable professional moment been, so far?
I think launching the Hari Ghotra website was amazing, seeing all my dishes online and people starting to use them was amazing. Having my cooking recognised by a Michelin star restaurant was pretty cool too and having the opportunity to cook in the kitchens of such an establishment doesn’t happen everyday so I am truly blessed.
Where do you get your ideas?
I like to travel back to India and experience the authentic cuisine. I also love to travel to Europe too and feel that there is something to learn wherever I go, whether that be different techniques or ingredients, or how dishes are put together. I like to keep on top of what is happening on the London food scene although this is pretty varied and can be expensive!
Ideas come from the strangest of places, sometimes from questions I am asked during classes or reading and researching.
What’s your philosophy, summed up in a sentence?
“Life is about learning and growing so always be kind as well as courageous.”
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had, how did you overcome it, and what did you learn from it?
Jumping in uncertainly with both feet and leaving the corporate world to set up my cooking business. There are very few times in your life that you get presented with an opportunity to do something for yourself, where others believe in you so you have to take these chances when they come along. I had to be strong, have belief in myself and trust that I would never give up.
To this point I have learnt so much in terms of practical skills, business skills and even my cooking skills have improved. But more so than this, I have learned that this is an ongoing process and even though the highs and lows are huge, I have to remain strong.
Who’s the person who’s most inspired you in your work – food industry or otherwise? Is there anyone that you draw inspiration or strength from? Do you have any specific culinary influences?
On a personal level, my father has been my inspiration. I saw how hard he worked throughout his life and if there is one person I need this to succeed for, then it’s him; he is my driving force. I have many culinary influences and I love what some of the popular chefs are doing but my main influence comes from home cooks and traditional techniques.
Chef Peter Joseph from Tamarind of Mayfair has been a great mentor and advisor and someone I spend a lot of time talking to about ideas and dishes. I also love to experience what other chefs are doing. I recently experienced the food from the amazing Spanish chef, Albert Adria so it’s always good to look outside the box and be inspired by different cuisines.
What do you enjoy most and least about what you do?
Nothing gives me more pleasure then shopping for great ingredients and cooking. I love talking and interacting with people but I sometimes struggle with self promotion Talking about myself doesn’t come naturally to me.
What advice would you give to aspiring food entrepreneurs/chefs who’d want the kind of results that you’ve had?
This isn’t something that happens overnight, it takes years of building your foundation and a lot of hard work so you have to be committed, even during the times you are feeling low. It’s hard work and it is all consuming so don’t do it unless you are focussed and determined, and never give up. You will need to put yourself out there so prepare yourself for knock backs but stay strong.
Also have a good understanding of your audience and having a good grasp of social media is imperative when promoting what you do!
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing instead?
I’m very lucky that this is my dream job, I’m building a business and I get to cook so really there is nothing else I would want to do.
If you could cook anything for anyone, anywhere you chose – who would you pick, where would you do it and what would you cook for them?
With the knowledge I have now I would have loved to have cooked for my mum and dad at the new Tamarind restaurant, Tamarind Kitchen when it opens. I’m sure together, they would’ve loved to see the traditional dishes like Black Dhal, Roomali Roti and Chaat given a fine dining twist. On a professional level I’d love to cook for Rick Stein. He’s so down to earth and I think he’d be a lot of fun plus he loves Indian flavours.
If you could get anyone to try your curry kits (fictional or real, living or dead) who would you pick and which of the kits would you like them to try? Assume that they go on to be your brand ambassador…
Oh I think everyone who loves cooking should try a kit. With Kate and William’s recent tour to India I would love Kate to make one for William. Apparently he’s not great with spice but I’m sure my tikka masala would be a hit.
What’s your ultimate aim and goal for your business/career? If you could achieve anything with it, what would you pick? Money and reality are no obstacle, so shoot for the moon…
I want people to cook from scratch and I want them to understand how to make great Indian food and enjoy it. I would love to have a chain of successful restaurants that bring no fuss, authentic tasting Indian food to life. I also love to teach and want to run a Indian cookery school that helps people understand Indian food and spices so they can cook great dishes at home. And I’d love to have a Indian TV cookery show.
Where next for you?
The next step is preparing for and opening Tamarind Kitchen in Soho this summer.
And we always ask three customary ridiculous questions…
If you had to get into a no holds barred, 20 round fist fight with any fictional character, who would you square off against?
Miss Piggy but I think she could have me!
If you had to have any character from Greek mythology come and work with you, who would you employ?
That’s a tricky one! I remember as a kid, my dad would always look forward any showing of Jason and the Argonauts, and it almost seemed to be an annual ritual when any of these fantasy movies appeared on TV. So in memory of my dad, and I would have Jason help me out!
If you had to be transformed into any kind of household appliance, but retained your memories, ability to speak and personality, what would you pick?
I think it might have to be the teapot! Every day starts with a cup of tea, and everything always seems better after a really good cuppa. It’s the unsung hero of the kitchen!