Unlike other, more well-trodden paths, Chef Yogesh Catooa’s career has been shaped by chance encounters and serendipity. Now the chef at Le Saint Géran restaurant, located at the Veranda Grand Gaube, and the hotel’s sous chef, he continues to expand his expertise thanks to an unquenchable thirst for learning. Eugénie Sauzier-de Rosnay
As a child, Yogesh devoured local and French cooking shows. Seeing his father—rather than his mother—busy in the kitchen also stood in stark contrast to his classmates’ experiences—a difference he cherishes and that inspires him to follow in his father’s footsteps. “I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps, but in a more sophisticated way,” he confides. This passion, which began slowly, didn’t truly take shape until a few years later, during a chance encounter in a parking lot. While strolling near the Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel, he met Chef Nizam Peeroo for the first time—the leading figure in the kitchens of the Port-Louis establishment.
“I approached him to tell him about my interest, and a few days later, I was already on the job,” he recalls. Thrown into the world of cooking at just 15 years old, amid steaming pots and a barrage of orders, Yogesh felt the full force of the pressure… And he loved it! “Immersing myself in such a frenetic environment, seeing how Chef Peeroo commanded and managed his team—that inspired me a lot,” he adds. After a year of apprenticeship, he set out to make his mark in Mauritian hotels. With the support of Chef Naden Ragasamy, head chef at the Veranda Grand Gaube, he worked his way through the group’s various properties before settling at his mentor’s restaurant.
Although he has honed his craft primarily through hands-on experience, Yogesh has completed numerous training courses and stays abreast of culinary trends to refine his art. “Cooking is like alchemy: it takes work, but above all, it’s passed down,” he says. Supported by a young and dynamic team, his greatest reward is customer satisfaction. While seafood remains his favorite, Mauritian local ingredients hold a place of honor on his table. “Mauritian cuisine is, in my opinion, an art form in its own right: it draws inspiration from different countries, borrowing flavors and techniques from elsewhere to create something truly unique,” he says.
