This Australian-trained chef is making waves inside Delhi

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Chef Sagar Bajaj isn’t too downtrodden by the microscopic Coronavirus’s economy-shattering spread. After all, the Australian-trained chef completed his professional degree in Hotel Management in Melbourne straight after school (“by age 16, I knew I wanted to cook professionally”) to go on and distil it to greater heights.

Bajaj’s professional journey started in Australia after his Hotel Management, and he spent almost a decade of his career working with experienced master chefs in places like Riverland cafe and bar, Stuzzi restaurant, The Five, Boat Builder Yard, The Kitten Club, The National Hotel... all in Melbourne.He returned to India to work with another master in his own field, by taking over kitchen operations for many of Priyank Sukhija’s many many restaurants, including Flying Saucer Café, Plum by Bent Chair, and other First Fiddle F&B Pvt. Ltd properties.

Then came COVID-19, and the 32-year-old decided he must curate his own destiny. After much R&D, Bajaj started his own brand, Salsa Kitchen, though he is still consulting with First Fiddle restaurants. He still is, but the literal space given to him expands beyond his forte.Humara Bajaj (a joke) has also sent in menus to the most reclusive of 100 per cent of humanity: the top per cent. Seeing the dichotomy, Bajaj made a choice, and is presently deciding to cater to individuals as well as conglomerates. His uber-exclusive menu promises no repeats.

The maximum number of guests Salsa Kitchen will cater to is 50. “Up to 25 guests, I can do a chef’s table, each course being plated and presented to the diners. With 50 guests, it will be a combination of both table service as well as a few buffet items, which are more like live stations. Beyond that it gets difficult to provide the exacting quality which I want every client who hires us to experience,” says Bajaj, who is confident of growing in the future but wants to perfect his petri dish first.

“We have around six people in the team, a number that can later extend up to 10 people, from different backgrounds. I do the menu ideation myself, so we need a 24 hours-notice before a meal,” notes Bajaj, who doesn’t like presenting a template to potential guests. “Tell me what you or the person you are throwing the party for likes, and I will customise a menu. There are no repeats. That’s how we were taught to cook, taking into account everyone’s feelings and beliefs. And that’s the kind of food we took out. That’s also what helped determining in our present and future menus.”

For Bajaj, customer is king and customisation is the emperor. Before we fall into a trap a la Star Wars Dialogue, Bajaj says to potential customers, “This is your special day, tell me how to make it better.” And that’s what he does.