Imtiaz Qureshi or Mohammad Imtiaz Qureshi is the oldest pillar of Indian Royal cooking who began his epicurean journey with the traditional Awadhi cuisine and went on to master his culinary skills under the mentorship of noted chefs, who were in charge of the kitchens of the Royal Indian kings.
Chef Imtiaz Qureshi, is known for reinventing the forgotten Awadhi cuisine. He dedicated several years of his life in improvising the Awadhi recipes.
Professional Life
Born and bought up in a family of ‘bawarchis’ (chefs) in Lucknow, 60 year old Imtiaz Qureshi apprenticed under his maternal uncle to become a chef, who was one of the best bawarchis of Lucknow.
With his exceptional culinary expertise, Imtiaz outshined his master and all the clients started looking for the young chef Imtiaz Qureshi, which was quiet disturbing for his uncle as according to the time-honored rule in India, the pupil is not allowed to outshine his master. Imtiaz’s mother intervened and he joined one of the best restaurants of Lucknow where he brushed up his culinary skills and became one of the best chefs of Lucknow city.
Soon, in his career as a chef, he was offered a vital position in the ITC group where he started heading the activities in the Hotel’s Indian kitchens, which flourished long enough to become a historical name in the Indian culinary world.
Notable Achievements
• Imtiaz Qureshi is the founder of ‘Dum pukth’, the cooking process of making Awadhi recipes.
• Dum Pukth was launched as a cuisine along with the establishment of a restaurant by the same name, in the year 1989 at the ITC Maurya Sheraton.
• Catered a group of 1000 people including Pandit Nehru, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh at the time. Nehru was immensely charmed by the cooking of Imtiaz Qureshi and praised him personally.