What It Takes To Be A Chefpreneur Cook your raw food pouring right amount of ingredients (hardwork, sincerity & honesty) with a pinch of salt (new & innovative ideas) to get the finger-licking dish (success).

By Chef Ashish Massey

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In simple terms, Chefpreneur is a mix of Chef and Entrepreneur. It sounds simple when you read or heard this term, but it is actually nothing less than a daunting task. I always wanted to be a chef. It all started with a hint of passion hidden inside me, which always at regular intervals instigate me to turn my childhood passion into my profession.

With time and experience, I have indulged myself into learning how to turn my profession into a business. Now, after years of hard work and dedication, I now run a couple of restaurants. Running a chain of restaurants is not a cake eating job. It requires lots of patience and persistence to get the desired results with minimum finance.

When I started my career as a chef, I failed miserably. But I didn't lose my hope and temper. Same happened when I opened my first restaurant. It didn't pick up instantly. I get disappointed a little, being a human. But back in my head, I don't want to lose. I tweaked a couple of things and incorporated a couple of suggestions and look where I am now. Hardwork and perseverance are the two pillars of success in every phase of your life.

Being a chef, you need to be always on your toes to deliver your best cuisine every time. A couple of failures or bad reviews can ruin your lifetime goodwill with a blink of an eye. So, you need to little extra cautious while preparing cuisines. Ditto happens with business as well.

There is a bleak difference between making a cuisine and running a restaurant. Both require expertise to excel. While preparing any dish or cuisine, you need to add every ingredient in it in correct amount to get the best taste.

Same applies in business as well. As an entrepreneur, you also need to be extra careful and cautious to take certain decisions. Being a chefpreneur is an overwhelming experience where one has to play several vital roles - as purchaser, accountant, employer, public relations officer and, of course, a chef.

When it comes to run a restaurant, there are some key factors that you need to keep in mind to make it a successful venture. TRUST. Yes, as an entrepreneur you should trust your team members and employees. With great trust, you would be free to hand over major tasks and responsibilities.

Handing over the responsibilities is another key for a successful business. Next would be coordination among all departments. If you work in a coordinative environment, success would follow you. In my restaurants, I always keep an eye on all my teams – be it kitchen or operation and make double sure that they work with coordination. My favourite theory behind any successful business or profession is how often you evolve yourself. You need to evolve and experiment your ideas and work style constantly.

Running a business is an art, so is cooking. I am proud to be a Chefpreneur. One advice to budding chefs and entrepreneurs – Cook your raw food (passion) pouring right amount of ingredients (hardwork, sincerity & honesty) with a pinch of salt (new & innovative ideas) to get the finger-licking dish (success).

Chef Ashish Massey

Director and Co-Owner,The Ancient Barbeque

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