Celebrity chefs are an important ingredient at F&B Asia Ventures, an investment holding company of Asia-focused private equity firm, Everstone Capital.

After roping in Sanjay Malkani from the Oberoi Group, and Bill Marchetti, formerly with ITC, the company has now brought celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani on board..

Ratnani has joined F&B Asia’s operations in India.

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F&B Asia has several brands which it operates across the continent.

Some of the most notable ones are Harry's, a casual format operating premium lifestyle bars, restaurants and a boutique hotel in India and Singapore; Pind Baluchi, an established brand in India for casual North Indian cuisine; Domino's in Indonesia; and also an exclusive 25-year master franchise to roll out Burger King in India.

Everstone also owns a controlling stake in Pan India Food Solutions, which operates a host of restaurants, including Spaghetti Kitchen, Noodle Bar, Copper Chimney, Bombay Blue and Gelato Italiano.

Jaspal Sabharwal, Partner at Everstone Capital, told BusinessLine that the company tends to regularly poach some of the best chefs in the country to ensure that it continues to deliver “the fine blend between art, craft, and science. We have a systematic detailed plan. Most of our chefs have five-star backgrounds. We have taken on board several chefs from the Taj, the Oberoi and the Orchid.”

Chef Malkani, an Indian and Continental expert, has more than 27 years of experience in India and West Asia, said Sabharwal.

Similarly, Marchetti, a German-Italian by birth and Australian by nationality, earlier spearheaded the Italian team at ITC.

Stating that the firm’s formats tend to cater to a wide spectrum of customers, from three-year olds to 80+ years, Sabharwal said constant innovation is needed to make their dining experience memorable.

Foreign formats `“Vicky Ratnani is a fantastic combination of art, craft, and science. He is all set to provide culinary stewardship to Burger King, Harry’s and is set to launch Disgruntled Chef in Mumbai,” said Sabharwal. Disgruntled Chef is a popular gastro-bar in Singapore, with a Singaporean-Chinese chef Daniel Sia, who was formerly executive chef at The White Rabbit, another famous restaurant in Singapore.

Ratnani, recently the head chef at Nido, said he was looking to bring the Disgruntled Chef brand to India “with my own expressions. I will also get to use my creativity on the Burger King menu in India, especially the vegetarian options. With Harry's, I plan to launch a special bar and brunch menu, and with PindBalluchi, a new way of looking at Indian cuisine.”

Ratnani has anchored many cooking programmes including Gourmet Central , Vicky Goes Veg , and Vicky Goes Foreign .

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