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Chef Christian Gradnitzer is at the top of his game. He recently returned to Dubai after a two-year stint as executive chef with the Jumeirah Essex House in New York to take up his current position as executive chef for the swanky Jumeirah Emirates Towers.

He joined the Burj Al Arab as sous chef in 2000 and soon became the executive sous chef of the hotel, supervising the operations of 175 chefs and 60 stewards.

What does your current job entail?
I take care of the inter-culinary operations of Jumeirah Emirates Towers, which includes all our restaurants in the Boulevard and the banqueting and events in the hotel, outside catering and events.

There are many arms that I oversee. I also create with the chef de cuisines new lines and recreate restaurants, looking into the concepts of what we do to strengthen them because the competition is always coming and we have to stay on top of it.

Why did you choose this career?
I'm native Austrian and did all my education there. Everyone says your mother gives you the start. So yes, my mum has a two Michelin star restaurant in Austria and my father has a big farm. Everything is very connected so from childhood we were in the restaurant.

I started serving people at the age of seven and I always had good connections with people, entertaining them. It was my big dream to be a waiter when I was 10 years old but then I started getting more interested in the kitchen and I fell in love with it. I was cooking when I was about 12.

Where did you train?
At 14 I finished my basic school and went straight into an apprentice programme of three years where you work 10 months a year and two months of school. Then after that you have your exams and diploma and straight after that I did compulsory military training for nine months and then overseas to Switzerland; I've been travelling since then.

What were your duties when you started?
It was very basic and very very hard, I have to say. I had the lucky situation that I had an old, very educated French executive chef who guided me.

My first three weeks were spent peeling garlic every single day. I remember my hands were bleeding just from peeling garlic. This is when you start with the education step by step until you reach the stove and the cooking line.

It takes one-and-a-half to two years and it depends on how fast you move by yourself and how impressive you are in terms of willingness to learn. The first year was great learning to break down meats like the whole side of a cow, how to make sausage, how to peel and cut, and what the basic standards are.

What does it take to get where you are?
To become an executive chef for operations, organisational skills are very important as well as planning and of being sure what your clients really want.

Becoming an executive and running a big operation is about having the right approaches to food, having the right organisational skills, being a team leader.

What is your schedule like compared to a chef who is starting out?
My hours are about 48 hours a week. It's nothing too crazy and we reward our chefs as well. We run 24 hour operations and chefs work shifts of about nine hours a day.

We work six days, and sometimes seven, a week. Some days we do more hours but it's a very good average. My day starts at 7.30am and ends at about 10.30pm depending on the season.

It's not just showing your face but it's important to go to the restaurants and be with the guys and lead them through. We've got super talent here in the company with over 50 nationalities. This is not a day-to-day job where you're doing the same thing.

What is your advice for aspiring, young chefs?
It's very simple and that's passion. Cooking and the kitchen is not like when you're doing your Sunday meal, it's very much passion and coming out of your heart. It's also a huge commitment.

With lunch, for example, you could do 200 to 250 covers within two hours and you really need to cope under pressure. It's also about what you want - some people go the Michelin star way, do fine dining way or specialised cuisine such as Japanese or Chinese. I'm internationally minded and take everything on board.

What foods do you enjoy cooking?
I prefer good classic French cuisine with some modern twists. I'm open to every other cuisine. I have many different favourites - Japanese, Chinese, Italian.

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