Taco ’bout a great chef

A passion for cooking and discovering new cultures was the perfect recipe for Tushar Sharma to become a chef at Juniper Chrystal Halliday.

Tushar grew up in India’s capital, Delhi, and from an early age he loved spending time with his mum in the kitchen, learning her cooking style. After touring of one of his relatives’ workplace kitchens, he realised he wanted to follow in their footsteps and become a chef.

He then spent the next few years studying and working in hospitality in India, when the urge to discover new cultures was too great.

To advance his studies and explore Australia, he migrated to Adelaide in 2016. He met his wife the following year and after a stint in New South Wales, they have called Western Australia home for the past four years.

Tushar considers the friendly people and wide-open spaces of WA were why he fell in love with the state.

“People are very respectful in WA,” he said.

“There is a lot of diversity across the state. Plus, you can travel for ages and you’re still in WA.”

After moving to WA to work in them mining hospitality sector, he started cooking at aged care facilities on his days off. That is when he discovered how meaningful working in aged care is.

“What I love most is connecting with residents, learning their stories, and preparing meals that make them smile,” he said.

“Their gratitude and appreciation mean more than words can express.”

Outside of the kitchen, Tushar loves travelling and uncovering new flavours. After a recent visit to Japan, he fell in love with Japanese seafood.

“Japan was beautiful and it has one of the best cuisines,” he said.

“The fresh sushi was incredible.

“Travelling enables you to learn a lot of hospitality skills from the local people.”

Like many culinary artists, Tushar is an avid gardener, growing a range of fruits and vegetables.

To celebrate International Chefs Day, he encourages everyone to try new cuisines.

“You meet a lot of people from different cultures and I’ve learnt a lot from them,” Tushar said.

“That is the best thing about food – learning new cultures.”

Tushar has been with Juniper for nearly a year and says it’s the organisation’s values which will keep him part of the Juniper family for many years to come.