Ahmed Cheema: Chef, businessman, altruist and madman

The restaurateur’s personality is as lively and unique as his establishments.

LAHORE:

At a cursory glance, Ahmed Cheema looks more like a rocker than a chef. With an imposing statuesque form complete with bulging biceps and a snake tattoo creeping along his jugular vein, he better fits the image of a hard metal musician than someone who could derive joy from something as passive as cooking.

“I’ve always wanted to be a cook,” confesses Cheema, who holds a degree in Graphic Design from the illustrious National College of Arts in Lahore.

An artist turned chef sounds rather delightful, but apart from the obvious link between food’s visual aesthetics which any connoisseur can appreciate, how does an art background aid one in the kitchen?

Food is the quickest medium of expression to get both appreciated and depreciated,” says Cheema, who also received training in the most exciting whirlpool of hedonism, Miami, where he studied at the Florida Culinary Institute and as well as worked at the famed Cheese Cake Factory.

“With a craft oriented background you try to build something out of nothing, which is essentially the process of cooking. But the artist part really kicks in when you do historical research to trace where something has come from,” states Cheema, who rose to fame with his desi museum-esque restaurant Andaaz which offers a journey through the history of the subcontinent.

Before launching Andaaz, Cheema traveled all over the region from Mumbai to Goa and met chefs in Delhi, Quetta and Kabul to learn from their age old techniques. “Cooking is all about timing and temperature and what I learnt during my training was how to treat each meat differently.”

Despite scouring the streets, he vociferously states, “street food is crap”. But what of the famed niharis, payas and bun kebabs lining Karachi’s Bundar Road and Lahore’s inner city?

Very few people in this country understand good food.  It’s not just mirchain and chaskay, the major function of food is nutrition and the streets are incredibly unhygienic which takes away from the quality of the food.”

A restaurateur himself, Cheema doesn’t hesitate to eat at other places and states Coffee Tea and Company, Cosa Nostra and Tiramisu as his favorites. Yet he is critical of those who have just opened cafes to indulge a whim. “Those who own restaurants here just do so because they had extra money lying around so they decided to just get into the market by stealing other people’s chefs.”

Currently, however, he is hooked to burritos from his new Mexican themed establishment Maya. He’s taken a complete turn from the genteel eastern theme at Andaaz to the wild, wild west with Maya and a move that is telling of his keen interest in civilizations.

But don’t let the interest in history fool you. The man is as crazy and ribald as one can get. Warm and forthright, Cheema has a sense of humour that makes the whole experience of dining with him all the more special. For one, he’ll drown you in food, stuff you till you can’t breathe and insist that he truly cannot reduce portions for a particular dish must have that specific size for it to taste good. And for those who crib about his food, he nonchalantly says, “We make mistakes everyday but it’s important to recognize those as mistakes and own up to them. It’s okay for a restaurant to not please everyone. As a professional you must retain the integrity of food.”

His demeanor with the staff is extremely respectful and amiable. “I’m a crazy maniac with whatever I do, so it’s difficult to be around me,” proclaims Cheema who has had the nerve to practically oust a patron when the gentleman misbehaved with his female staff. Loyalty to the ranks is fierce, yet he’s always on the lookout for people to join his team. His critera: “mad, mad people who have a different perspective on things”.

His plans for the future, apart from the usual commercial expansion that includes taking Andaaz to Islamabad’s Saidpur Village and to Dubai, are surprisingly altruistic. He aims to start an NGO called Careers through Culinary Arts (which is inspired by Kitchens with a Mission) where he will teach people from the streets who have no skills or education to cook, so they can be empowered to work as chefs.

“The restaurant business is the fastest growing industry in the country but there is no formal training available here,” laments Cheema, who is hoping that his institute will make a difference for those who have no other opportunities for growth.

Asked if he would ever host a television show he answers with a firm no. “The show will directly reflect on my restaurants.” Well, you know what they say: There ain’t no greater love for a man, than his love for food.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th,  2011.