Ones to watch: Ashok Kumar
Chef Ashok Kumar learned his trade at the likes of the Michelin-starred Benares. Today, he heads up the kitchen at Atul Kochhar’s Kanishka in Mayfair, bringing a modern take to authentic Indian flavours and techniques.
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Ones to watchThough some find their calling later in life, for many chefs the seed of professional cooking is planted early on, usually thanks to an upbringing which put food at its heart. That was the case for Ashok Kumar, who grew up in a household centred around cooking and produce. ‘I belong to a food-led family, a farming family,’ he nods. ‘I started learning about how to respect the raw material and how it takes a lot of hard work to make it. My grandmother used to make very good food for us, so it was because of that.’ With visions of his future career already forming, when he left school Ashok went to the Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management, near the Indian city of Ludhiana, to study a hotel management diploma, turning early experiences into more formal lessons.
He left at nineteen, starting his career in the world of hotels, initially as a commis chef with Taj Hotels and, later, Hilton and Crown Plaza. Five years later, now fully immersed in the rush of the professional kitchen, he moved to the UK aged twenty-four, taking up his first role at modern Indian restaurant Colony Bar and Grill in Marylebone. It was, at the time, run by Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar, and though his work at Colony was the pair’s first introduction, Atul would turn out to be a significant influence in Ashok’s blossoming career. It was there, he says, that he first started to learn about the seasonality of British food, and how that could be paired with India’s authentic flavours and spices. His next move was to the Michelin-starred Benares in Mayfair (which was at the time also headed up by Atul), where he set out as sous chef before, over the next eight years, earning a position as head chef. ‘The standard was really high,’ he nods, ‘the cooking and the way it was run. I started work on the tandoor section, and it was a really good influence – I began thinking about and having influence on menus even though it was really advanced for me. It was a great learning curve.’
Benares is one of a wave of restaurants which has, over the last decade, been credited with changing diners’ perceptions of Indian cooking – moving it away from typical images of sauce-heavy curries and rice and replacing it instead with modern, regional cooking. That was also the case at Indian Essence, in Petts Wood, near Bromley, where Ashok joined in 2019, blending contemporary cooking with tradition. He entered the kitchen as a junior sous chef, but rose through the ranks to become its executive chef. It marked the third restaurant where Ashok and Atul had worked together, solidifying a culinary partnership which has gone from strength to strength. ‘I respect chef Atul, because he is a chef who has given me the knowledge of how we can use our authentic techniques and flavours in modern cooking and take it to a different level,’ Ashok explains. ‘He drove me, and taught me how we can bring the food up to that level, cooking for local people, while focusing on the seasonality.’
Though Ashok has moved through the ranks quickly, it’s arguably been the last two years that have been the most influential in his career so far. He won the Lumina Challenge 2023 and made it to the final of the National Chef of the Year competition in 2022, beating thirty-nine other semi-finalists and cooking dishes including Scottish scallops, Chettinad masala, sesame sunflower seed, kumquat and apricot. Entering the competitions, he says, was a way of building his profile. ‘It was a chance to show my skill on a high level so people can come to know it and respect my cooking,’ he explains. Later in 2023, Ashok had some more good news. When we speak, he is a few weeks into his latest role, executive chef at Atul’s Mayfair restaurant Kanishka, billed as the home of his Indian fine dining. ‘You have to be dynamic about your cooking and changing the menus,’ Ashok says, adding that vegan and gluten-free cooking are important elements of what they do. ‘We have to be at the top of our game and it keeps me very motivated. At Kanishka, the goal is to keep it polished and make it all very seasonal.’
Though he is still settling into his new role, Ashok is clear on where his sights are set; after bedding in his style and ensuring a consistent level of service and cooking, he knows he is keen to bring accolades to Kanishka, including a Michelin star. Long-term, he has visions of his own restaurant, where he would continue to modernise perceptions of Indian food, reimagining recipes which are underpinned by his roots.
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