Chef Ramanand Bhatt Dishes of India 1510A Bellview Boulevard Bellview Shopping Center 703-660-6085 Chef Ramanand Bhatt’s culinary journey started when he was 16 years old in New Delhi, India cooking at a roadside cafe. At age 25 he continued cooking in Spain at a prestigious Indian restaurant. Returning to India, he worked for the Air India flight kitchen until he moved to the USA. Chef Bhatt and his sons, Naresh & Gopal Bhatt opened Dishes of India in 1997. Their focus is traditional, authentic Indian cuisine from the heart using only the freshest ingredients and best spices. Chef Bhatt says “The secret to our success is the extraordinary gift of happiness our family has received from God. That flows out of all we do.” As a true family restaurant, a few days of week you will also find Naresh’s son and daughter working alongside their Dad, Uncle and Grandfather! When did you first become interested in cooking? Why did you decide to pursue a culinary career? At the age of 14, I started cooking. I belonged to a poor farmer family with 7 kids and being the eldest in the family, I helped with daily house chores and one of the common everyday chores was helping my mom with cooking. She was the best cook and I loved her cooking. I was amazed at the kind of magic she could produce with only limited items in her hand. I decided to master that magic and I am sure where ever she is, she is proud watching a great magician working in the kitchen from above. Who has been the biggest inspiration for your career? My mother by far. I watched her feed us the best meals she could make from whatever was available to her at that time. It is…