Ajoy Joshi founded Nilgiri’s in the late Nineties and has turned it into more than just a restaurant. He has organised many other activities that enable him to share his enthusiasm and knowledge about Indian food, its correct preparation, sourcing the best ingredients and passing on simple, yet essential culinary facts that he is always happy to share.
Ajoy was trained in Madras (now Chennai), India and started his career at the prestigious Taj Group of Hotels where he was soon promoted to executive chef of the Taj Hotel, Bangalore. During this time he was also involved in setting up Karavali Restaurant, renowned for its ethnic coastal South Indian cuisine.
Ajoy’s training was completed in the gruelling culinary education he received from six Indian master chefs, experts in their own regional cuisine, who took him into their confidence with their own techniques of cooking.
Ajoy opened the Malabar Restaurant in Crows Nest, Sydney, serving traditional South Indian cuisine which won awards and accolades both in Australia and India. In 1997, Ajoy sold the Malabar and embarked on a tour to study food trends around the world. It was from this tour that Ajoy then launched nilgiri’s which has received many awards, the most recent being the 2010 “Best Indian” award for excellence in catering from Restaurant & Catering (R&C NSW/ACT).
Ajoy has appeared as a guest chef on numerous TV, web-clip and radio programmes and is respected as one of Australia’s top Indian chefs. Ajoy is regarded as an authority on Indian food, both overseas and in Australia, where he is frequently asked to advise cookery schools and hotels.
Ajoy is supported by his wife Meera, son Aniruddh, and a highly competent culinary team.
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C- 66, Anand Niketan
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info@sustainablepathways.org.in
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Hello Dr Aarti,
Good to hear from you and good to know that you are encouraging Indians to get back to their roots and more importantly to some healthy eating.
Is your product available in Australia?
Kind regards,
Ajoy
Hey Ajoy, wonder if you remember a Suresh Charles from the Front Office, Taj Residency Bangalore – 83 – 89? Stumbled on your blog, tried out the dalcha, except that I put into a crock pot on slow overnight – this after searing the meat. Came out great
BTW, we are trying to organize a get together of old TR staff next year on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the hotel. April end, Any chance of you being around?
Last saw you in a great photo that Vivek Angre sent out – 4 chefs!
Keep up the good work
Cheers
Suresh
Hi Suresh,
Mate can’t forget anyone from that hotel ever!!
You were the ‘guy’ with a ‘goti’ beard, please correct me if I am wrong.
Would love to join in the celebrations,need some specific dates if possible!
How are you mate and what do you do for a living or maybe you have retired like some of the others!!
Kind regards,
Ajoy
Ajoy, perfect memory! Yes, indeed, the beard remains my trademark, completely silver (not grey, silver
) now. Lets see now – I was deputed to the Taj Bengal in 1989 for 3 months. However, met a young lady out these who consented to marry me, and I stayed in Calcutta for 16 years! Not all the time with the Taj though, in 1995 I joined Hutch Telecom and spent some time in the telecom industry. In 2005, Bangalore and Hospitality industry beckoned I returned and joined a local builder handling their hotel / resort / service apartment projects. Am in touch with a large number of people from the TR in the 80′s – among them Neena Honnavar / Vasundhra / Rekha Varma / Albert Rebello / Paddy who now runs Herbs & Spices in Whitefield, Ken Pinto and plenty others. Its a great and warm feeling to be in touch with all of them.
The date being considered for the maga reunion id April 30th, 2013 – no special reason apart from the fact that the next day is May 1st, a holiday.
Have been reading your blog and all that you have done out there. Keep up the good work and stay in touch
Best regards,
Suresh
Thanks Suresh,
Good to hear that you are still in touch with the TR gang of the 80′s.
Will try my best to make it.
Kind regards,
Ajoy
Hi Ajoy,
Saw you once on telly…..enjoyed the wit!……great looking food!…..I am from Perth….Will visit Nilgiri’s soon
Hello Irene,
Would love to see you in my restaurant when you are in Sydney next.
Till then,
Happy cooking!!
Ajoy,
I’m hoping you may be able to shed some light on a problem I have. My partner and I are going to India in January. I have been many times he has never been. In his younger days he had several incidents where he became very ill after eating Indian food, probably a curry of some kind. He now says that he is allergic to “curry,” and is very cautious about eating Indian food. He stays with dahls and tandoori chicken. Do you have an opinion as to what spice might have disagreed with him and how I might get him to be more adventurous on our trip?
Thank you so much, Michael Stubbs
Hi Ajoy,
Happy New Year!
I really enjoyed reading your blog especially it is really informative in nature and most people would love to read it.
I’d like to know if you’d be interested in a Guest Post. How about something like these topics?
1.A Walk Through Indian Cuisine
2.Knowing The History of Delicious Spices in Indian Cuisine
What do you think about these?
For your information, all of our articles are custom written by our writers for your blog, and are absolutely FREE.
If you are interested, I am happy to get something written up and sent over to you – or if you have another topic you’d like to see covered, please do let me know.
Thanks and I look forward to your response.
Dana B.
—
Guest Post U
“The University of Great Content”
http://www.guestpostu.com
Hi Dana,
Great to hear from you and a very happy new year to you as well!!
Would love to be a part of your group as long as the contents are not edited and the material is not reprinted without written permission from self.
Please let me know what is the next step in this direction….
Kind regards,
happy cooking…!!
Hello, I am visiting your blog for the first time and really liked it.