Chef Kalagara Thrushna began from humble beginnings and is rising in the culinary world as a shining star. Through her years of dedication, she has been tapped to work for several distinguished organizations for not only everyday service, but several high-profile events. Her commitment to the incredibly high standards of each organization and the culinary art of fine dining has made her an unforgettable addition to each kitchen. We caught up with Chef Thrushna to ask about some of the wildly successful culinary events that highlighted her year.
In 2023 Chef Thrushna joined the Salamander Resort at Spa, where she proved herself to be indispensable to the success of events such as the 2024 Family Reunion Event and the organization as a whole. It is the largest event that Salamander puts on each year, with hundreds of guests. Presented by celebrity chef Kwame Onwuachi, the resort and hosts a weekend of “family” style meals, serving hundreds of people a day. It is a multi-day event that requires only the most talented and hardworking staff from the culinary industry.
Chef Thrushna was tasked with preparing the famous Chef Gourdet’s Salade Russe. It is a complicated dish and not many chefs at Thrushna’s caliber could have handled it, but she crafted the dish to a standard that impressed even Chef Gourdet himself. The dish requires smoked beets, peas and remoulade, a cold sauce, that needs to be held at precise temperatures. This makes a consistent and efficient preparation critical to the success of the dish and Chef Thrushna’s skills and experience were exactly the reason she was chosen for such a task. Not only did she prepare the dish to perfection, but her quick actions helped save a morning that could have resulted in disaster when an irreplaceable ingredient went missing. As a result of her responsibilities, which involved specific dishes and further kitchen management, the entire event was entirely successful. One aspect of the Culinary Industry that cannot be overlooked is the impact large events have on organizations like Salamander, the reputation and prestige of the restaurant are largely impacted by these events. Chef Thrushna’s performance was not only critical to the event but also the organization as a whole.
After her time at Salamander, Chef Thrushna joined the prestigious kitchen at Jean Georges flagship location in Columbus Circle, New York. She was tapped to work daily service at the two-Michelin star restaurant and continue to separate Jean Georges from their fine-dining competitors and rise above. As a Chef, Chef Thrushna is responsible for pioneering the planning and preparation of dishes in collaboration with the Sous Chefs and Executive Chefs. Alongside these daily responsibilities, as a chef she is a key mentor for junior cooks and interns, instilling the core Jean Georges values that reinforce a high-performance culture and continuity of quality. Though the prestigious name of Jean Georges draws guests through the door, it is the high-impact work of chefs like Thrushna that ensures each evening’s service is flawlessly executed.
Along with her responsibility for hundreds of plates each evening, Thrushna is also consistently tapped for events like the Grand Siecle Dinner, Lobster Bash, and Tin Buildings are the backbone of Jean Georges’ success and upholding the standards of such a prestigious brand. At the Grand Siecle Dinner, a collaboration between the Four Seasons Jean Georges restaurant and the Grand Siele’s one of a kind Champagne Laurent-Perrier, Chef Thrushna prepared the coconut cream, egg caviar dish for the evening. It was a specialty dish that required the careful hands of a Chef with a background as a specialty trained Garde Manger. As a result of her years of experience and studying, Chef Thrsuhna pulled off the dish without a hitch, resulting in a celebratory event for not only Jean George, but Grande Siele as well.
Another highly prestigious event Chef Thrusha worked for Jean Georges was the preparation and execution of the Lobster Bash at The Fulton. Chef Thrushna worked on the research and development of the menu and service for the event. Though she created many dishes for the event, her most proud contribution was the plating aesthetics of the evening, choosing a micro-cilantro and preserved lemon gelee, along with a prepared tableside pour for guests to fully immerse themselves in the experience of fine dining. This was a hit amongst guests and was thought of and executed because of Chef Thrushna’s skills and experience as a Chef in some of the most high-pressure kitchens in the world.
Chef Thrushna also assisted with the opening and ongoing success of the Tin Buildings, an ambitious culinary destination that boasts six different restaurants. Within it, Chef Thrushna has helped research and develop dozens of menus for a range of clientele, from celebrities to everyday tourists visiting New York City for the day. Her work helped to fuel the success of the Tin Buildings into a vibrant food palace that leaves guests clamoring for more.
In the next year, Chef Thrushna is excited to continue developing her skills in more high-pressure, high-profile events like Jean George’s annual New Years Eve and Christmas dinners and the numerous Gala fundraisers that Jean Georges presents. Each of these events will showcase new, exclusive dishes designed to captivate guests and deliver an unforgettable culinary experience. Surely there will be challenges, but Chef Thrushna is clearly up for the task.
Chef Thrushna is an inspiration in the culinary world of fine dining, pulling off feats and successes that can only be attributed to raw natural talent and her own hard work. We look forward to seeing her star continue to shine brightly at Jean Georges and cannot wait to see what she does next.
