FACT’S ANUSHAY TAIMUR KHAN HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN AND TALK TO MICHELIN STAR CHEF, JASON ATHERTON, AT HIS NEWLY LAUNCHED RESTAURANT IN THE STUNNING MARSA MALAZ KEMPINSKI HOTEL, APTLY NAMED PEARL SOCIAL…

Hi Jason! You describe your food as one step in 21st century and one in tradition. How true does that statement hold to the Pearl Social?

Our food is always built on traditional values and cooking methods. At the same time, we respect evolution and the face that the world moves at such a fast pace and we need to keep up with that because food becomes outdated really quickly. You can make bistro modern by putting in time effort, development and research. That’s what we do and it’s pretty straight forward. We work hard in making sure whatever we make is current but, at the same time, it’s also delicious and people feel like they had an experience.

Since you are famous for bringing in culture to your menu, how do you plan on introducing it here, in Doha?

We are very fortunate that we have a lot of Qataris come to our restaurant, especially during the summers. So, we get to know their eating habits and we respect that, and trust the kind of food we deliver. Since its mostly summers here, we want to make sure that the cuisine is quite light. The idea is to have a restaurant that is universal for the Qatari market

Are you going to be bringing your signature dishes here or will you be introducing new concepts?

It is the first time we are bringing back trolley service and have salads served at the table side, which is quite a bit of theatre. In addition to that, it’s the first time we have done a lot of stuff like steak tableside, we’re using techniques from the south of France just for our local Qatari market here. We believe in innovating and couldn’t consider a better market to try new things.

Was it always your plan to expand and build this empire?

I decided to go alone because I was 39, and I felt like I needed to do it soon so, I simply went for it. I borrowed a lot of money and used my savings, mortgaged my house and opened the first restaurant, the City Social. Even for that, I spent 9 months refurbishing it, opened the doors and got our Michelin star within 4-5 months. We never dreamt of expansion and just wanted that restaurant to be a success. And it was very busy since the first day. When something is successful it attracts other people and we started getting hotels and people for collaborations. I didn’t go for it right away but when my business partner, Mavis Oei pushed me to open the second restaurant, it just happened to be in Singapore. And that was it. I feel like the fact that it was not planned is the best possible way the expansion could happen. It is so nice to let something grow something organically. Because this way, there are places that we have no interest in and we can openly say no to it. It’s a personal choice, not a business one. Similarly, I like Qatar therefore, I was interested in opening a restaurant here.

You were part of the Gordon Ramsay group and your peers were always praising you. You feel like you got the right pressure and training to take the next step?

One thing that I am thankful for is that my success came late in life, and I never planned it to happen that way. Because with success comes responsibility and when you’ve got a company that is responsible for 2000 employees, you have to have the right image, behave yourself, and conduct everything in a professional way. Sometimes, if success comes at an early age, it is difficult to stay focused. I was already a father; a family man and my business came later. I felt like I could control the success because I have seen so much failure before. For me, it was easier to hold on to the success because failure is a big fear of mine and it drives me on day to day basis.

You have been a part of various TV shows and even some cookbooks so, we wanted to know if we should expect any new shows in the near future

I don’t do a lot of series because I don’t want to be famous. I am very happy with people not knowing who I am. What I do want to be is famous for being a good chef and restaurateur so people come to me because they love my food. Fame, otherwise, is not for me. I recently did a new series for BBC 2 because the concept attracted me a lot. It is a show on young, thriving chefs, and I get to train them and give back to the industry. If I get a chance to do something like that, I am always good. Also, it reaches out to the people who are in the demographics for our restaurant and that is important for me. So, it is a win-win for everybody. BBC got the right chef and I get to market my skills.

How is the work and personal life balance for you since?

People like to keep family and work separate but I like it as a whole. For me, family is really important. The thing with restaurants is that it is so time consuming. I The thing with restaurants is that open for lunch and for dinner which makes it very time consuming. It’s not like you have a set time and wrap up at 5pm and head home. We are constantly dealing with issues, problems and tackling them on the go. We use all our time to utilize and come up with new ideas, marketing techniques, new menus for the hotels. The more I can keep my family involved the more they understand what it takes to make it work. It’s a family business then!

What keeps you motivated and inspired?

The legacy! Last year we got the offer to sell the company and we said no. It took a lot to take that decision because we never set this company to make money, we set it up to run amazing restaurants. We felt like if we are owned by a big corporation, the heart will be ripped out of the company. And then we will become nothing than more than a machine. So, we set up a legacy project which means all the senior people in the group who helped build the empire will eventually have more shares and they will become owners of the business. For me, it is about opening more inspiring restaurants, continue to travel, and inspire the next generation. And that’s always the number one goal.

What would you say to someone who aspires to be like you and is just starting in on the culinary journey?

Number one, this is above everything, I have been cooking for 32 years, and till this day, I am obsessed and in love with food the same way as I was when I picked up my first knife at 16. If you are not obsessed by food and want to be a chef then you’ll never make it. You have to be so invested in this and you got to want to learn more. And the more success you have, the more difficult it becomes to stay that way but, you have to fight that and continue to work for your food to be better. The minute you fall out of love with food, your guest will feel it. I get excited working with my chefs on new ideas, creating new dishes and seeing them come to live and then see the guests eat them. Forget about the money and profit, the love for cooking should always come first. ✤

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