My Story: 'Becoming a Chef Was Never By Choice, But This Is The Best Thing Till Now'

I was in Class 6 when things started going downhill with my family. My father used to work at a construction site, and because of some issues, he lost his job. Our world turned upside down. We have a joint family of over 17 members and at that point my grandparents stopped giving money to my father. No one in the family was ready to help and we were left to fend for ourselves.

When I was in Class 8, I started working on a part-time basis as a DJ in my hometown Insuli, located on the Maharashtra-Goa border, to make ends meet. . Being a DJ has been my childhood dream and it wasn't difficult to pick up the skills in a short span of time. I started watching different YouTube channels and trained myself in a couple of months. I started earning some money, but it was not enough to pay my fees.

When I completed my high school, the financial pressures started increasing. Unable to pay my college fees, I narrated my plight to the college management and they decided to enrol me on an admission management quota.

Though I wanted to pursue a career in DJ'ing, my family never supported the idea. I decided to choose hotel management as a career. After taking a loan from the bank, I enrolled at IHM Goa, which is regarded as a prestigious institute for hotel management in the country. After completing my course, I started working as a trainer and later as a chef in JW Marriott Sahar, Mumbai.

Slowly, my life started getting back on track with every. Job offers started pouring in continuously after I started displaying my dishes and cuisines on Instagram.

One day, I got a message from a renowned hotel owner of Qatar, offering me a job. First I thought that it was a fake job offer. But after enquiring about it from my friends based there, it turned out to be true. While I was there, I put my blood and sweat into my work. Sometimes, I used to exceed my working hours. Everyone, especially the locals, liked and relished my signature dishes.

One day, a customer came to our restaurant and was all praises for the food that I made. He turned out to be a family member of Qatar's king. Later, I got a message on Instagram from him offering me a job in his restaurant. My happiness knew no bounds.

While working there as a supervisor, our executive supervisor left the job and eventually I was promoted to the top position. I was officially declared as the youngest executive chef in India and Qatar, respectively.

I reached newer heights after being awarded the title. I have been interviewed by the New York press agency. I was also nominated in the top 500 influential people worldwide last year. The list features prominent personalities like AR Rahman, Sonu Nigam, Shruti Hassan among others. I set my career goals right and never stopped working hard.

If you too have an inspiring story to tell the world, send us your story at mystory@thelogicalindian.com