Anuj Ovaleker – the first and only Indian Chef De Cuisine at the prestigious Royal Livingstone Hotel
The Royal Livingstone’s first and only Indian Chef De Cuisine, Anuj Ovaleker brings vibrant flavours of diverse world cuisines to life at the edge of the majestic Victoria Falls in Zambia.
Ovaleker was the first-ever young Indian to be appointed as a sous-chef at the prestigious Royal Livingstone Hotel in 2008. With his extensive international experience with diverse cultures and cuisines, he is now in charge of delivering a simplified, yet tantalising menu that invites the hotel’s guests to explore a diversity of flavours from around the world.
Working with Sun International’s Zambian Resort’s Executive Chef Alexandre Coupy, Ovaleker has successfully introduced three exciting new dinner menus which change daily, giving guests over 30 choices of starters and main courses, with dishes from variety of cuisines to cater to the needs of guests coming from all corners of the globe.
“Whether Indian, European, Mediterranean, from China or closer to home in Africa, our guests can feel right at home, eating familiar foods, despite being far away from their own homes. At the same time, our dishes are simple, unintimidating and exciting which encourages and inspires guests to explore new flavours. It is extremely-heartening to see our guests’ faces light up when they try new foods for the first time,” says Ovaleker.
Ovaleker prepares traditional Indian food and Jain meals for the guests at the resort.
“When my guests ask me to prepare Indian food, they expect that I will cook like restaurants in India but are completely blown-away when they see that I have prepared something that is deliciously prepared like they would cook at home. To see them smiling at the end of their meal means a lot to me.
“I also don’t like to give my guest options. I always ask them what they would like to eat, just as I would ask guest at my home so that they feel that I care about their food. The end result is that they leave Royal Livingstone feeling like they were at home” said Ovalekar.
For more information visit suninternational.com
