Daughter working as waitress at hotel abroad; feeling proud, says Chef Suresh Pillai

Celebrity chef Suresh Pillai is quite popular among Malayalis. He is currently focusing on the hotel and restaurant industry and has won many food lovers over with his signature dishes. Now, a Facebook post shared by him about his daughter’s job has become a topic of discussion.

In the post, Suresh Pillai said that instead of asking his daughter to focus only on entrance exams, he encouraged her to take up the job of a waitress. He revealed that his daughter Aishwarya is now working as a waitress at a hotel in London and also explained the situation that led to this decision.

He said that most parents think about securing their children’s future through a degree, a good career and a stable life. Aishwarya studied in London until her family returned to Kerala. After coming back, she completed her Plus Two studies.

She then prepared for the entrance exam to pursue engineering, but her results were not as good as expected. She later asked if she could try again the next year, Suresh Pillai said. Instead of simply agreeing, he advised her to take a gap year, go to the UK, work, and experience life.

He added that his daughter returned to London two months ago and is now working as a waitress at a Holiday Inn hotel. The chef also recalled that he had started his own career as a waiter in a hotel in Kerala 30 years ago. He said that the experience taught him some of the most important lessons in life and that certain things are learned not from textbooks, but from real-life experiences.

Chef Pillai's Facebook post
Why I told my daughter to skip her entrance exam… and become a waitress.

Every parent wants security for their child.
A respected degree. A stable career. A clear future.

My daughter, Aishwarya, studied in London before we moved back to India.
After Plus Two in Kerala, she prepared for the engineering entrance exams — a phase filled with pressure, expectations, and comparisons that many Indian families understand.

When the results didn’t go as expected, she asked me quietly,
“Should I try again?”

I could have said yes.

Instead, I told her something different.

“Take a gap year. Go to the UK. Work. Experience life. Discover yourself before deciding your future.”

Two months ago, she moved back to London.
Last week, she started her first job as a waitress at @holidayinn, Bloomsbury London.

Thirty years ago, I started as a waiter in Kollam.
No title. Just hard work and quiet ambition.

That dining room taught me more about humility, resilience, and leadership than any classroom ever could.

Some lessons aren’t found in textbooks:
• Standing for 8 hours
• Serving with dignity
• Earning your own money
• Taking responsibility

Degrees matter.
Careers matter.
But character matters first.

This wasn’t about rejecting education.
It was about strengthening the foundation before choosing the direction.

Let them build strength before they build titles.