Purpose is an often overlooked ingredient in the pursuit of mastery. Quiet, personal, and steady, it simmers in the background - the common thread behind every driven chef’s journey.

It’s why I agreed to oversee a mentorship programme in the States last year. Not to teach, but to witness that purpose in emerging young chefs. To see how a new generation was redefining not only their craft, but the story of food itself.

It was there I met a young Indian-American chef who excelled in all the obvious ways. Yet what caught my attention wasn’t his technique, but the small tattoo on his hand: a single bay leaf, placed where he’d see it each time he cut, stirred, and plated. He told me it was taken from The Paragon’s herb garden in Calicut - a memento he’d pocketed on his first visit to his family’s hometown. That meal, he said, showed him not only where he came from, but where he hoped to return.

The leaf wasn’t for luck. It was a promise - a marker of both origin and aspiration. Though American by birth, he’d been changed by a taste of home so profound it reshaped his sense of purpose. I realised then that heritage behaves much like the bay leaf itself: quiet but constant, deepening everything it touches. While we’re often told not to look back, to keep our focus fixed on what’s ahead, true mastery is rarely a straight line. More often, moving forward means returning - to memory, to meaning, to what made us begin.

Inspired by the legacy of a restaurant that’s crossed seas and generations, The Paragon honours chefs who are anchored by their purpose - grounded in tradition, elevated by craft, and built to endure:

Product Details:

• Double breasted with ring stud fasteners.
• Includes a thermometer/ pen pocket on the sleeve.
• Back neck apron clip to secure a bib apron and keep your team looking its best.
• Roll back French cuffs.
• Our premium 160gsm lightweight polycotton twill.