Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
As the Co-Founder and Director of Burma Burma Restaurant & Tea Room, I bring over a decade of experience in the food and beverage industry. Since 2014, I have been leading our team in crafting a unique dining concept that introduces the rich culinary heritage of Burma to India. Our brand has grown to include 17 company-owned restaurants across major cities, coupled with a thriving online retail business and an ambitious expansion plan. My focus lies in planning, teamwork, and operations, ensuring that our menu integrates traditional flavors with modern innovation to create memorable experiences. My journey in hospitality began with my tenure at The Taj Mahal Palace, where I honed my expertise in food and beverage operations and gained a deep appreciation for organizational standards and brand building. Later, I joined my family’s 50-year-old restaurant, where I acquired hands-on experience in procurement, finance, and business processes. These formative roles shaped my approach to developing strategic relationships, fostering collaboration, and driving growth, which I continue to bring to my work at Burma Burma today.
I am the Co-founder and Director of Hunger Pangs Pvt. Ltd. Burma Burma is India's only speciality Burmese restaurant and tea house. Established in 2014, Burma Burma is currently present in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Kolkata with seventeen company owned restaurants, a growing online retail business and a robust Pan-India expansion plan. Burma Burma, an ode to the people and culture of Burma, is an introduction to its cuisine in a modern and eclectic way, amalgamating traditional flavours with contemporary interpretations. The ever-evolving menu presents dishes and drinks borrowed and replicated from its street food, as well as tribal and heirloom recipes passed down through generations. Influenced by Burmese culture, heritage, and history as well as my Burmese family lineage, Burma Burma celebrates the country's authentic flavours and cooking styles. I started this venture to honour my past, and introduce it to the rest of the world.
My interest in better understanding the intricacies of the business of hospitality, prompted me to join my father in our family-run 50-year-old restaurant. In a stint that lasted three years - I gained invaluable hands-on experience and a more well-rounded perspective on the workings of the restaurant business- including procurement, finance, and business processes.
After my graduation, in 2008 I joined Indian Hotel Companies Ltd. as a Management Trainee at Taj Mahal, Mumbai where he trained at Starboard Bar and specialty restaurants - The Golden Dragon, and The Souk. In 2009, I became the youngest manager at The Souk, a fine dining restaurant at Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai. This three-year experience not only helped me hone my skills in food and beverage operations, the workings of a specialty restaurants, but gave me with a deeper insight into how large corporations focus, build and adhere to standards, processes, and brand building all of which I extended to my future endeavours