Food for thought: Dilip Joshi (L), whose clients include Lush and RA Lounge, and Marut Sikka of Amaya

Take passion. Cardio-throb loads of it. Combine it with an abiding-nay, gnawing-hunger for knowledge. And you have the base for a career as a food consultant. Not to mention possible celebrityhood. "With restaurant launches becoming a television event," says Rashmi Uday Singh, who prefers to be called a food writer, "food consultants are finding their place in the sun."

So, what's a food consultant?

Not chef, not restaurateur, nor just food connoisseur, nor even food researcher. A food consultant is a walking gastro-paedia with a good grasp of what would tingle whose palate and make whom drool. A good enough grasp, really, to be sought out by anyone trying to open a new restaurant or revive an old one.

The Right To Eat Out

Big City India seems to have broken out with a rash, and it's restaurants. They're popping up almost everywhere, some emerging overnight, others vanishing only to be replaced by others still. "It's a bug in the blood," laughs Marut Sikka, food consultant to restaurateur Camellia Panjabi's Amaya. According to the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), the country has about two million restaurants. Rough estimates suggest that some 2,000 new ones started wooing taste buds last year in the big cities alone, and this year could have even more, especially if the Sensex heads towards the 7,000 level again. Even cricketers and film stars want to open dining joints these days, and the fear of failure isn't going to cow their ambitions down.

As Sir Terrence Conran, the globally admired drool druid and creator of Paris' famous L'Alcazar, once put it: "The feeling after a good meal is so strong that 97 per cent of people want to open a restaurant." Eating out, it seems, is not just fashionable, it's also a primal need of sorts. Driven by animal spirits.

Food consultancy is not for hobbyists, though. It takes plenty of research, according to Jiggs Kalra, who shot into fame for doing the menu for Prince Charles and Princess Diana's visit to India, but is otherwise known for reviving such delicacies as Lucknow's Tunda Kebab. The man has been digging up recipes for 40 years. "I hunt in libraries for manuscripts and get them translated," reveals Kalra. He uses the description of a "music maestro conducting a chef" for the job, and hails Roland Fuchs, the brains of the Gharana at Kolkata's Grand, as a true master of the art. Kalra's own favourite job? The Kandahar at Oberoi Mumbai.

Secrets Of The Script

Food consultants of repute can earn Rs 5-15 lakh for a project, depending on negotiation skills and the restaurant budget (getting a 10th of the budget is good going). Consultancy reputations are created mostly via word of mouth, helped along by a resume of projects that got customers knocking down the doors.

Yet, Sikka, a Kalra protégé, is convinced that for all the experience, ideas and systems that a food consultant brings to the table, it is essentially a restaurateur's business, and it is the personal passion on the latter's part that makes or breaks a restaurant. That's why some consultants prefer to go beyond words of advice. Culinary expert Karen Anand, for example, insists that a food consultant must be able to cook. Her roster includes Mumbai's Khyber, Chennai's Citrus and Pune's Chateau Indage as restaurants, apart from several recipes for companies such as ITC, Britannia and Domino's. "When I consult, I train the chefs as well," says she, glad to put her global exposure to good use. "I befriended chefs in France and Spain," she recounts, in elaboration, "and would learn in their kitchens."

Culinary connoisseurs: Karan Anand (L) trains chefs apart from consulting, while Ajit Saldanha believes in demystifying food
FAQs What does it pay? Rs 5-15 lakh per project Qualifications needed? Experience of varied food and tastes Any training courses? None yet How is success marked? Word of mouth and repeat business

That's a privilege, since good food is a business of closely guarded secrets. Nobody has been able to replicate Delhi-based Karim's formula for enriched Mughlai food, gorging on which does not enervate but energise. "Chefs are jealous and protective about their recipes," says Ajit Saldanha, a Bangalore-based food consultant. He feels that "consultants are needed to demystify food" for business. In his view, though, consultants should go for variable compensation-a fraction of the money made. "The ability to back your ideas is real success and confidence," says Saldanha. He regards Rick Stein, the man who introduced Nouvelle Cuisine to New York, as his guru, and after consulting for Ebony and Samarkand in Bangalore, is agog with a new concept restaurant that will serve cuisines from geographies that trace Alexander's footsteps.

Food secrets, of course, can come from just about anywhere, the more unique the better. Drool druid Dilip Joshi trained under an English butcher in Bahrain a quarter of a century ago, and returned to Mumbai to start Shawns, before blending all his learnings to start a catering service that caters to high-profile corporate clients and fancy clubs like Athena. His notable restaurant jobs include Mumbai's Lush and ra Lounge. And to Joshi, success is not just about culinary knowledge. But rather, about the pulse of the city-in all its tongue-curling intimacy. "It's all about being streetsmart," he feels. About "keeping your eyes and ears open".

SPOTLIGHT
Physiotherapists

ISIC's Kataria: Soft touch

Recovery from injury often takes a helping hand-specifically, the trained touch of a physiotherapist.it's a fulfilling job, notes Dr. Chitra Kataria, Head (Rehabilitation Department), Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi. "Dedication, humility and politeness are the key attributes needed in a patient-therapist relationship," she says, "for, physiotherapy is not an overnight treatment, but a long-term one." You play both Watson and Crick. It involves both medical and motivational skills, not to mention plenty of patience with such poorly understood afflictions as post-traumatic stress disorder. A physio grad can earn around Rs 9,000-10,000 per month, "but there are better job opportunities after a Master's degree". India currently has under 5,000 postgraduate physiotherapists, while top-end demand is placed at twice that figure.

-Payal Sethi

COUNSELLING
Help, Tarun!

I am a 30-year-old software professional with nine years work experience at a US-based IT MNC in a lead position. I am considering one-year duration MBA programmes aimed at working professionals, to enhance career growth prospects. However, I need advice on placements (if I quit my current employer for an MBA). Do companies recruiting on campus prefer less experienced people? Will my chances of getting a good placement in line with my profile reduce if I pursue an MBA programme?

First of all, your fears are unfounded. To pursue an MBA with your experience is a great move indeed. Since you are planning to do a one-year MBA course, your absence from your field of activity will not be too long. You will easily be able to go back to what you were doing, and with a better qualification and enhanced chances of growth. As for campus placement for experienced persons embarking on an MBA, there are ample opportunities to do reasonably well. If you do find yourself limited by campus placement, you can always look for placement independently.

I am a final year MBA student pursuing my degree from a reputed institute in Lucknow. Our institute provides good placement opportunities and this year we had several MNCs scouting for talent. Unfortunately, I could not get a job in any one of them as the group discussion proved to be my nemesis. Till now, I've not been able to clear a single group discussion despite clearing all other tests. Please advise me on how I can overcome this problem.

It is difficult for me to counsel you with a short answer. However, let me give you a few quick pointers that have helped me. Everyone gets nervous-the professionals only get over their nervousness! So don't fret, you are not alone. Always try and know your subject. Reading and keeping yourself informed will strengthen your confidence and give you material to talk about. Often we think what we have to contribute, but are afraid we'd look silly. But do talk in any case. Also, practice is a great confidence booster. You can prepare a list of FAQs and practice answers for it. Having someone subject you to a mock interview and give you feedback is also not a bad idea.

I am a 24-year-old electronics graduate. I got an offer from a top German MNC in 2001, but due to the slowdown they could not confirm my appointment. So I took up MBA (marketing) at a top Indian B-school. I am currently working as a sales executive in a top Indian IT hardware firm, but there is no scope for creativity here and the pay is poor. I am considering options like an MS or PhD. But how will an industry view a BE, MBA and MS who has only a year's experience in business development and no technical experience?

You are only 24-so you do have the luxury of being able to spend a couple of years studying. The industry will view a be, MS, MBA pretty favourably as these qualifications are thought to be complementary and compatible. However, when you finish your education and look for job opportunities, make sure you concentrate on those companies that match your personality and technical aspirations. It might happen that due to your MBA, you may be seen as a potential candidate in areas like sales and marketing, which will involve interaction rather than just technical skills.

I am a BE (mechanical) currently employed with a small but promising company in Pune with a pay packet less than Rs 1 lakh per annum. As a beginner, I am quite satisfied with my job but the problem lies with my family members, who insist that I either acquire an MBA degree or shift my focus to IT software. They feel the company I am working for is a small-time one and the pay is low compared to that for an MBA or software engineer. Are they thinking right?

Well, on one hand we have the Infosyses and Apple Computers of the world, which started in garages and basements. Those who have stuck with them have made it big! On the other hand, all companies that have started small have not become behemoths. You need to carefully evaluate what the future holds for the company as well as yourself in it. As for your family members, they are only trying to be practical and protect your future. If you have faith in the company, and its future, you can decide to work for it. However, an MBA degree is a good qualification to have in any industry, and to secure your future in case your company doesn't live up to expectations, you could certainly try for it.

Answers to your career concerns are contributed by Tarun Sheth (Senior Consultant) and Shilpa Sheth (Managing Partner, US practice) of HR firm, Shilputsi Consultants. Write to Help,Tarun! c/o Business Today, Videocon Tower, Fifth Floor, E-1, Jhandewalan Extn., New Delhi-110055..

For That Gush Rush
How about oil exploration as a career option?

Oiling up: Good pay and a fair choice of employers too

The world's 'rig count'-an enumeration of oil exploration installations-has been on the incline, and job prospects for exploration professionals remain buoyant. According to Vinod Pillai, Head (HR), Aban Lloyd, "The interest among graduate engineers for this sector has been rising, for this pays more to beginners than other streams do." The oil sector commands special attention at several Indian engineering institutes, and expertise is needed not just in basic drilling, but even a specialised variety of electrical, mechanical and marine disciplines. After all, even sound waves come in use on an oil mission.

India has over 100 oil rigs in use currently, twice the figure just two years ago, employing an average of 100 experienced professionals each. Private sector exploration has only added to the buzz. "Experience in the sector," says Pillai "is very crucial, and so retaining the people is a bigger challenge as a lot of outflow of employees happens to foreign countries." A trainee engineer in India can expect over Rs 20,000 per month, with a fair choice of employers too. Overseas prospects, of course, are brighter still.

-Supriya Shrinate

Refinement Margins
Art curators do a rare but rewarding job.

Artscape: All about sophisticated sense and sensibilities

The 'gentleman's profession' has thrown itself open to anybody wanting a crack at being an art curator. Anybody, that is, who can refine his or her sensibilities to that rarefied space that's inhabited only by those who truly 'get it'. The job is rewarding, art-wise; bridging artists and appreciators is stimulation in itself. "Art curating is interesting, but can be exhaustive too," says Alka Pande, curator of Delhi-based Visual Arts Gallery. "Decisions for the shows-number of displays, which galleries to be used-and many other procedural issues are all responsibilities of the curator," she adds. It takes a sophisticated 'market sense' of how to engage people's minds. "Just like artists, curators are self-taught," says Aman Nath, hotelier and art advisor, "it's the right aptitude, awareness and creativity that count."

And the financial rewards? Possibly above Rs 25,000 per project. How would you become a curator? Pande's advice: "Get apprenticeship under a renowned curator and always keep your eyes and ears open to what's happening around you."

-Indrani Rajkhowa