A New Zealand education opened many doors for Suvan, including the door to his own cafe
Suvan Kitchlue is the proud owner of his own cafe in New Dehli, in his home country of India
Suvan owns a thriving cafe in New Delhi specialising in European cuisine, with plans to open two more in the next few years. He’s even hoping to open a fine-dining restaurant as well — all at the age of just 27! Suvan credits a top culinary arts school in Wellington, New Zealand for igniting his passion for food and equipping him with the hands-on training and business skills to become a successful entrepreneur.
The Harvard of Culinary Education
It all started for Suvan when he was home in India watching MasterChef Australia. He was so inspired by the creativity and passion of the contestants that he too decided to become a chef. So, in 2015, he started looking for places to study and discovered a top culinary arts school in Wellington in New Zealand’s North Island. At the time, it was one of the few places globally offering a bachelor’s in culinary arts.
Suvan thrived at the school describing it as the “Harvard of culinary education.” The whole experience was more than just learning how to cook; it offered a unique combination of hands-on kitchen skills and business training. Suvan gained valuable skills in restaurant and kitchen management, covering everything from cooking and wine matching to marketing, staffing, operations, and finances.
I was looking for something that combined both creativity and strategy. I didn’t just learn how to cook. I learned how to lead.
Mixing it up in the kitchen
Suvan’s classmates came from all over the world—Kazakhstan, Indonesia, and beyond—each bringing their own cultural influences and ambitions. That diversity created a rich, collaborative environment where ideas simmered, and friendships blossomed. Suvan described it as a safe and enriching learning experience. One of his biggest inspirations was David Burton, a well-known food critic and lecturer at the school, whose passion for British-Indian cuisine resonated deeply with Suvan.
Cooking up a new career path
Suvan’s study experience in New Zealand laid the foundation for his dream of making it big in the culinary world. By the time he graduated in 2018, he was equipped not just with a degree, but with a vision—and a plan.
Back home in New Delhi, he spotted a gap in the market. Most cafés, he noticed, offered average food and lacked the technical finesse he had mastered when he studied in New Zealand. He decided it was time to raise the bar.
Suvan opened his own European-style café, where he focused on baked goods —from melt in the mouth croissants to perfectly brewed coffee. It was a cup of coffee he once had at The Hangar Cafe in Wellington, (which he describes as the best coffee he’s ever tasted) that helped shape the ethos of his café — attention to detail, passion for flavour, and a dedication to craft.
Suvan wasn’t just cooking. He was building a brand—and a future.
A life-changing experience
One of the things Suvan loved most about studying in New Zealand was the lifestyle. Between classes, he’d take long drives through New Zealand’s stunning landscapes—a sharp contrast to the busy roads of India. He loved the feeling of freedom he got after driving for hours, surrounded by mountains and ocean. It gave him space to think, to grow, and to plan his future.
He enjoyed making new friends and playing different sports like football, rugby and basketball. He was able to get out of his comfort zone and grow as a person in an environment away from the pressures of everyday life.
Each and every experience was, in its own way, life changing.
That balance between high-quality education and life-changing experiences outside the classroom is what makes a New Zealand education so unique. You don’t just learn the skills for a great career —you discover who you are.
Learning for the real world
New Zealand leads the world in preparing students for the future — making sure they’ve got the skills to turn what they’ve learned during study into jobs. The practical hands-on style of teaching along with learning how to problem-solve in marketing, accounting and projections gave Suvan the confidence to open his own business at such a young age. He believes that without that learning experience it would have been difficult to take that first step.
The skills and the knowledge I gained helped me a lot in terms of managing everything myself.
Experiencing our unique Māori culture
Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand and Māori food, language, and customs are very much a part of everyday life here. During his three years of study, Suvan was able to immerse himself in many cultural experiences including learning about Tikanga Māori (Māori traditions) and of course he was curious about traditional Māori food. He discovered a range of eating experiences from fine dining by top fusion Māori chefs to backyard hāngī, the traditional Māori way of cooking food underground in baskets surrounded by hot stones.
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