The Rotary Club of Akron had the pleasure of interacting with Chef Rosh (Roshni Gurnani) at our Tuesday, February 23 Club meeting (view presentation by clicking here).
Chef Rosh is a highly innovative and passionate chef with an exceptional 14 years record of international culinary experience in establishments such as Park Hyatt Resort & Spa, The Sagamore Resort and Thistle Marble Arch Hotel.
Gurnani earned a Bachelor of Business Administration before attending the Culinary Institute of Canada where she earned a Bachelor of Culinary Management. Coming from a traditional Indian family, she said her biggest challenge as a chef wasn’t conquering any cuisine or dish – it was getting her loved ones to accept her career path.
After graduating culinary school, she took some time to travel the world, exploring foreign cuisines and discovering innovative cooking techniques. Gurnani draws inspiration from her Sindhi heritage, and her signature style is fusion. But sometimes she prefers to keep it simple.
Even before she realized she could pursue that passion as a career, she knew it was her calling. Gurnani, popularly known as Chef Roshni, gained recognition as a contestant on FOX's "Hell's Kitchen." She then went on to win the popular Food Network show "Chopped." A Toronto native, she currently resides in Houston.
After Hell's Kitchen, Roshni became Culinary professor at The Art Institute of Houston and is also a private chef, wedding caterer and travelling chef consultant. She appeared on Cutthroat Kitchen and Beat Bobby Flay on Food Network and was Executive Chef at Revolve Kitchen + Bar in Hotel Derek in Houston.
Gurnani feels Sindhi cuisine hasn’t yet become mainstream like other Indian food. She tries to educate people about the unique and decadent flavors it has to offer. “We use a lot of aromatics, a lot of floral spices like cardamom, saffron and lots of dried fruit,” she said.
When asked what she cooks at home, Chef Rosh stated, “When I cook at home, I cook from what I know,” she said. “Kidney beans and rice is my go-to, my comfort food.” As a wife and mother Chef Rosh makes it a point to feed her family home-cooked meals daily. Her philosophy is that food is not just for satisfying hunger, but for “feeding the soul.” “There’s only so much takeout you can eat,” Gurnani said. “You may be full, but you’re not satisfied, and there’s a huge difference.”
How does the working mom manage to prepare fresh meals several times a day? She said “time management is key.” Gurnani sets aside one day a week to do cooking prep. She buys her groceries, marinates her meats and chops onions and garlic in bulk. When she gets home from work, it takes her about 20 minutes to finish cooking. “I think a lot of people feel they have to do it from scratch every day,” Gurnani said. “It’s all about planning your meals.”
Apart from having her traveling, Chef Roshni has her own catering and consulting company, as well as, a published cook book author. Chef Roshni believes "food is a journey, not a destination."
Chef Rosh is very familiar with Ohio. She visits Northeast Ohio 3 – 4 times per year, including working with Children’s Hospital and a Catholic school in Hudson.
Chef Rosh also encouraged everyone to be comfortable cooking. She reminded everyone that “recipes are only guidelines. If a recipe calls for 30 ingredients and you only have 15, still go for it. Improvise, experiment. Cooking should not be a chore, make it fun.”
You can find out more about Chef Rosh at her website, chefrosh.com.
Below is also a recipe if you wish to use it:
Sindhi stuffed kebabs
by Chef Roshni Gurnani, as featured on Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay, April 2019
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. ground goat meat/lamb or chicken
- 4 yellow onions
- 4 Thai chili
- 1 qt yogurt
- 2 bunch cilantro
- 1/2 cup fenugreek leaf
- 2 bunch mint
- 1 cup lime juice
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup curry powder
- 1/2 cup garlic purée
- 1/2 cup ginger purée
- 8 tbsp cardamom powder
- 4 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp cumin seeds
- 5 tbsp turmeric
- 6 chopsticks
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups basmati rice
Directions
Kebab – tenderize meat with acid [lemon juice] and mix together for about 10 minutes to really allow meat to become tender. Then combine meat and spice mix and set aside. After about 25 mins of resting, form meat over chop sticks and grill on each side for 3-4 mins. Let rest.
Soak rice for 15-20 mins, rinse well. Pan fry rice in oil and cumin seeds. Then add water and butter to rice and allow to “poach” for 12-15 mins.
Chutney – combine cilantro, mint, green chili, yogurt and lime juice to a blender and season with salt and pepper.
Enjoy!!
Yours in Rotary Service -
Terry
