SECRET INGREDIENT - Key Persons
Bhagat's obsession with cooking blossomed while he was studying Economics in the city of gourmands, Bangalore. After gaining valuable experience staging at Rooh and AD Singh's Olive, his journey led him to working as a Chef at Plats and Bougie, where he honed his craft and fundamentals. At Secret Ingredient, Bhagat continues to explore food philosophy, diverse ingredients and different trends across the globe to create unique culinary experiences.
Deepa began her professional journey after completing her diploma in hospitality and Bachelor's in commerce. Starting at Interglobe Aviation with Indigo Airlines, she transitioned to prestigious hospitality brands such as Hyatt Regency and The Lalit in New Delhi, accumulating valuable experience in food and beverage operations. With a master's in HR Management, Deepa heads hiring, overseeing all recruitment processes, ensuring the seamless integration of talent for our clients.
Job Titles:
- Analyst / Research & Development
Dev is a culinary enthusiast whose passion for all things food sparked at a young age. After completing his culinary program & undergrad in tourism; Dev gained valuable experience working with renowned brands like Hilton, Radisson Blu, and Theobroma. Today, he serves as a Research and Development Analyst, contributing his expertise in intensive research and innovative concept creation.
Hardik, began his journey at La Piazza at Hyatt Regency, where he learned the ropes from talented Italian chefs. Then moving on to Shangri-LA, where he strengthened his foundation. At Pullman Aerocity, he played a key role in reopening restaurants post-COVID. He's worked with several renowned brands like Novotel, Rixo's, Nemo. Hardik's culinary adventures then took him to Turkey, where he led Ava restaurant, specialising in the unique blend of Japanese and Peruvian flavours known as Nikkei cuisine. Now, as a culinary consultant at Secret Ingredient, he combines his diverse experiences to craft exciting dishes and flavours.
Job Titles:
- Head of Projects
- Vice President Operations
With an enriched operations experience spanning over a decade, Hitesh started his career in 2010. A post-graduate in Hotel Management and Marketing, Hitesh got the best of all the possible worlds by joining Asian Haus - the pioneer in the food delivery space.
In the process of soaking up the training during the initial years, Hitesh has gained cross functional knowledge across all departments and formats of the trade, handling a team of over 130 employees, while expanding the company to new locations and the creation of new brands.
He then followed his passion of owning and running his own café for a couple of years. He soon realized that he is more suited to being part of a larger organization, rather than another entrepreneur in the F&B space.
He joined Cremica Foods and headed the launch and growth of their desserts and FMCG arm, where they created bakery stores and numerous frozen dessert consumer products.
Hitesh is extremely proficient in front of the house operations, financial planning, vendor management and handling of personnel, whether it is hiring, training or development.
Kshitija, started her journey in the culinary world watching giants like Nigella and experimenting in her own kitchen from the age of 7. Instead of watching the usual entertainment intended from kids, she chose to learn from some of the biggest international names in the culinary world.
She got her degree in hotel management from IHM Pusa, New Delhi. She had her literal baptism with fire (in the kitchen!) working with some of the most revered names in the industry, including the Michelin starred Chef Sujan Sarkar, went on to work with Chef Vikramjit Roy to juggle multiple tasks as the head of Research & Development.
For over a decade in the food & beverage space, Kula has been carefully expanding and building on his innate understanding of food & branding. Born and raised in Malaysia and being of South Indian decent, he has been immersed in international cultures and flavours since birth, with a keen interest on Asian food.
Kula moved back to New Delhi in 2007 and delved into food. These years of experimentation during the industries tumultuous phase, gave Kula the wealth of experience and knowledge from a practical first hand perspective. This has proven essential and of immeasurable value to constructing his holistic perspective of the industry that has allowed him to create the long standing ventures he maintains today.
Roshni's journey began in commerce as an audit associate at E&Y, however, her true passion lied within the realm of food that spans family generations. Beginning with formal training in pastry at the renowned Academy of Pastry Arts, Roshni embarked on a culinary adventure that took her to esteemed establishments such as Shangri-La, Delhi, Pullman and Rixos in Turkey. Her dedication to crafting pastries also led her to establish her own brand, The Dancing Spatula. At Secret Ingredient, Roshini showcases her creativity and passion for desserts, leaving a flavourful imprint on every plate she whips up.
Soon enough though, the calling to be involved in F&B became too strong and Sid returned to India where he met up with an old friend - Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality. He invested in the group and became an active Director & Head of Food with a pan-India role, learning all there is to know about restaurants.
Seeing a gap in the market for honest and professional food consultancy, he founded Secret Ingredient in 2010. Starting slow, he built a loyal customer base and showed positive results across all their projects. Today, Secret Ingredient is India's leading food consultancy firm.
In the year 2016, Khoya became the category creator for luxury mithai. With Sid's vast knowledge about food, ingredients, processes and kitchen operations, Khoya became the brand which gave mithai its rightful place back in the world. Their clients include Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Julius Bar, YPO India, Karan Johar, The Oberoi Group, Ikea, Cartier and many more.
His keen love for food began at a young age thanks to well-travelled parents and being brought up in London. It's what gave him the edge in the food industry and had armed him with a world vision and a very indigenous approach to hospitality.
Back home, he studied at British School, New Delhi and later St. Stephen's College, Delhi University. Shortly after, he moved back to London and continued eating his way around the world while spending 9 years in Private Banking and Equity Trading, most of it with Citibank.
Soon enough though, the calling to be involved in F&B became too strong and Sid returned to India where he met up with an old friend - Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality. He invested in the group and became an active Director & Head of Food with a pan-India role, learning all there is to know about restaurants.
Seeing a gap in the market for honest and professional food consultancy, he founded Secret Ingredient in 2010. Starting slow, he built a loyal customer base and showed positive results across all their projects. Today, Secret Ingredient is India's leading food consultancy firm.
Tejinder is an HR and Administration Operations professional. In her role, she excels in managing human resources, coordinating administrative tasks, and overseeing daily operations. Her organizational skills ensure efficiency, and she is adept at implementing policies and procedures. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new destinations, learning about the human mind and different forms of art. Her constant quest to learning is what keeps her going!
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant / Operations & Training
Vipul is a seasoned professional having over 25 years of cross functional experience across all F&B formats. Over the years, he has been associated with many successful brands & organisations some of which are: McDonald's, Alchemist group, Devyani International, Nando's & Ditas. His key expertise is restaurant operations, team training, audits & location analysis. As a senior consultant, he presently leads overall F&B operations at Secret Ingredient.
Yoshita, embarked on a fascinating journey from the realm of political science to the world of gastronomy, with a passion for all things culinary.
Having honed her skills under the guidance of some of the most renowned names in the industry, such as Ritu Dalmia's Diva and AD Singh's Olive, her journey has been driven by a relentless pursuit of knowledge and a strong desire to build a solid foundation in culinary arts.
Apart from her professional background, Yoshita also managed a thriving home kitchen called Yoshi's Kitchen where she specialized in curating meals, luxury gift hampers, and unique culinary experiences.
As part of her role, she keeps up with the latest culinary trends, techniques, and innovations. She is continually expanding her knowledge and skills by conducting research on novel ingredients, cooking methods, and flavours. This constant pursuit enables the infusion of creativity and freshness into menus, ultimately staying one step ahead of the game.