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Monday Dec 16, 2024
Thursday, 30 August 2012 00:52 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Meet 47-year-old Pastry Chef Ashoka Rodrigo, who has been a part of Colombo’s premier five-star hotel, the Cinnamon Grand Colombo, for over two decades.
Rodrigo is part of the talented team that has helped the hotel set high standards in the culinary field. His expertise and guidance over the years has ensured that guests are greeted by gastronomic delights, which please both the eye and the palate.
Chef Rodrigo started his career at Prima Bakery School. He was a supervisor there at the time the management of the then-Oberoi visited and offered him a position at the hotel. He joined the hotel in 1989 and now counts 23 years at the Cinnamon Grand in the Bakery Section as a Pastry Chef.
Above all else, Chef Rodrigo cherishes the learning opportunities the hotel has offered him: “I didn’t dream of being a renowned chef, I only wanted to keep learning. I still learn from those who have trained abroad. I learnt a lot in the bakery section here, from buffets and chocolates, to cakes, desserts and savouries. I am still learning!”
Counting over two decades at the hotel today, he recalls that when he joined, he did not dream his tenure would last so long. “However after a few years of working here I realised that the Cinnamon Grand is like my home and I didn’t want to work anywhere else! For a while I dreamt of going abroad, but the hotel has given me so many opportunities in terms of overseas training that I have realised that dream as well, while remaining part of the Cinnamon Grand team.”
Commenting on what he has learnt from other countries, he said that they do not make bulk items as we do, but opt for individual portions instead with gorgeous garnishes. This lesson has helped change things back home at the Cinnamon Grand, with the hotel featuring lovely buffets that showcase individual portions and garnishes, which have been stealing the spotlight, and even when it comes to wedding desserts, the hotel offers some in the form of individual portions.
The Cinnamon Grand’s indulgent ‘Bread Range’ and a ‘Cake of the Month Promotion’ is a result of Chef Rodrigo’s creativity spark. He provides the ideas for the base and the shape for the vastly popular monthly products, which are then created by the dedicated bakery team.
“Taste and presentation are equally important, especially since it is the look of the dish that comes first, before taste. At Cinnamon Grand we always give guests something different; we take traditional dishes and do something new with them; something good, tasty and different, which also features a Sri Lankan touch,” concluded Chef Rodrigo.
