Meet the Czar of Corporate Holidays, among other things, the C.E.O. of Cox & Kings Travel Services, India, and an excellent chef, Peter Kerkar.

In a giant multi-million dollar economy like ours, you're bound to have corporate magnates and potentates of all hues and sizes. But there's only one person who can single-handedly send them all packing! Meet the Czar of Corporate Holidays, among other things, the C.E.O. of Cox & Kings Travel Services, India, Peter Kerkar.

Cox & Kings, is the largest travel company in the world. Although their primary focus is on business travel, the Company also handles a considerable amount of tourist traffic, both into and out of the country.. To give you an idea of its size, and therefore Peter's responsibilities, last year Cox & Kings grossed 35 Million Dollars in India alone and brought over 20, 000 tourists into the country. Making it the fastest growing travel company in India. Enough to keep Peter on his toes, most of the time.

Peter lives with his lovely wife Emma and two darling daughters, Jessica and Nayantara, aged 3 and 1 respectively. Peter was recovering from a bout of flu when we met him at his tastefully appointed apartment in Colaba. Being a real gentleman, and genial host, he wouldn't let that stop him from keeping his tryst with us.

They say that travel broadens the mind and that appreciating local cuisines is an integral part of the entire experience. And if the number of countries one has seen is any benchmark of a person's culinary knowledge, Peter surely ranks up there with the most erudite gourmets in the world. He can count on the fingers of one hand the countries he hasn't yet visited, either on holiday or as part of his duties with Cox & Kings.

What is it that really shapes a person into a refined gourmet? What sets him apart from the millions of other Indian men, most of whom are loth to even enter a kitchen, leave alone whip up a 5-course dinner? In Peter's case, it began with his father's legacy; an intimate relationship with the Taj Group of hotels. From a very early age, Peter's playground was the Taj Kitchen and his roundabouts were the restaurants of the finest 5-star hotel group in the world. At the wise old age of four, he marvelled at the intricacies of Tandoori cooking and Classical French cuisine, taking all the sights and aromas of the kitchen in his stride. As little boys are wont, there was an element of curiosity, so overpowering, that he once ended up being locked in a walk-in freezer for half an hour! Just because he wanted to check out the plump chickens being frozen for the next barbecue!

Over the years, Peter's knowledge of the finer points of classical cooking and dining grew, by virtue of a keen sense of observation, a sensitive palate and extensive exposure to cuisines from around India and the world - dished up on the family dining table.

As a young man, Peter found himself at Stanford, studying for his Masters in Business Management. A young Indian man, far from home, pining for some good solid Indian food. Not the microwaveable stuff that was being dished out as the real thing. So, Peter decided to take matters into his own hands and cook. Blessed with the ability to read a recipe and actually taste the food in his mind, Peter strode forth like a colossus into the kitchen. And has never really left it, since then.

Like every budding Cordon Bleu chef, Peter burnt his way through the odd Biryani, totalled the microwave, almost set the kitchen on fire and persevered. His efforts soon began to bear fruit. Not only did he manage to rustle up a mean dinner or two, but his circle of friends, especially those who casually dropped in around dinnertime, seemed to grow by leaps and bounds. Of course, it also made him a hit with the coeds, who thought a guy cooking dinner was really cool!

Over the next two years, Peter's repertoire of culinary delights grew as he kept experimenting with mix-and-match cuisines. Or Fusion cuisine as it is commonly known. He'd cook a typically French dish with a Japanese sauce, just to see how it would turn out. As Peter says, "I love experimenting with food. I can taste a dish and actually break it down into individual ingredients in my head. That way, it's easier for me to improvise."

Peter owes his knowledge of wines to a wine-tasting course one of his professors conducted, over two years at Stanford. The professor invariably cooked a meal for a couple of students who'd gather at his place once a week and have blind wine-tasting sessions. The only difference was that the students never used the spittoons provided , but preferred to swallow the wine after swilling it around in the mouth. Needless to say, after a couple of hours, there was very little tasting and lots of imbing, but the nuances of each wine soaked in, for good.

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