Nikhil Shetty is passionate about food.
With a background in hospitality, Shetty has worked in a number of reputed hotels all around the world as a chef and feel's very fortunate that he has been able to take his passion and turn it into a full-time career.
Shetty was formerly in charge of the kitchen and its menu at Double Tree Hilton in Auckland, along with celebrity chef Mark Southon. He now works for Metlifecare and has also been in charge of setting up their kitchen and menu. He said that his move from the Hospitality industry to a retirement village was due to his genuine passion for helping people, whereas, in hospitality, he felt it revolved more around sales and revenue.
The Pohutukawa Landing Village, where Shetty works, is in the Auckland suburb of Beachlands. The village features both independent and aged residential care.
"The culinary arts is an amazing field where one can showcase their creativity through food. As it's not everyone's cup of tea, and it does demand being under pressure, and it can be a very intimidating line of work. However, it can also be very fun and rewarding," said Shetty.
Shetty's favourite style of cuisine to cook is fusion, and he enjoys being able to experiment with flavours and techniques. He finds that braised cooking, if used wisely, is perfect for senior citizens. He added that presentation is also very important, not just in the village, but for everyone.
Highlights of his career have included catering for sports teams such as the All Blacks and Silver Ferns and also the opening of new hotel kitchens as well. He added that it was a great feeling to know that his kitchen and fusion menu had customers calling weeks in advance to get a booking.
In the future, Shetty hopes to continue to lead his kitchen staff and help others create their own path. He added that being focused and creative will make you successful.
