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| Sunday, 27 July 2003 |
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White capped, white dressed men move around, some quietly, others chipping instructions, everyone on full concentration, carrying white plates with colourful vegetation. A spiky haired man dressed in sleek black pants and shirt, stands out from the rest giving instructions, peering in contortions, giving some a stir and a twist. His name is Rohan Fernandopulle and he is the E.C. (Executive Chef) of the place, which is one of Hilton (Colombo)'s 14 kitchens. The Garde. The one which cooks up those delicate dishes behind "Spoons". Food is a whole new world of smells, looks, touches and tastes. The gastronomical culinary arts, whose only cost is expansion, on indulgence (sigh). Mr.Fernandopulle whose been with ever flexible Hilton International for 19 years, has travelled from the East Far to the East Middle, from the Climes Cool of Ear-Rope to the Tropics Hot of America-South, to the Continent-Wild of the Giraffe, Lion and Zebra, to finally settling down in Hilton's five star luxury resort in our very own isle of the Indian Ocean-Sri Lanka. Having been around to the ends of the earth so to speak he has on his journey picked up various cultural delicacies and gastronomical vocabulary which is ever present in his culinary conversation, on "Beluga", "Sevruga" and "Foiegras". A member of the "Club Des Chef Des Chefs" (an international elite chef club which has just one member from each of its 42 countries) and Silver Medallist of the Black Box Competition (he was the Cap of his, 4 member team, which included himself), Rohan's first gastronomical dish was of pol sambol, dhall and rice which he cooked up for his friends and himself, as a teenager. "I always had a liking for cooking from my small days, and just somehow knew I had it in me" says the now 43 year old E.C. Being home alone often at Chilaw, while doing the big O and A's, (his family going away for the weekends and holidays) cooking up his own meals was something he got accustomed to. Anyway doing physics, chemistry, pure and applied maths for his A's he became of all things totally un-Chefish, a laboratory technologist, and at the same time even pursued a degree in chemistry and double maths. Deep inside Rohan knew what he really wanted to do, and his opportunity to try it out came in the form of a newspaper ad calling for trainees to a holiday resort down Beruwala (that Garden of Palms which has now become a Club). Ignoring everyone's advice against signing up, he followed it up. Believing in doing what he wanted and not what other people wanted him to do, Fernandopulle speaking of it today says "I wanted to do something different, and the hotel industry was blooming at the time (1980)".
This was not all. He later also did a Hotel School (H.S) Diploma, on basic, professional and advanced level cookery, attending H.S. in the mornings and returning to work in the nights. Says Rohan "I was the only one at that time, who studied in hotel school, and worked in a resort at the same time". After sometime however Fernandopulle decided it was time for him to broaden his knowledge in the culinary arts of other shores. Flying to Abudhabi he joined its Hilton, and has been with H's family ever since. Working with Hilton's other relatives in 35 countries, in 1987 he returned to Sri Lanka, becoming Junior Sous of the Gables restaurant. From Junior Sous, to Senior Sous, to Executive Sous, to finally the big C.E, I mean E.C itself, Rohan is the first Sri Lankan to be made E.C. of Hilton (Colombo), his previous successors all being expatriates. The Gables giving way to "Spoons" last November Rohan is in charge of getting this revolutionized modern restaurant going. Of it he says "Spoons serves continental food. However I try to delicately blend a touch of other flavours in it too, to give it a punch and subtle variety". Mixing flavours and playing with ingredients being his passion Rohan's early education in chemistry has helped him see the scientific side of every dish. From five spiced baby lobster and scallops with beat balsamic, to slow roasted rack of lamb with ratatouille polenta, to ice brule'e x 3 (Mmmmmph...I feel hungry), he has given "Spoons" a gastronomical mix of appetizers, salads, soups, main meals, signature dishes and desserts. So what's the best part in being a chef? "Seeing people enjoying your dishes" comes the answer. "Being a chef today is different to what it was those days when Chef's were merely confined to the kitchen. Now I get to go out. Meet my customers. Talk to them. Get to know their tastes and wants, which is essential in cooking" he says. Being a modern Chef, who as he describes himself is not serious but loves to feel "young" and "relaxed", he does not believe in being aggressive, but having a good understanding and rapport with his 151 colleagues. "This" he says "Is the secret behind our success". Other than being involved in the Fooood behind Hilton's 7 restaurants, he plays cricket for its mercantile matches. A wife and two kids, at the end of a day in the kitchens, Rohan likes nothing better than going home and eating his wife's home-made rice and curry, which he makes a point of doing every day, even if he turns up after midnight. PS - If anyone of you guys wants to follow R's footsteps Please Note - An Understanding Wife (Or Husband if you are a gal) is necessary, according to Mr. Fernandopulle, as it is a time consuming job. Mr. Fernandopulle would further like to thank his wife for being just that. Bon Appetit! Farah |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Chop Chop go the knives. Clitter clatter clank the saucepans and pans.
Clink sounds a dish as it is set on a table. Sarasarasara-a sponge scrubs
a plate. The lights around are a luminous white, giving the place an
inside of a spaceship like atmosphere. A hundred large, small, medium,
fat, thin, sharp, blunt, rough, smooth utensils hang in rows from the
ceiling.
Doing front office for three months, he later was sent to the kitchen.
Although trainees were usually shuffled about constantly from department
to department, Rohan as on request (which not many people did - you will
understand why as you read on) was allowed to stay on. In the kitchen he
scrubbed floors, washed dishes, peeled and cut teary onions, garlic,
carrots, cabbage, beans, leeks, potatoes, radish, lettuce...the whole
works.
