Raymond Mohan at work on a busy Wednesday evening at 'Colors' restaurant which is located at 417 LaFayette Avenue in Manhattan, New York. (Photos: Priyanka Mehra)

Q: How many years of cooking experience do you have? Where have you cooked earlier?

A: I have been a chef in New York for the past 13 years. I started working at 'March Restaurant' in New York with a chef named Wayne Nish where I received the initial and best training. I then worked with Jean Jorge at 'Vonz' where I learned what it took to be a professional and then after that I worked with a few chefs in the city including Robert Rodriguez at 'Patria Restaurant,' where I spent approximately 5 years. While working with Robert I got promoted as executive chef and I then I started designing concepts like the menu, theme etc. After that I opened my own restaurant, a Caribbean restaurant called 'Plantain' on 38th street in Manhattan, which I had for three years after which I sold my interests to my partners. It was then that I got involved with this project, 'Colors.' It was something that really interested me and when I saw the menu would be from different family recipes from various parts of the world, which I would have to bring to modern-day standard, I was very excited.

Q: Are you the only executive chef at 'Colors'? How competitive was the selection process?

A: Yes. There was a selection process where I went through at least 4-5 different interviews with co-op members, board of directors and everyone who was involved in the management. There was a tasting where they saw my techniques, ingredients, flavor and the way things were executed and presented. I don't know how many other competitors there were, but I know there were a few.

Q: How many chefs assist you? Do you actually cook dishes yourself or do you supervise? What falls under your responsibilities as the executive chef?

A: We have a team of 5 dishwashers, 2 preparation persons, 6 cooks, 4 sous chef and one pastry chef. My job involves designing the menu by creating the list of dishes and supplying the recipes, the techniques, the plating, and presentation. So supervision is too small a word for what my job entails - I have to be involved in every process, which is done on a daily basis. At the end of the day, I am a cook because a chef might master the art of cooking but a true chef is a true cook at heart. When I have to deal with paperwork I don't like it, I'd rather be in the kitchen designing. My responsibilities also include payroll, budgeting, purchasing ingredients and training of the staff

Q: You have a French sous-chef, Jean Pierre. Do you have serve French dishes?

A: He's the executive sous-chef, second in command. In French, we have 'Lambi Salad,' which is a Haitian-style stewed conch with radish and arugula. The menu is designed from 28 different countries, from the staff's family recipes. Some of the cuisines include Thai, Bangladeshi, and Philippines.

Q: How many people does the restaurant serve in a day?

A: We serve about 150 people a day. We have the capacity of serving over 200 people daily

Q: Since it is a staff-owned restaurant, do you get more equity than the waiters and other assistant chefs?

A: No, the equity is equally distributed.

Q: What made you chose the profession since among the South Asian community it is not as glamorized as it is here in the US?

A: Its something I always had a passion for. I tried other things but I was always really good at this. I would sometimes spend 12 hours in the kitchen and not know where the time went; my mind was at peace cooking. I always chose my own path so it doesn't really matter what people thought about this profession.

Q: You said most of the dishes are based on family recipes. What did you bring to the table?

A: I brought the Guyanese goat curry recipe

Q: What is your favorite dish? Is it your favorite to eat or to cook?

A: It would have to be the curry goat, it's my best to cook and to eat, its ethnic.

About Executive Chef Raymond Mohan

Indian by origin, Raymond Mohan was born in Guyana and moved to the United States when he was 11 years old. At a very young age, Mohan knew his passion lay in cooking and when he was barely out of High School, he started training to be a chef. Seventy-five percent of the staff at 'Colors' were formerly working with 'Wonders of the World' restaurant at the World Trade Center which was destroyed on 9/11. Mohan was not one of them. He was picked after, what he described as, very competitive process of selection. He says he was particularly keen on the position because he loved the menu reflecting 28 different countries.