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Biography
Nilesh Limaye (Marathi: नीलेश लिमये, Nilesh Limye ) is an Indian celebrity chef. A Chef by profession, he has successfully donned the roles of TV Show Host, Author and Contributor to various magazines and a Restaurant Consultant. He is nicknamed as "Sindbad the Chef" owing to his kinship to travels. He currently manages his own entrepreneurial venture "All 'Bout Cooking"providing F&B solutions to new entrants, entrepreneurs or existing restaurateurs. Zikomo (Pune), Trikaya (Pune), Gypsy Chinese (Dubai) and Tenzo Temple(Thane) are among the various restaurant brands that he is associated with.
Early life and education
Born in a Marathi family in Mumbai, he has spent his childhood and college days in Pune. He is an alumnus from MSHIMCT, Pune.
Training
After working at a hotel for two years, his resolve to make it a career thickened. He Trained under Grande Chef Emeritus, Hemant Oberoi, Nilesh at the Taj Hotels. He has also worked with the Chef Sanjay Malkani and Chef Satish Arora, two very known names in Indian culinary space.
Along with his expertise in Maharashtrian, Punjabi, Mangalorean, Kerala and North Indian food, his specialises in Japanese/Thai/Chinese/Italian/Indonesian/Mediterranean.
Having trained in various kitchen setups, from fine dining to large scale buffets. He has also worked with Flight Catering unit of The Taj Air Caterers and also handled kitchen for the Hiranandani hospital.
He credits a lot of his learning's to his travels, Managing kitchens at Hawar, a small resort owned by Emir of Bahrain on the Island of Hawar between Qatar and Bahrain Cruising through the Fjords of Norway, a trip through Funiculor, Passing through the Panama canal, the tribes on a quaint Island somewhere in Mexico, The windmills of Denmark, The sahibs at the Buckingham palace, The Mardi Gras in New Orleans are experiences which allowed him to explore the richness of Cuisine, Culture, variety in food.
Career
Cooking
After working at a hotel part-time for two years, he finally decide to convert his passion to his job.
His training in the Taj Mahal Hotel under the mantle of Grande Chef Emeritus Hemant Oberoi, being a part of the Taj Mahal Chef Training Programme was followed by his stint at Hawar Resorts in Bahrain.
During the setting up of Hotel Orchid Limaye worked with Chef Sanjay Malkani to understand the nuances of this new trade including Designing kitchens, Supplier negotiations, Festival menus, Food costing etc.
He later worked with the Taj Air Caterers and various cruises en route the sea.He has led various teams of Chefs churning out food at different restaurants from a Coffee Shop to Fine Dining Western Restaurant to a restaurant serving North Western Frontier cuisine and a Lounge Bar.
Restaurants
As a chef he has been associated with many restaurants like Taj Mahal hotel, Hawar Resorts, Intercontinental, Gordan House Suites, Rodas, The Orchid, TAJ SATS, Hiranandani Hospital among others.
Apart from being the Head Chef, he has worked with many restaurants as a consultant/technical partner offering his expertise in various issues like Kitchen Designs, Menu Planning and Enhancements, Food Cost workings and Cost Control procedures.
The list includes
Indraprastha Restaurant and Food plaza,Pune, which specialises in Maharashtrian food
Zikomo, Pune:Zikomo serves contemporary Western International food along with few regional Indian dishes.
Trikaya, Pune: Winner of the Times Good Food Guide “Best Pan Asian Restaurant” consecutive 2 times in its 3 years of operations. Gypsy Chinese, Dubai, Specialises in Chinese and Thai cuisine. Tenzo Temple, Thane is a Multi-cuisine restaurant.
Books
Nilesh is the author of successful culinary books. His Breakfast Cookbook “Good Morning Cookbook” along with "Good Morning Nyahari" and "Chaupati food" authored in Marathi are immensely popular titles among food enthusiasts. A coffee table book on Amhi Saare Khavvaiyye is on the anvil.
Television
He was a consultant Chef and also host to one of the weekly episodes in TV show Amhi Sare Khawaiye. Amhi Saare Khavvaiyye – We all Gourmet is a popular cooking show on Zee Marathi(an Indian regional channel)
He also was the Host Judge of Mallika-E-Kitchen show on Colors. .
Philanthropic Work
A member of Western India Chefs Association affiliated to the Indian Federation of Culinary Arts and Nilesh actively participated in various community welfare programs during the Culinary Congress held in 2007.
Organized Charity luncheon and Blood Donation Camp on International Chefs Day He was the tastemaker for the famous Shiv Vada Pav concept. The Shiv Vada Pav scheme was Shiv Sena's ambitious project to globalise the city's trademark dish, while providing employment to several Marathi youth.