The culinary world has lost a legend. Padma Shri Imtiaz Qureshi, the chef behind the culinary excellence of ITC Hotels, passed away on Friday morning, February 16, at the age of 93. He is survived by his wife, five sons, two daughters and grandchildren.
Chef Qureshi was born on February 2, 1931, in Lucknow, the city of nawabs and kebabs. He belonged to a family of chefs who had served the royal courts of Awadh for over 200 years. He started his culinary journey at the age of seven, under the tutelage of his uncle, Ustad Munir Ahmed. He learnt the secrets of Awadhi cuisine, which is known for its rich and aromatic dishes, cooked over slow fire in sealed pots, a technique called Dum Pukht. Chef Qureshi’s meteoric rise was never just attributed to the ITC Hotels, as he had gained a reputation much before joining the Indian hospitality giant. Most well-known are his services to NCC (National Cadet Corps), where he prepared daily meals for over 10,000 NCC cadets a day, in the outskirts of Lucknow. It was during one such event he served Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to India.
Chef Qureshi’s talent and skill soon earned him recognition and fame. He worked with Krishna Caterers, where he served the Indian Army during the Sino-Indian War of 1962. He also catered at prestigious events, such as banquets hosted by the prime minister and the president of India.
He joined ITC Hotels in 1979, where he revolutionised the Indian culinary scene with his innovative creations. He was instrumental in launching the Bukhara restaurant at ITC Maurya in New Delhi, which is famous for its rustic and robust dishes, such as the Dal Bukhara, Sikandari Raan, and Murgh Malai Kebab. He also launched the Dum Pukht restaurant at ITC Maurya, which is renowned for its refined and elegant dishes, such as the Dum Pukht Biryani, Kakori Kebab, and Shahi Tukda.
As a fellow ITC stalwart and an ardent fan of Chef Qureshi, former executive director of ITC Hotels, Diwan Gautam Anand says about his love for the chef’s master craftsmanship: “The aroma of which pervades the air, a sight that adds to its flavour, aesthetic and appetising in every morsel, with a taste unmatched and unique, prepared just to please our guest, is the meal that we serve at our table of great grand master Chef Imtiaz’s Indian cuisine renaissance.”
Qureshi saab, as he was fondly known, single-handedly revived the almost lost art of dum pukht from Awadh. His passion and his work brought this style to the limelight and today the cuisine is one of the most sought-after Indian preparations in the world. A culinary genius, Chef Qureshi’s honest-to-God attitude won over the hearts of everyone he met. His art has been patronised by celebrities, dignitaries, and connoisseurs from across the world. From our Freedom leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to dignitaries from across the oceans like former US President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, and Tony Blair, Qureshi saab has fed world leaders and children alike.
Chef Qureshi’s dishes were not only delicious but also artistic and symbolic. He used his culinary skills to express his creativity, culture, and philosophy. He created dishes such as the Lehsun Kheer, a garlic-based dessert, which was inspired by his belief that garlic is a divine ingredient that can transform any dish. He also created dishes such as the Bharwan Aloo, a stuffed potato dish, which represented the unity in diversity of India.
His mischievous side was revealed when he was serving Jawaharlal Nehru and presented dishes which looked, felt and smelled like Murgh Mussallam and fish. When a dismayed Chacha Nehru asked the young chef why he was served non-veg food, Chef Qureshi sheepishly showed him and the world the wonders of his art, where the murgh was carved out of jackfruit, chicken drumsticks were made from aubergine and the fish was created using bottle gourd. Such was his love and zeal for food that he had created a dish with the likeness of a completely different ingredient.
Chef Qureshi’s contributions to the culinary arts were recognised and honoured by various national and international organisations. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016, making him the first chef to receive the fourth-highest civilian honour of India. He was also awarded the acclaimed Lifetime Achievement Award by HRC (Hotels, Restaurants and Catering) Expo 2018.
Chef Qureshi was not only a chef, but also a teacher, a leader, and a visionary. He trained and mentored many young chefs, who have followed in his footsteps and achieved success in the hospitality industry. He also shared his knowledge and wisdom with the public, through books, television shows, and seminars. His talks were always full-house, be it the TEDx, institute talks, corporate talks or his episodes with culinary legends like Chef Gordon Ramsay.
Fondly remembering him as a fellow chef awardee of the prestigious Padma Shri, the famous Indian TV personality and culinary legend, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor reminisced, “This is the end of an era. He (Chef Qureshi) showed the way. The trend that chefs could also be on the cover of a national magazine or on the front page of a newspaper was started by him. I will always cherish the time when we filmed together for the cover of BBC Good Food magazine. Since the shoot was in our office, he brought with him biryani and kababs cooked by him for the entire office. Memory of a lifetime. Legends never die.”
Camellia Panjabi, the Queen of Indian cuisine, summarised Chef Qureshi’s work and passion in just a few lines: “He changed the way food of North India was perceived. He brought a new degree of refinement to how Indian cuisine was presented. He brought glory to Lucknowi traditions. Chef Imtiaz Qureshi was a great ambassador for traditional Indian food and kept a restaurant brand alive and relevant for 50 years.”
Chef Qureshi was a humble and generous person, who was loved and respected by his family, friends, colleagues, and fans. He was a man of integrity, honesty, and dignity, who lived his life with grace and gratitude. Chef Qureshi’s legacy will live on through his dishes, his restaurants, his books, his students, and his family. He will be remembered and cherished as one of the greatest chefs of India, and the world. He will be missed and mourned by all who knew him and admired him.
May his soul rest in peace.