(December 12, 2024) In the kitchens of Farzi Cafe U.S., dishes don’t just come together—they are reimagined. This is the work of Gaurav Chawla, the corporate executive chef at Farzi Cafe US, who combines molecular gastronomy with a deep respect for tradition to surprise diners while staying true to the essence of Indian cuisine. Beyond technique, his philosophy is rooted in sustainability. Every ingredient is used to its fullest, with vegetable peels repurposed into stocks and sauces. For Chawla, cooking is as much about responsibility as it is about creativity, and his approach has reshaped expectations of what Indian food can be.
Gaurav Chawla
Laying the Foundation
Chef Gaurav Chawla applied for the entrance exam to join a catering college after an unsuccessful attempt at the exam held for MBBS. He did exceedingly well and secured the 143rd rank among one lakh-plus applicants. That was the beginning of his career in cuisines and molecular gastronomy. The latter is a large part of his philosophy and his work.
After clearing the exam, Gaurav joined the Banarasidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, affiliated with the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in Delhi. This was in 2005. The four-year course involved three years of theory; the last year was on-the-job training. He recalls, “I got selected to join the Oberoi Group of Hotels where I worked for 18 months, and after I graduated, I joined the Hilton Hotel, which had opened its first property in New Delhi. Later, I joined the ITDC, which has hotels like the Ashoka, Samrat etc., all in Delhi,” he tells Global Indian.
Six rounds of interviews later, Gaurav got selected and was in charge of the kitchens of all the ITDC properties across India. As a junior sous chef, which was a senior position, this role gave him all-round training. He adds, “In 2012, I joined the Roseate Hotels as a sous chef; this is a five-star property. The two years I spent here helped me focus and I specialised in Continental and European cuisine. Chef Himanshu Saini, who was my batchmate at college, was with Farzi Café at that time. He called me and asked me to join him. Though I had not done much in Indian cooking, he was confident I would pull it off. Zorawar Kalra, the MD of the company that owns Farzi Café was pleased with my food trial and presentation and I joined the Gurgaon branch in July 2014.”
This career move would prove to be a defining one for Chef Gaurav. He says, “I trained with Chef Himanshu and it would be fair to say that Farzi Cafe and its team were the pioneers of molecular gastronomy. I had a fair idea about it but had not dabbled in it earlier. Here I got to look at how it transformed Indian food and made it global.”
The Magic of Molecular Gastronomy
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Molecular gastronomy is a way of rethinking food by using science to alter its form without changing its essence. It’s about creating new textures and presentations that surprise the senses while keeping the flavors true to the original. A liquid might become a delicate gel, a sauce might be turned into an airy foam, or a familiar dish might take on an entirely new structure. The techniques, such as spherification or flash freezing, are not used for decoration but to reimagine how food is experienced—how it looks, feels, and interacts with the palate—while honoring its roots and flavor.
“It is a science that transforms food through its look and presentation while retaining the texture and flavour. We use hydro-colloids in different proportions to create the effect we want. Maltodextrin is one such colloid which when churned with pure ghee, absorbs the fat and gives the powder the flavour of ghee. Avocado is given a similar treatment to create avocado powder,” he affirms.
One of the first experiments Chef Gaurav successfully executed was that of Mishti Doi Spheres. He made a bath of sodium alginate by dissolving it in water and dipped the mishti doi into it. The calcium in the curds reacted with the bath to create a film around the mishti doi spheres. “You eat the full doi ball in one go and it bursts in your mouth,” he says.
Despite the tremendous learning curve at Farzi Café, at the end of 2017, Chef Gaurav joined the First Fiddle group of restaurants which owns Dragonfly, Lord of the Drinks etc. He was the corporate chef here and oversaw a team of 500 people, menu changes, hygiene standards, training and inventory across all the restaurants owned by the company. The company had a division called The Whiz League that served as a mentoring platform for aspiring chefs. It is an online programme where one signs up for a course with different chefs across cuisines. Chef Gaurav was a mentor for the molecular gastronomy course.
Coming to America
After four years here, destiny led him back to Farzi Café. Zorawar Kalra, the owner of the café asked him to head operations for their first restaurant to be launched as a franchise in the US. Farzi Café, situated in Bellevue, Washington state, is the current workplace of Chef Gaurav. They launched in April 2023, and will be opening the New York branch in January 2025.
Chef Gaurav’s role here as Corporate Executive Chef is challenging to say the least. With corporate giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Google etc., having offices here, the café draws crowds that are local as well as Indian expats in equal numbers. He agrees that the job is inherent with challenges galore. “I have changed the menu every three months since we launched. The aim is to showcase Indian food as one that is much more than curries, butter chicken and naan.”
Some bestsellers are favourites with the regular guests and they are never taken off the menu. Given that his creations essentially take a traditional dish and its accompaniments and turn it on its head in a modern avatar, the Dal Chawal Arancini, which is balls of khichdi fried and served with curds, papad, ghee and achari mayonnaise; inspired by the Italian Arancini where leftover risotto is cooked with cheese and fried. The Avocado Tikka, Chicken Tikka Masala and Churan Lamb Chops are other favourites regularly ordered. Another creation based on the principles of molecular gastronomy here is his version of black cod fish. He says, “The fish is delicate and is usually poached. I marinated the fish in a chilli-coconut-coriander paste and baked it. The rustic intense flavours that are released are balanced with a subtle gravy. Instead of the Kerala moilee, which uses coconut, I created a gravy with raw mango and served it with rice. This dish is also quite popular.”
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Keeping it clean and green
While Chef Gaurav likes to work mostly with local produce, he is a strong believer in zero wastage. “I don’t throw away the peels of vegetables and fruits. After washing them multiple times, I blanch and boil them, add herbs and spices and it produces a flavourful stock which I then use for sauces, marinades, soups and stews.”
Due to his love for molecular gastronomy, Chef Gaurav Chawla has also been the youngest chef to speak at a TedX event, on the same subject. He even demonstrated a few dishes to explain the concept further at the event.
Currently, Chef Gaurav will be shuffling between Bellevue and New York as he oversees the operations to launch Farzi Café and aims to have two more branches open in the next year. Given his passion and commitment to the food he creates, he is bound to succeed.
- Follow Chef Gaurav Chawla and Farzi Cafe USA on Instagram.
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