From IT to Ahi | Alumni Journey

Bhanu and his peers graduating in 2019 (left), Bhanu as Sous Chef for Ahi 2025 (right).

In 2018 Bhanu left his career in IT and life in Jaipur, India, to pursue his dream. He travelled 12,670 kilometres before landing in his new home of Wellington, New Zealand, and beginning the Diplôme de Cuisine and Diplôme Avancé Culinaire in Cuisine programmes. After graduating in 2019 Bhanu worked steadily for many award-winning eateries before moving to Auckland in 2023. 

Ahi has a beautiful open kitchen in the centre of the restaurant; the team intricately prepares their dishes for all to see.

Bhanu is now working as a Sous Chef for Ahi Restaurant, one of the country’s top restaurants and leading venture by world renowned New Zealand Chef Ben Bayly. Ahi translates to fire in Te Reo Māori, a nod to the kitchen and to the passion that drives their team. Located in Auckland’s Commercial Bay, Ahi features incredible views, bold flavours, and paired with the best of new Zealand’s wine. With its own garden on the edge of the city and close ties to specialty suppliers across the country, Ahi is designed to explore and celebrate authentic New Zealand cuisine. 

Bhanu putting his skills with the open flame to practice (left), one of Ahi’s seasonal menu items (right).

We had the incredible opportunity to see Bhanu in action as we had a quick catch up while he manned the flames in Ahi’s kitchen.

What was studying at Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand like for you? 

With near to no hospitality experience (being an ex-IT professional) I joined the Diplôme de Cuisine in July 2018. With zero knowledge of French cuisine, everything was fresh to me.  Things like hollandaise, risotto, tiramisu, or different meats were far from known. The first time I tried beef was on my flight to New Zealand. 

How did your studies influence your current career? 

I graduated in December 2019. While in the Diplôme Avancé Culinaire I did my 3-month internship at Logan Brown and worked part-time at Mr Go’s at the same time. Logan Brown was my first step towards fine dining. It was tough at the start, as the covid lockdown happened 2 weeks after my full-time job had started in February. 

In January 2022, Logan Brown opened a new restaurant called Liberty and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to start as the sous chef there and came back to Logan Brown later in the year as a sous chef. With 3 years of employment at different levels and couple of restaurants I said goodbye to Wellington in January 2023 and moved up to Auckland.

In Auckland, I found myself working for Chef Michael Merdith and honed my skills cooking on open fire. Moving another step in my career I started working at Origine - a French bistro by Chef Ben Bayly. A couple months later I moved over to Ahi and currently I’m one of the sous chefs here. 

What advice do you have for our students who will be graduating soon? 

Le Cordon Bleu was the best decision I made in terms of moving into hospitality. I started my career with all the fine notes and good kitchen habits. I got to cook with most types of meat and their cuts. Working in a kitchen and always keeping it tidy while maintaining the pace and quality. Keep these habits with you forever. Apply them at your job on every day and you’ll see the results. 

What was your favourite part about studying at Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand? 

Best part about studying at Le Cordon Bleu was the Diplôme Avancé Culinaire course. I love the science behind food. I was really into studying advanced gastronomy in the Level 5 programme. I applied it into my final dish for the Brasserie Training Restaurant, making an Amuse Bouche that achieved a perfect score. 

Unfortunately, we couldn’t take any more of Bhanu’s time as guests numbers swelled, but we hope to be back at Ahi soon to get a closer look at how a world leading restaurant operates. Thank you Bhanu and the team at Ahi for being so open to us.

Want change careers and pursue your true passion? Join our next intake for our 9-month Diplôme de Cuisine.