Chef of Hearts: Strength in Adversity

This salute is for that friend who soldiered on through adversity to stand as a pillar of strength in time of need  

When I saw this on childhood buddy, fellow Chelsea fan and top London chef Amal’s Facebook page the other day, I had to find out more about the mechanics behind it all. See, for someone who runs a food consultancy and is also a fulltime Operations Manager for a shuttered down contract caterer in London, how did he end up on the frontlines of a pandemic?

Also, I know for a fact that a personal tragedy changed him and the wounds still run deep. Since then, Amal and family have been involved in self-funded charitable outreach programs in the UK and India and I have followed the progress of his Foundation closely through the years. Was this a part of the Foundation’s work?

“Hunger is not a problem, it is an obscenity, hence I volunteered”

“How can I let other children go hungry when I cannot see my own go that way? The right thing is to act now, we don’t need to wait for a single moment before we start to help the world,” he replied.

So, Amal and his company Thomas Franks, a family-owned business founded by Frank Bothwell that caters to Independent schools and B&I (Business and Industries) decided to volunteer for Kitchen Social, an initiative run by the Mayor’s Fund for London. He and his team of 15 volunteers cook and provide fresh and nutritious meals for poor and vulnerable children who cannot otherwise afford a daily meal. He explains that if schools were shut the kids would get a free meal at school but with the lockdown, they cannot. The Mayor’s fund helps these children stay fed in these trying times.

Amal, The Taste Magician, is the Owner-Founder of Gourmet Gurus Hotel and Restaurant Consultancy, a collective of professional chefs and food enthusiasts who believe a little hospitality goes a long way in making this world a better place.

The Gourmet Gurus – Amal and Bhanu

In a nutshell, they dish out new concepts, restaurant designs and eco-friendly ideas to help underperforming restaurants run better. With clients around the globe and concepts such as Akahana (Sri Lanka), Roosters (India) and Pok-Kei (Italy), they have helped change the image and raise profitability of those they work with.

The perfect Hyderabadi Dum Biryani

Amal was the Head Chef at the Jolly Sailor, Southampton when he lost his four-year-old son Ethan to a still unknown natural cause in 2009. That devastated and sent him into a downward emotional spiral. What brought him back was the courage he took from how Ethan lived – always happy, smiling and never complaining. Here was a child who came into this world, spread positivity and was gone too soon, but only after he made others lives beautiful in Amal’s own words.

Ethan Felix Sasikumar in Goa at his favourite Mai and Pai’s home

“How can I sulk and let this bring me down, I wanted to spread Ethan’s positivity in the world.”

The Ethan Felix Foundation – Making Life Beautiful

Ethan loved school and when he passed the family started the Ethan Felix Foundation in his memory by providing education and support to poor and less fortunate but talented children. At the moment the Foundation supports three girls and hope that one day they will pay it forward. Apart from this they also fund a few old age homes, providing them whatever they need, when they need it.

With wife Ethel, sons Evann & Nathan and daughter Bethany

It brings me great joy and happiness. The family has always poured in our own resources and we do have events where we raise money and send it forward, anyone can help but the end result must be that someone gains from it and not the person helping, if you know what I mean. We are not here for self-interest but to help others.

Every year the Foundation also holds a charity ball for The Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery, a nunnery for retired nuns in Nagpur. The fact that the nuns are left to fend for themselves forced the Foundation to step in as fundraisers for whenever a need arises – a walkway or Christmas meals for example. The first fundraiser three years ago had a below-par turnout but still managed to raise about INR 75,000 for the cause.

Going Back

With mom and brother Anthony. Circa 1985

Amal credits his school St. Georges in the Nilgiris for having a positive impact and changing his life for the better – the friends he made, the food, the music influences shaped him. After boarding school, he spent a year at Loyola College, Chennai doing his BA Economics, but there was something missing and that was his calling – the call of the kitchen. He quit and joined the National Council for Hotel Management in India at the Institute of Hotel Management, Gwalior completing a three-year degree in Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition.

A passion for street food

After Catering School, he first apprenticed at The Novotel Abudhabi under a French chef at the La Rabelais a fine dining restaurant, before moving to Dubai and to P&O Cruises before his final move to England.

He, however, credits his mother for this love of food and experimentation. Her knowledge of spices and herbs opened his young mind to experimenting with taste and cooking methods

Mom

This is what Ethan has done to me – Life ends when you stop dreaming, hope ends when you stop believing and love ends when you stop caring. So dream, hope and love makes Life Beautiful because you can’t undo the past all we can do is to look toward the future

This chef with 30 years’ experience, a leading troubleshooter in the food industry and hotel consultant, poured his heart into the Taste Magician brand that has since revolutionised how the food business is run in the United Kingdom. He hopes to use his experiences from around the world to give back by training and educating the next-gen and being available for them at all times to talk about his passion, food.

Back to why I write this post. The reason is simple. This guy taught me courage, he taught me compassion and he showed me how to be strong. It’s easier to learn from someone you know has been down the same dark roads you have and come out with a story to tell. A story that inspires. In one word, he inspires me.

Stay strong buddy and keep inspiring!

Get in touch with Amal if you wish to be a part of this journey or help with the work the Ethan Felix Foundation does