Alfred Prasad becomes consultant chef to Greek restaurant Suvlaki
Alfred Prasad has joined London Greek restaurant Suvlaki in Soho as consultant chef.
Prasad was director of cuisine and executive chef at restaurant group Tamarind Collection until he left in January 2015, after 13 years with the business.
Originally from Chennai in southern India, Prasad joined Tamarind of Mayfair in 2001 as a sous chef and became head chef when Atul Kochhar left in 2002. He maintained the restaurant's Michelin star until 2009 and won it back again in 2010.
Now he hopes to elevate Suvlaki's traditional Greek offering, working alongside chef Elias Mamalakis on new dishes that will feature on the menu which launches just in time for spring.
"I visited Greece for the first time last year and really took to the cuisine - the simplicity of cooking combined with the purity of produce. I am really excited with the opportunity to translate that inspiration to creative expression at Suvlaki. To do this alongside, a Greek food legend Elias Mamalakis, makes it even more special," said Prasad.
Launched in July 2015, Suvlaki is owned Yannis Theodorakakos, a former finance executive, and heart surgeon Michael Kantartzis. The restaurant is centred around grilled meat skewers served plain or in a wrap, which the owners believe have the potential to rival burgers and burritos in terms of fast casual choices.
Prasad, who has lived all over the sub-continent, was chosen to undergo advanced chef training at ITC Maurya, New Delhi, including at their flagship restaurants Dum Pukht and Bukhara.
In 1996 he headed the kitchen of Dakshin restaurant, ITC Pak Sheraton, Chennai. He subsequently moved to London in 1999 and joined Tamarind of Mayfair in 2001 as sous chef and progressed to become executive chef within a year.
Mamalakis was born in Athens and originally studied economics. In his mid-forties he decided to pursue his passion for cooking on a professional level. He has written nine books (one of which is a novel) that relate to cooking.
