Alfred Prasad - Beyond the Michelin Star

Beyond the Michelin Star

Parvathi Muthiah in conversation with Alfred Prasad

Alfred Prasad is a name that needs no introduction in the culinary world and to the alumni of IHM Madras.  He is the Institute’s second and the youngest Indian chef to have received a Michelin star, having been awarded the star in 2002, at the age of 29.  I knew Alfie, as his mates called him, first as a senior at college, and then as the older brother of a classmate of mine, Martin Prasad, who also had a successful career as a Chef and is now an entrepreneur in the food manufacturing business.

After graduation, Alfred went on to join the ITC group as a Kitchen Executive Trainee, where he was hand-picked to undergo a 2-year advanced chef training at ITC Maurya (New Delhi), including at their flagship restaurants Dum Pukht and Bukhara. In 1996, Alfred headed the kitchen of the legendary Dakshin restaurant, ITC Park Sheraton (Chennai).

He moved to the UK in 1999 and joined Tamarind of Mayfair (London) in 2001 as Sous Chef and progressed to become Executive Chef within a year.  In 2002 he was awarded the Michelin star, which he retained for 13-years.  He is a man of many hats today - a sought after food consultant, a Chef showcasing his trade at festivals across the globe, and the owner of ‘Shiuli’, a restaurant he launched in 2021.  Shiuli, located in Twickenham, a borough in South London, offers contemporary and healthy Indian food with relaxed, social dining.

Alfie’s culinary philosophy is rooted in Indian-ness and heritage, health and happiness. It is important to him to preserve the purity and flavour of ingredients and to present each creation as a complete sensory experience.  He also draws inspiration from the age-old food science, Ayurveda.

A champion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Alfred is actively involved in a number of causes that support provenance, sustainability and responsible cooking.

Despite rubbing shoulders with the best of the best in the culinary world, Alfred has stayed true to his roots and is a huge advocate of IHM Madras, now Chennai.  Here he shares some candid thoughts on his rise from Madras to culinary stardom in London and beyond.

PM: What made you choose to go to IHM and then become a Chef?

AP: Two seniors of mine at School chose Hospitality, one studied at IHM Mumbai and the other at IHM Chennai. My mum (who was a teacher at the same school) found out all about this career option from her colleague whose son was at IHM Mumbai. My first choice was to join the National Defence Academy but my mum sent off my application to IHM. Having not got through NDA at the first attempt, I followed my mum's instinct and opted for IHM.

In my very first year at IHM Chennai, our Food Production lecturer was Chef Thimmayya. As a majority of my batchmates, seniors and juniors at college would concur; he was such an inspiration to us and he was hugely responsible for me deciding to become a Chef.

PM: What were the things that you learnt at college that you would credit your success to?

AP: While college was obviously a lot of fun; it also taught us life-lessons that have held us in good stead. It taught us discipline and punctuality (we very quickly learnt to never be late for our Food Production classes!) It also taught us about dignity of labour - no job is too small, whether it is washing plates, cleaning a toilet or scrubbing a floor. College also taught us the importance of eye-for-detail, whether it be laying a perfect table, preparing a guest room, executing a 3-course meal.

Looking back, I feel that no matter what paths we may have taken after college, our course taught us essential life-skills that equip us for whatever may lie ahead – skills such as basic engineering, housekeeping, cooking, food & beverage service, food science & nutrition, health & safety, basic accounting and basic computing to name a few. It also gave us confidence and helped us develop social skills and leadership skills. The course even provided us with exposure to the industry for 6-months, an ideal opportunity to understand the workings of the hospitality industry and make an informed choice about the career path that may suit us best. I cannot think of a course that offers a more well-rounded skill-set and personality development programme – this makes me appreciate what IHM did for us even more.

PM: What are some of the things that you don’t learn at college that helped you get to where you are today? 

AP: Having waxed lyrical about how well-rounded our course was, it would seem frivolous to point out shortcomings. At the risk of sounding nit-picky (and speaking as a Chef), I would like to see students gain a bit more exposure to cutting-edge developments in the Hospitality sector, be it in technology, cuisine, mixology, design etc. I would also like to see aspects such as provenance, sustainability, waste-management and nutrition given more importance. Generations before us saw food as medicine. Ayurveda is as cutting-edge today as it was centuries ago. In many ways, in order to look to the future, we need to look to the past. 

PM: Who was the most inspiring teacher / person in your life, someone whom you credit for your success? 

AP: I have been fortunate to have had many inspirational teachers over the years so it's impossible to name just one. Firstly, Mum and Dad who were incredible role-models. Mum for her dedication, discipline and tenacity; Dad for his humility, selflessness and adventurous spirit. Despite being a doctor, it was my father who first taught me that Food was Medicine. 

Chef Thimmayya, at IHM Chennai, who motivated me to become a chef. I had hugely inspirational teachers during my time at ITC Hotels - Chef Manjit Singh Gill, Chef Imtaz Qureshi (Dum-Pukht), Chef Madan Lal Jaiswal (Bukhara), Chef Nisar Waris (Indian Banquets), Chef Praveen Anand (Dakshin). 

Moving to London opened my eyes to a new world of possibilities and I developed new food-heroes. I was inspired by Chef Thomas Keller (who dined at Tamarind with his entire French Laundry team, while in London and told me after the meal that it was just what he had been craving). I've known Gordon Ramsay since 2002 when I won my first Michelin Star and he has been a good friend and huge inspiration over the years.

PM: Any words of advice for the new generation of hotel school graduates?

AP: Hospitality education opens up a whole world of possibilities and is not just limited to mainstream career options in Hotels and Restaurants such as Food & Beverage, Culinary, Front Office and Housekeeping. There is a wider industry out there - Travel & Leisure, Airlines, Cruise ships, Food Technology, Events & Banqueting, Sales & Marketing, Human Resource Management, Entrepreneurship and a whole lot more. 

The Journey is the Destination - success isn’t about the final outcome; it is about creating real value along the way. As the final scene in the movie 3 idiots suggests; pursue excellence; success will follow. Seek out successful role-models and try and understand what makes them tick. Find a job you love and you'd never work a day in your life. 

I would finish with a quote from his holiness the Dalai Lama "Enter love and cooking with reckless abandon."

Alfred Prasad is Class of 1993 and Parvathi Muthiah is class of 1994