Suresh Pillai

Some Lesser Known Facts About Suresh Pillai

• Suresh Pillai is an Indian-British chef who is known for appearing in the 2017 British television show MasterChef: The Professionals aired on BBC Two as a contestant. He founded ‘Restaurant Chef Pillai,’ Kothu Xpress, North Rasoi, and United Coconut.

• During his school days, he used to play and participate in many state and national chess competitions. Once, Suresh Pillai won the under-18 chess championship in the Kollam district.

• When Suresh Pillai was studying in sixth class, he began selling Kambili Naranga (Pomelo) fruits in a local market to earn pocket money. He then began selling roasted and whole groundnuts when he was a teenager. In his late teens, he worked as a hotel waiter, a cleaner at a temple eatery, and a catering boy.

  

• According to Suresh Pillai, after finishing his matriculation, he decided to work part-time as a cook when he was pursuing his pre-degree. In 1993, when he was seventeen, he began working as a waiter at ‘Chef King’ restaurant in Kollam. He worked in Chef King restaurant for three years and then moved to Calicut to learn Malabar cooking and worked there for four years.

  

• In 1998, he moved to Bangalore and worked as a chef at Coconut Groove Hotel, specializing in South Indian cuisine such as Coorgi, Chettinad, and Konkani for 6 years. Later, he began working at the Leela Group of Restaurants as a management trainee. After that, Suresh Pillai moved to Kumarakom as a Sous Chef.

  

• In 2005, Suresh Pillai started working at the Veeraswamy restaurant in London. After that, he worked as a sous-chef at Purple Poppadom in Cardiff, and then, he became the head chef at Cinnamon Culture in London. Thereafter, he began working as a sous-chef at Gymkhana, and later, he became the head chef at Darbaar Restaurant and then at Hoppers. In 2020, Suresh Pillai shifted to India and began working as a corporate chef and Culinary Director at The Raviz Hotel in Kollam.

• According to Suresh Pillai, he travelled to many countries such as the UK, the US, the Middle East, and Australia to work with different chefs on special food events. Additionally, he opened his restaurants in Germany and Portugal.

• He was once invited to Bahamas University as a Guest Chef to teach Indian and Kerala cuisine to students.

• In 2016, Suresh Pillai participated in the #CookforSyria campaign in Europe, which aimed to collect money to assist children who were impacted by the civil war in Syria.

• In 2017, Suresh Pillai participated in the British reality television show called MasterChef: The Professionals on BBC Two. During the show, he cooked a soufflé in one round and a traditional Kerala fish curry with mashed potato and pachadi in another round.

  

• Once, during a media conversation, Chef Pillai narrated that he was the second Malyalee who got selected for MasterChef: The Professionals on BBC Two in 2017. He said,
  

  It was a dream come true for me to participate in MasterChef and also to be the second Malayalee chef to get selected there.”

• In 2018, he participated in the #CookforKerala campaign to help the flood-affected people in Kerala.

• In 2021, Suresh Pillai opened his own restaurant called ‘Restaurant Chef Pillai’ in Bangalore. In 2022, he opened another branch of his hotel in Kochi.

  

• Once, in a media conversation, he revealed that he never attended any formal hotel management course.

• In 2021, Suresh Pillai appeared as a judge on a Malayalam reality show titled Mounaragam on Disteny+Hotstar.

• In 2022, he joined a game show called ‘Flowers Oru Kodi’ hosted by Sreekandan Nair on Flowers channel. During the same year, he appeared as a judge on the cooking game show ‘Kutti Kalavara Seniors’ aired on Flowers.

  

• In 2023, Suresh Pillai appeared as a host in a cooking show titled “Onnonnara Ruchi” on Zee Keralam.

  

• Apart from being a chef, he is also a music lover. Once, in a media interview, Suresh Pillai narrated that he loved listening to music in his leisure time. He added that he liked travelling to distant places to explore different cuisines. Suresh Pillai said,
  

  I also like to listen to music and read whenever possible. I like watching different chefs at work, different cuisines, and different kinds of food. I also enjoy travelling to explore new ingredients and to incorporate it in our cuisine.”

• Suresh Pillai enjoys alcoholic beverages occasionally.