A New Dimension of Cooking

“My mother is my best chef.”

ALEXANDRA GORSCHE: You have a wonderful nickname, the “Spicy Chef“. Where does this nickname come from?
SOENIL BAHADOER: Well, imagine spicy always with pepper and that kind of thing. But spicy also means strong, go for it and make it happen, you know, and be strong. And that is spicy. I use spices in my dishes, but it's the balance between spices, food and that kind of thing. You must taste that. The taste is amazing. It's a different kind of kitchen like you used to eat. You have a lot of different influences.

How do you balance so many cultural flavors in one plate?
I'm born in Suriname and because there is many kind of culture, like seven or eight, and all the culture has its own food. They come from Ghana, they come from India, they come from China, they come from Jakarta, from Indonesia. And all the people bring the food there to one place. I learned from the best chefs, from three-star chefs, two-star, no-chefs, bistro. I started in a pancake restaurant. All the flavors I learned there, I take it also to home and to combine with my mother's kitchen. And I search for the balance.

What can guests expect from your menu?
You will eat different kind of food that you eat in a Michelin-star restaurant. This food, this flavor has power. You will understand that if you come to eat in the restaurant. Otherwise, I don't can explain it. You don't imagine how much flavor, how much balance. Also the wine pairing with the food, how it goes.

How should guests feel after trying your menu?
I think they will be happy. And they will talk about it that, wow, this is another dimension of cooking or flavors.

Is there a person who influenced you the most?
My mother. My mother is my best chef. Because I forgot the culture. I learned from the French. And I cooked this Michelin-star with that kind of classic dishes. But in my mind, I think what I'm doing, I have so nice culture. Why I do not put my culture with the amazing French kitchen together and to combine that two to make nice flavors. And after that, I go to my mother and she learned me. After one Michelin-star. And then I changed my kitchen.

I know you work or you really love to work with young people. Especially with my Migrant background. What do you learn with these people?
I feel happy to work with these people. Because when I was young, they didn't give me the chance. I made 50 letters to go to work in a restaurant. They didn't take me. And now, these days, if people come to me and they have interest to work in my restaurant, then I give them a chance. And that chance that I never had, I want to give them. That's absolutely great.

What qualities should your team have? What are you looking for?
My team must have passion. If they have the basics, they are a team player, they are happy to be in my restaurant, to work with me, then it's amazing.

How do you inspire your team?
I inspire my team to work with them, to talk to them. If they have problems, they come to me to travel with them, to go to eat with them. To do also not only things about cooking, but also with music.

You are not only a chef, you are a leader as well. What do you think makes a good leader?
A good leader is not to stand in front of your team, but between your team, to connect with everybody. And also, a leader is to give the young people a chance to make their own dishes, to make their own flavors.

We talked about young people, about the next generation. Do you have any advice for the young chefs?
If you have nothing, and with these two hands, and you have the knowledge, you have the inspiration, you can cook, then you can make everything.

That's wonderful! Soenil, thank you for your time and your inspiration.
Thank you.