UpperCrust PeopleCHEF GILLES STASSART
A Tasteful Artist
You can see him cut that beetroot with a look of anticipation on his face to see his vision for the veggie come full circle. Of course, he’s quite confident of it, what with having earned a place in the Guinness World Book for the Tallest Cake Tower ever built. This is what shapes Chef Gilles Stassart’s world; a merger of food and art, a blend of taste and style. Hence, a designation to Stassart would be tough, given his vast array of projects and experience he has under his belt, but to put it simply, it’s Gilles Stassart, chef and creator. When asked whether he considers it fate that his last name bears the word, ‘art,’ he laughs and ponders the thought. We say, probably.
When in India during the month of October, taking his knowledge to classrooms, hosting workshops to foster a sense of understanding about his work, Gilles realised the richness of the Indian culture and that it has a lot to offer in terms of cuisine. Well actually, he already knew of this as this was not his first visit here. So he says, “Art is changing in India and so is the concept of dining. And I have met great artists here who have inspired me to further a world of virtual cuisine.” Back home in Paris, the art capital of the world, Gilles has no dearth of this wonderful space and there’s plenty of great food to compliment it. “I was always passionate about food and experimenting. My hands-on experience came as a farm boy, working in the fields in Burgundy. I was destined to be a chef, though mum was keen on me going to university,” recounts Gilles. Back then, being a chef was not considered esteemed and today, this is one of the most sought-after professions. Hence, Gilles is happy with his decision. At the beginning of his long journey, he took up a job with Chef Marc Meneau of L’Esperance, a prosperous village hotel in Vezelay, after completing his graduation with History of Art at the prestigious Sorbonne. Five years were more than enough for Gilles to constructively put his practice to paper and he wrote his first text for the detailed book, La Conversation, by photographer Hans Gissinger, which portrayed the many faces of food. When we said vast experience, we meant it; experience gained from ventures spanning various fields. So, Gilles had moved on from chef to writer and then went on to claim the title of journalist with his work as a kitchen art creator with Beaux Art, an art magazine. It was eight years since he got his hands dirty in the kitchen and the chef wanted to return to the stove. So his next stint took him to the now defunct, Transversal, a restaurant in MAC/VAL (Museum of Contemporary Art in Val-de-Marne). Gilles believes, “Making food is a performing art form. Waiters are like actors who are part of the play and their movements must be like a fluid dance. This is what I love to do. Create a gastronomic visit where people eat in front of art and hence, the two merge.” Interesting, isn’t it?
Always searching for ideas and drawing inspiration from several sources, Gilles was influenced by the New Realism movement where ordinary people and objects are made the subject of art, and is also a follower of the Fluxus Movement, which is defined as an intermedia discipline. Both these, which stem from the Dada Movement (a cultural movement of Switzerland during World War I), have helped the chef-creator find his niche, which flows into various related streams. Hence, he shares, “Robert Filiou, a Dada follower, had said that art renders life more interesting than art. I can say the same using the word, cuisine instead of art.” Life for Gilles has thus been a series of escapades. There was his World’s Biggest Candy Floss, based on the expansion of sugar followed by the record-breaking cake tower. It was built in Paris, at a grand height of 25.6 feet. Another exciting escapade was in the form of Japanese restaurant, Nomiya where he spent two years with multimedia artist, Laurent Grassot, working to create a new menu every day. Nomiya, now no more, was a futuristic “capsule” perched on a rooftop facing the Eiffel Tower and seated just 12 persons. Gilles walked away with a mind even sharper than before. It would be obvious with having to produce something new each day, the mental juices are always flowing. And where does he go from here? His latest project, with Hotel Particulier, is based on developing the concept of ‘eating anywhere.’ We wait to see what springs forth.
Chef Gilles is no doubt a wanderlust, for whom, spending time at home with his family is rare. “My job is such that I research and create my work while I travel. You could say my way of de-stressing is coming away to countries like India!” Gilles expresses amusingly. “India’s street food is my favourite, especially pani puri. But I like to taste everything.” Taste and experimentation. Here lies the basis of the chef’s work. While he loves cooking for himself, he enjoys fusing ingredients from various cuisines to give birth to a whole new dish. A lassi cheese cake with a nankhatai base topped with lemon grass ice-cream. Yes, this is how he fuses! Failure is hence, part and parcel, and Gilles explains the necessity of this concept as, “Failure is what has led to so many great things. The idea is not to stop if the taste may not be good but to experiment further.” Nodding in agreement is his assistant, Chef Jordan Bischoff who played a key role in the building of the tallest cake.
So while Gilles tells us to experiment with taste, he delivers some novel insight as well. “A situation works as a principal ingredient in a new dish,” he quips.
“So you work with the situation and you create something to suit; this is what contextual cuisine is all about.”
And this is why Chef Gilles Stassart is a man of many “tastes,” aptly defined as a multimedia artist, who cleverly manipulates the situations at hand. Creative cuisine seems a lot to digest!
Dr Andreas Buske
A Crystal Clear Mind
Forever Young! Bob Dylan’s song holds true for a few lucky ones who can conceal their age for a long long time, keeping everyone around guessing. Meet Dr Andreas Buske, seated on the edge of his seat at Fenix, Oberoi; a greyish-blue eyed, blonde ‘boy’ who is well, 41 actually. The youngest Managing Director of his company and as fit as a fiddle, this is a man who has come a long way and brought Zwiesel Kristallglass to its heights today. He may not be the youngest Head in
Germany, but in Zwiesel, a picturesque little town in the Bavarian forest, he certainly is!
To be the MD of one of the world’s leading crystal glass manufacturers requires more than a certain amount of qualification and credential. Andreas has his fair share. With a strong background in control and finance, he serves as the General Manager of administration as well as Chief Financial Officer. He has earned a Double Diploma (German Masters) in Business Administration and Economic Engineering. And the Dr designation is from his acquisition of a PhD in Control and Finance. Academically inclined and hands-on in his work. Now that makes a dynamic individual. Dr Buske works with a brand-oriented approach which has done wonders for Zwiesel whereas his better half (business-wise), Dr Robert Hartel is the visionary behind the company. “We make a successful team as we share the same values. With a staff of 850, we have to first be quick in the decision-making process,” shares Andreas. “Success is a team effort. Like the saying goes, ‘Success has many fathers but problems only one’.” So Andreas fathers the problems on his own with swift skill. Developing a navigation system to take care of business solutions, he spearheaded the company right from its buyout ten years ago. Andreas calmly explains how Zwiesel, originally Schott, began way back in 1872 and enunciated its entire journey to today; a renowned organisation with three brands- Zwiesel 1872, Jenaer Glass and Schott Zwiesel. And when does he come in? September 28, 2001, to be precise. A huge management buyout resulted in the joint ownership of Schott, which came to be named as Schott Zwiesel in 1971. Dr Hartel and Dr Buske were now the proud owners. And crystal, made free of heavy metal, came to be, which earned the name, Zwiesel Kristallglas.
All did not get off to a good start though, as a huge flood in Czech Republic (where a Zwiesel factory is run by Dr Hartel) in 2002 resulted in a gargantuan loss of 10 million euros. “There are lucky moments, such as acquiring a good team and there are hard ones, such as the flood,” states Andreas. “But we came out of it and today, are growing bigger, with a strategy in place, to enter the retail market as well.” Known to hotels worldwide for its superb quality and finish, Zwiesel is now looking to enter homes too. Hence the trip to India was on the cards. Though this is not Andreas’ first time here. He reminisces, “I came here three years ago and was treated to the phenomenal tandoori and a great experience by Taj, Mumbai. I also discovered that European wines blend very well with masala food.” So what defines the dining experience for him? Ultimately coming home to good wines and deciding which will soothe the nerves best is where it begins for the suave gentleman who ensures that the experience is only furthered by a Zwiesel glass. After all, they are a brand supportive of enjoyment and pleasure, with a direct approach that says, “This is our offer, make use of it and feel the difference.” Andreas exclaims, “I want to experience the entire journey when I dine. No boring food!” No doubt, the crockery is included! A simple procedure that Zwiesel guarantees will make its point is to sip wine from a regular crystal glass and then try Zwiesel. Feel the difference!
Who said only women could multi-task well? Take a look at Andreas. Apart from Zwiesel, which came to India in 1996 and today has reached 120 countries, with focus markets in Russia, US, China and Brazil, there’s his involvement in universities, yes, more than one, where he serves as Asst. Professor, teaching subjects which include finance, controlling and international administration. That’s at Darmstadt, Flengsburg and Deggendorf. Then he operates on the board of a prominent
German bank and on the Gas and Electricity boards too. Three months ago, he founded an automotive company and soon plans to start a solar industry which will supply to glass, auto and solar companies. All this and he’s a father of four kids. “A girl, fraternal twins and a boy,” Andreas proudly claims. “Yes, a good long run along the Danube river is my de-stresser.” We wonder if that’s enough.
What sets Andreas apart is his total commitment to everything he undertakes, apart from his innovative methods. Whether it be Zwiesel’s endeavour to utilise less resources, make the optimum use and employ raw materials that are environment-friendly, he ensures it’s a job well done. “To be a young chairman is not what I laud myself on, but the ability to take care of the people I am responsible for. There are families who rely on us. Hence, it is more than a job, it is a commitment,” shares Andreas. And one he appears to carry out with finesse.
Kamlesh Gupta
The Cambay Tiger
Meet Kamlesh Gupta, a strict vegetarian, Marwari businessman who has created an empire for himself by selling… prawns! With great zeal and passion, even.
“That’s true, I have never eaten any food except the vegetarian kind, but I think I know what prawns would taste like,” says Kamlesh smilingly. I don’t elaborate on the subject as I am surprised enough that he is in the non-veg business, knowing just how strongly vegetarians in India feel about the subject.
But personally I am most glad he is for prawns are a great weakness with me, as they are with most foodies. And his company is doing a great job with brand, Cambay Tiger.
Kamlesh Gupta’s story is an interesting one. Usually one climbs the success ladder, one rung at a time. In his case he would climb a few rungs and then either be forced to step or jump off and start afresh. Success did not come easy to this fighter.
Let me enlighten you.
Here is a man who, though born in Bombay, has his roots in Haryana. His dad came to the city of dreams in the ‘60s and set up a business in the transport industry; trucking. Kamlesh went to Hill Grange High School on Pedder Road. The only fame this now defunct school can stake a claim to is that Mukesh Ambani also studied there.
But what changed Kamlesh’s outlook were his years in the US at Temple University, Philadelphia, where he went for his Under Grad and Business Management studies. Once back, in ‘89 he joined his dad’s business. And then tried to carve his own business path. Got into manufacturing. Audio cassettes, it was a no-go situation. He tried his hand at making terry towels, no luck. He even got into making ready made old box chains, all the rage in the 90s, but that too failed. He was sweating it out climbing up and down the ladder when in 1995, along with a bio-tech educated friend he decided to start a new business, hatching prawns. West Coast was formed and the rest, as one says when one becomes immensely successful, is history.
So what is it that Kamlesh did in order to succeed at this venture?
He researched on just what was required and went all out for it. He equipped himself with knowledge, going to Thailand to study about hatcheries.
The first step was to go out at sea and collect a parent stock of prawns. Which technically speaking was a mother and a father tiger prawn. This he did off the coast of Cambay in Gujarat; Viraval, Navi Bunder, Porbunder and even around Maharashtra at Shrivardan.
He trained 500 fishermen to collect this stock. Not an easy task which involved keeping the catch alive after the nets are hauled from the sea and prawns thrown on the decks. The best were then put into special oxygenated water containing food. These would then be rushed to the hatchery, an extended laboratory, where the process of Quarantine and Maturation (mating) would take place in a conducive atmosphere which included parameters like salinity, temperature and pH in
the water.
When the first of these batches produced results, Kamlesh was a relieved man. “Those were tough days,” reminisces Kamlesh, "but also the best. I knew this was it, I had to succeed in this business. I was a driven and desperate man, slogging away. Working in Gujarat helped. The people of that region per se, being vegetarian were not interested in this business. But with proper structuring and systems, we helped improve the fishermen’s lives as well as the business of harvesting prawns.”
“Life came a full circle for me,” he continues, “When I was studying in the States, I worked in my free time, mostly in restaurants. First in a Mexican eatery where I was for two years and gained much experience as an assistant to the chef, as a waiter and bartender. Then I worked in an Indian restaurant assisting chefs. I became quite knowledgeable about the cooking process and it was my destiny to be in the food business.” He is at the moment almost ready to put a new line of products in the market. And it has nothing to do with prawns. It will be under the same brand, Cambay Tiger and include frozen parathas, green peas, corn, freshly grated coconut etc.
Well, good for him. Today, the smiling but still hard-working Kamlesh Gupta has a company with a turnover of Rs 200 crores. A labour force of 1000 workers, 400 office staff, 80 in distribution and 50 technicians at the Hatchery. He exports his frozen products to 20 countries, with his biggest markets being Europe and Japan. “My success is thanks to these fishermen who are like our business partners. We look after 550 families, creating health and education infrastructure for their betterment.
They farm on their own lands through our finance and we buy back the harvest from them. It’s modified Venture Capitalism. Today, the same guys who used to cycle to the wharfs, drive up there in their own Scorpios!”
That’s lovely, I say to him and then ask him my last question, “Will you ever get down to eating or at least tasting prawns? He quips, “Who knows, I may. I am not religiously bound at all. Like I never tasted any alcohol until seven years ago and now I am a Single Malt buff!”
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