How It All Began
I’m Jas Dhillon, I’m a Sikh, I was born in India, in the Punjab, which is the most agricultural part of the country. My family traditionally were farmers. The men would grow the crops and the women would cook beautifully spiced flavoursome dishes with the produce.
My dad came to the UK in the early 1960s, he like other Indian men of that generation worked hard to secure a job and a home. My mum, my brothers and I followed in 1966.
Although I have no recollection of life in India and my earliest childhood memories are of my life in England,
I believe we lived like we did in India. You can take the man out of India, but you can’t take India out of the man. My dad would grow crops in the garden and my mum and I would then cook dishes using them.
We would eat vegetarian food Monday to Friday and make Chicken curry on Saturday, which would last us through to Sunday. I do believe it was because we ate good wholesome food in those days and we knew what went into our food, that there were so few illnesses.
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I Got My Cooking Passion From My Dad.
Although, I used to cook with my mum, my real passion for cooking comes from my dad. He loved nothing more than to cook up a feast and have family and friends around. I’m very much like that too, I get so much joy from giving pleasure to others through my cooking.
My dad made a little stool for me to stand on and I started making rotis when I was 7/8 years old. They would be dreadfully misshaped, crispy and burnt, instead of being perfectly round, soft and and fluffy, but to encourage me, he would say I’m only eating the ones my daughter makes for me. God bless his soul. However, I’m happy to say I’ve come along since then.
I would say, I change careers like people change cars. I think life is too short to do things we don’t enjoy. When I stop enjoying what I’m doing, I think it’s time to change. It’s taken me to the grand age of 61 to find what I’m truly passionate about and what gives me more pleasure than anything else I’ve ever done.
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Finally - "Cooking is my passion, teaching others is my destiny".
Over the years of cooking and meeting people who are interested in learning about Indian cuisine, I have met some wonderful people, our relationships have blossomed and we have even become friends. We have gone on trips and holidays and I treasure their love, friendship and loyalty. My family have also been amazingly supportive of my new journey. xxxxx
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