Featured

About me

By Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji July 11, 2017May 19, 2022 In About Me, About My Soul-My Blog, Achievements, Awards, Consultant Chef, Educational Qualifications, Food Photographer, Food Stylist, Hospitality Consultant, Mentor, Professional Qualifications, Projects, Risen like a Phoenix, Sustainable Chef, Work Experience 0 No tags 0

‘All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to you my angel mother in Heaven.’

I dedicate this blog to my Angel Mother.

She was a fantastic cook , she prepared the divine food for the entire family with the secret ingredient called “Love”.

She is my Inspiration and life.

My Blog is my Soul :

I strongly believe that as a Chef , Mentor and Food Blogger it is my utmost responsibility that the recipes and knowledge that I share with my readers, followers and all are authentic as well as my own tadka that is innovative.

I love to prepare both types of recipes which are out of the box as well as traditional authentic recipes.

My blog gives my readers a variety, an idea how various flavors and ingredients can be blended.

You will find my recipes with cooking tips that would help you to prepare the dishes with ease.

Right from the Mise En Place ,Actual Cooking, Food Styling and LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION…. Food Photography I do it all. This means that I put my SOUL into my BLOG…..

I intricately prepare cuisine designed to capture a delicious and exciting range of flavors, textures and aromas.

I believe that we eat with our eyes first…….

About Me:

I believe that the food that I cook / prepare should not only touch the hearts but also the souls of the people relishing it. I follow the path shown by my Mother , that is bring smiles and spreading Happiness through the food I cook.

I strongly believe in “Real Chefs Share and Teach.”

“Secrets, especially with cooking, are best shared so that the cuisine lives on.” – Bo Songvisava

Food is my Religion.

My Culinary Journey so far….Risen like a Phoenix….

As a Child I have grown up seeing my mother cook the most delectable cuisines for the entire family. That gave the first kick in my mind that, Yes food is such an interesting and enormous art. I guess that I have got it through my genes.

I remember when almost all my relatives were strictly against my joining Hotel Management. The persons who stood like pillars were and still are my parents. The myth those days was that this profession is just not apt for girls. I owe all my success to my God Almighty, my Angel mother Mrs. Manjit M.S. Arora and my father , Mr. M.S.Arora, who supported me right from day one. I made sure to make them proud by receiving the Certificate of Merit. Thus kick-starting my journey into the world of foods.” I am also blessed to have such a supportive and motivating husband, my soulmate Uday B. Kugaji who supports, encourages and motivates me in my growth and success.

I am presently working as a

Chef, Culinary Expert , Food Blogger, Mentor, Hospitality and Food Consultant at http://womenpla.net/

http://womenpla.net/author/reetu-uday-kugaji/ and Food Author with www.tanyamunshi.com .

I run a Facebook page “Food For Thought by Chef Mrs Reetu UdayKugaji” https://www.facebook.com/chefreetuudaykugaji/

I also have a Facebook group “Knowledge is Wisdom” https://www.facebook.com/groups/471652423010057/

wherein my students and I share a lot of Current / Latest trends in Hospitality, Food, Food Styling, Food Plating and Food Photography.

Member of Western India Culinary Association (WICA)

I have worked as as a Grub Panelist with Senhora Magazine, also as a Food Author & Food expert at http://www.mangobunch.com/

I have worked as a Chef Consultant and Culinary Expert at “FITMAG” http://www.fitmag.in/ ,Speciality Chef with www.Percept Knorigin.com , www.cinecurry.com , Oxygen Infotainment and www.chefsutra.com and as a Food Author withwww.pioneerchef.com , theurbanspice.com and www.pinksworth.com

I have also worked as a as a Hospitality and Food Consultant, Speciality Chef and Food Author at www.plattershare.com from 24^th December 2015 to 3^rd October 2018.

Also, I am into writing recipes to suit both Desi and Videshi people and articles for various online and offline publications.

In the past, I have worked as a Program Head of Culinary Arts, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh at the ITM Institute of Hotel Management at Navi Mumbai.

Also ,I have worked as an Associate Professor at D.Y. Patil University, School of Hospitality and Tourism Studies, Navi Mumbai. At the D.Y. Patil University and Stadium, I was menu planning and preparing the most delectable and exotic cuisines for the Former Hon. President Of India Her Excellency Smt. Pratibha Tai Patil, “The God of Cricket” Mr. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, “The Great Wall of Indian Cricket” Mr. Rahul Dravid and various other dignitaries and eminent personalities.

I intricately prepared cuisine designed to capture a delicious and exciting range of flavours, textures and aromas. I also handled special food preparations for IPL matches, T 20-20 Matches at the D.Y. Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. I have cooked the most delectable cuisines for small to very large numbers.

With 24+ years of experience in the world of culinary academics, I believe that food is like oxygen to me. Food for me is God. As my profession demands cooking and tasting Non-Vegetarian foods & in spite of being a pure vegetarian, I perform my duties religiously as I understand the cause behind it is holy and noble. I profoundly believe that food whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian, if cooked with utmost love and positivity touches the heart of a person relishing it. I am privileged to be a Chef and a Mentor. If I have to say what my biggest achievements are, they would be shaping the careers and motivating thousands of students. I am indeed blessed to see my students excel in their careers and holding immense respect, gratitude and love for me. I believe that the food that I cook / prepare should not only touch the hearts but also the souls of the people relishing it.

I am a complete foodie; love to experiment with foods, innovations and fusions in foods and beverages; passionate about exploring new places and tasting and knowing about different types of cuisines. I totally adore food styling and food photography. I have an insatiable curiosity for new foods and love pairing flavours, foods and ideas from different parts of the world. It feels great to share my knowledge and skills with everyone.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” -Mahatma Gandhi
Learning is an everlasting process, I learn from every one even from my students, from every person I know or I don’t even know. Pick up the Positives and DROP THE NEGATIVES.

Upgrading oneself must be constant, may it be skills, training, technology or recent trends in Culinary and Hospitality.

Working on: Sustainable Cooking, Zero-Waste Recipes and Resourceful use of Leftover Food & Bringing Back The Lost Recipes of India.

As chefs ,bloggers and mentors we owe to the generations coming to create an awareness and follow Sustainable Cooking , Zero-Waste Recipes and to bring back the lost recipes of India.

I believe that Indian cuisine has gone a long way, may it be creativity, food plating and food presentation.

In the Past , as a Program Head-Culinary Arts, I have tried my bit of introducing The Lost Recipes of India in our Queen Margaret University , Edinburgh module known as Culinary Concept Development and Production where I had encouraged students to bring back the lost recipes of India.

This not only creates awareness among the budding chefs but when they go ahead with their extensive research, they are facing mind-boggling facts like what a vast and rich treasure we have in Indian Cuisine.

Positively the coming generations will bring back the lost recipes of India , the authentic flavor’s and fragrance as India’s colonial legacy is food.

#FoodisGod

#FoodismyReligion

#ProudtobeanIndian

#UnbeatableIndianCuisine

#LostRecipesOfIndia

#SustainableCooking

#ZeroWasteRecipes

#ResourcefulUseOfLeftoverFood

#LocalFarmerIngredients

#SayYesToFarmers

#UseSeasonalProduce

#GoVocalForLocal

#ShopLocally

Educational & Professional Qualifications:

Three Year Full-Time Diploma in Hotel Management and Catering Technology from Dr .D.Y. Patil Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Navi Mumbai.
Masters in Human Resources Development & Management from Sikkim Manipal University, Directorate of Distance Education – Gangtok.
M.T.M (Masters of Tourism Management) from Madurai Kamaraj University, Directorate of Distance Education, Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
B.A (Bachelor of Arts) from Mumbai University.
Diploma in Personnel Management from Wellingkars Institute of Management, Mumbai.
Awarded Certificate “Diploma in Chocolate Making” from Callebaut Chocolate Academy, Mumbai.

Level-I Introduction to Chocolates 27th April 2011

Level-II All About Chocolates 28th & 29th 2011

Level-III Chocolates Beyond Basics and Expertise.14th and 15th November 2011

Online Courses: Year -2021…

Attained Immense Knowledge & Received Certificate from #Harvard on successfully completing a course in

FERM: Food Fermentation: The Science of Cooking with Microbes on 11th March 2021.

Online Courses: Year -2020…

Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science (chemistry) , Harvard.
Introduction to Food and Health from Stanford Online.
The Science of Well-being from Yale University.
NCLTEACH1x: Inclusive Teaching: Supporting All Students in the College Classroom from Columbia University in the City of New York.
Successfully completed the online training – Level-I on Covid-19 Guidelines for food handlers on 2nd June 2020 from fssai and FOSTAC conducted by Indianeers Food Safety Management
Successfully completed the online training Catering- Level-II & Covid Food Safety Supervisor on Covid-19 Guidelines for food handlers on 27th July 2020 from fssai and FOSTAC conducted by Indianeers Food Safety Management.
COVID-19 (Corona virus Awareness) Certificate by eHotelier Academy.
Train the Trainer from Linkedin Learning
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing By Google Digital Unlocked.
Women Health: International Women’s Health and Human Rights from Stanford Online.

Faculty Development Programme /Webinars / Workshops /Conferences attended in Year 2020 & 2021…

Successfully completed AICTE Training And Learning (ATAL) Academy Online Advanced FDP on “Life Skills for Blissful Life” from 13th December 2021 to 17th December 2021 at Centre for Life Skills & Soft Skills (CLAS) ,Swaraj Sadan , M.D University Rohtak.
Attended Six Days Faculty Development Programme on ” Academic Research in Travel & Tourism: Recent Trends & Future Directions” from 19th July 2021 to 23rd July 2021 organised by Amity School of Hospitality and Amity Institute of Travel and Tourism, Amity University, Kolkata.
Attended Six Days Faculty Development Programme on ” Effective Teaching and Innovation in Hospitality Education” from 5th July 2021 to 9th July 2021 organised by Amity School of Hospitality and Amity Institute of Travel and Tourism, Amity University, Kolkata.
Successfully completed AICTE Training And Learning (ATAL) Academy Online Elementary FDP on “Life Skills for Blissful Life” from 7th June 2021 to 11th June 2021 at Centre for Life Skills & Soft Skills (CLAS) ,Swaraj Sadan , M.D University Rohtak.Participated in a “2 Days Workshop on New Age Skills: Technology & Entrepreneurship transforming Academia to Industry” organised by Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University, Punjab, India & MENTORx Global ,on the 27th & 28th November 2020,
Attended a Webinar on “The Sensational Future of Plant-Based Meal Solutions” organised by World Association Of Chefs Societies and Nestle Professional on 12th November 2020.
Attended Conference organised by Amity University… Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism and Amity Institute of Travel and Tourism on the 16th Amity International Tourism & Hospitality E-Conference (AITHC 2020) on Tourism: Building Peace! Fostering Knowledge: A Stakeholders Perspective on the 24th & 25th September 2020.
Attended Seven Days Faculty Development Programme (Vitrual) / Virtual Workshop on “ICT enabled Research During COVID Pandemic” from 24th September 2020 to 30th September 2020 organised by IGNOU, New Delhi.
Received Certificate as a participant as a eRapporteur in the Session/s of the Faculty Development Programme (Virtual) / Virtual Workshop on “ICT enabled Research During COVID Pandemic” from 24th September 2020 to 30th September 2020 organised by IGNOU, New Delhi.
Attended Six Days Faculty Development Programme on ” Transformation of Teaching Methodology to Digital Mode” from 13th July 2020 to 18th July 2020 organised by Amity School of Hospitality and Amity Institute of Travel and Tourism, Amity University, Kolkata.
Attended One day workshop on ‘Cultural Exploration of Telangana’ conducted by Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Kharakhoda, District Sonipat on 4th July 2020.
Attended National Webinar on ‘Revival, Survival and Expansion of Tourism and Hospitality Industry’ organized by School of Tourism, Hospitality and Hotel Management, Uttarakhand Open University, Haldwani (Nainital) on 21st July 2020.
Attended Webinar on ” Tourism & Hospitality: Careers and Opportunities” organised by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal, India on 30th July 2020.