YOUNG CHEFS
May 2022 Gulf Gourmet
Culinary resilience Zero Gravity Dubai have put forth two of their newest recruits Chef Srikanth Muthangi and Chef Gayan Indika Wijethunga for this month’s chefID Young Chef Championship
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hese two young men, born and raised in lesser-known but dynamic cities in south Asia, have had an incredible journey to the Middle East. At first glance they come across as introverts but you soon realize that they are just shy. And they make up for it with their culinary skills. Here are their stories and recipes.
Chef Srikanth Muthangi
29-year-old Srikanth works as Chef de Partie at Zero Gravity Dubai and overlooks the cold kitchen operations with a team of eight young chefs.
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Before moving to Dubai a few months back, he spent six years working for Sheraton Grand Doha in Qatar, where he saw his culinary growth from a Commis to a CDP. He says, “I am thankful to my Chef in Doha for believing in me and helping me learn. He even gave me a better position when I got married,” he says. Born and raised in the tech city of Hyderabad in India, Chef Srikanth first found encouragement for his talent from his mother. She would say, “You have
magic in your fingers, you should pursue a career that does justice to this.” When the time to head to university came around, these words of his mother played a partial role in swaying him away from engineering or product management studies. He instead pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management. The chef who can engage you in three different languages says that his first job at the Marriott Hotels in Hyderabad lasted over a year before the Middle East came calling. He moved to Doha
