Kumar Chalise is one of the few chefs who have made a name for himself in Nepal and overseas and helped promote Nepal and Nepali cuisine all across the world. Chalise has represented Nepal in numerous culinary arenas and is involved in both industrial and academic sectors. In 2018, Chalise was titled Cosmopolitan Chef by the Chef Association of Nepal and Hotel Association of Nepal to recognize his work in promoting Nepali food worldwide.
Chalise is the Corporate Chef of renowned brand Bajeko Sekuwa. He trains their staff, supervises all the culinary aspects, designs and updates menus, handles food cost and food safety issues, and does everything required to successfully operate the brand’s 12 outlets. He is also the consultant of Premier Hotel in Itahari, and has done consulting works for numerous restaurants and hotels, and has designed countless menus. He is associated with fraternities like the Chef Association of Nepal, Gastronomy Association of Nepal, Global Nepalese Chefs Federation, World Food Travel Association, World Chefs Without Borders, among others.
According to Chalise, one of his expertise lies in starting pop-up restaurants, one-day restaurants overseas. He has opened such one-day restaurants in Australia, Switzerland, Dubai, Macau, Spain, UK, Japan, Korea, and other countries. “I will be traveling to the USA shortly for the same purpose. We will take Nepali restaurateurs with us who want to exhibit and promote their food in the USA,” shares Chalise.
On the Education front, Chalise is a full-time faculty member as Culinary Manager at Global College. He teaches BHM students and provides career counseling to students of all levels and disciplines who want to join Culinary Arts. He also supervises the level 3 Certificate in Culinary Arts Program for Australia. “in these ways, I am promoting the field of Culinary Arts and also helping to create a new workforce for the sector and inspiring people to join this sector,” says Chalise. He has also published four books related to recipes, basics of culinary arts, and food safety.
Chalise specializes in Indian, Chinese, and Mexican and multicuisine but says his expertise is in Continental cuisine. “I feel cooking is a science, as it requires proper ingredients, and the end result is a reaction of those ingredients. Cooking can mean different things to different people. For some, it’s a hobby; for others, a profession. For me, it’s a lifestyle, everything I do revolves around cooking, and everything I am today is because of cooking,” says the veteran Chef.
Chalise opines that Vocational education should be given more importance; only academic qualification cannot fulfill the workforce requirement of today’s world. He says that the Culinary Arts and Hospitality sector has adequate money, good exposure, and the opportunity to travel the world. “You do not need to look for opportunities in this sector; they will come looking for you if you’re talented. But you have to be competent. Passion is most needed for being a chef; knowledge and skill can be learned, but passion cannot be learned,” says Chalise.
You can connect with the Chef on his Facebook page or email him at chefkumarchalise@gmail.com for career counseling, and also if you want to learn new recipes.