Making an entrance with Sumesh Govind feels like you are accompanying some filmstar. People turn their heads, stand up to shake hands with him, and even stop him for selfies.
Only, Govind is no filmstar, but owner of Paragon group of restaurants, with outlets in Kerala and West Asia. Among the A-listers on online food guide Taste Atlas for some years now, the 86-year-old Paragon has maintained its 5th position in the list of the 100 most legendary restaurants in the world for 2024-25.
Govind has invited us to one of his new outlets for dinner, and we are eager to know what the fuss is all about. Turns out, there is more masala in Govind’s story than in his food.
He orders for us — course after course of seafood and meat. A preferred vegetarian, and especially not amenable to seafood, I am game for being out of my comfort zone for once.
The meal begins with a flourish: buttery soft fish with just a hint of coconut and pepper, but the story starts with a dampener. “When I took over the business from my mother, who had steered it for nine years after my father died when I was 14, I soon ran it into the ground. Intoxicated by both freedom and money, I blew it all up very soon,” recalls Govind. Things came to such a pass that he almost gave up, stating the restaurant business was “not his cup of tea”.
Today, the same Govind owns over 30 outlets in Kerala, Bengaluru, Dubai and Sharjah, and is revered like a celebrity. How?
Over the meal, he shares many success mantras. My favourite: “There can be only one boss”, explaining how he micro-manages every one of his franchises to ensure quality, and an unheard of: “I expand to new locations mainly to promote my staff. If I don’t give them opportunity, someone else will.”
Started in 1939 by Govind’s grandfather, Paragon started as a baking company, doing modest business under Govind’s grandfather and parents. After the business hit a nadir under him, Govind got an opportunity to turn things around in 1997, thanks to funding from a family friend. Govind put on his strategy cap, and looked around for ideas. Another famous eatery in Calicut, Bombay Hotel then sold about 500 kg biryani daily. Govind wanted the same scale.
Thus began trial upon trial to perfect a biryani recipe. But not once did he think of taking the easy way out by poaching a rival chef. “Poaching brings bad juju. It never bears fruit,” believes Govind, defying a gameplan India Inc thrives on. Also holding the title of ‘culinary curator’, Govind tasted every recipe till he found one he thought will work. The biryani was a massive hit. Sales zoomed, and there has been no looking back for the brand since.
Over the years, Govind introduced Salkara brand, offering less spicy ‘Muslim’ cuisine, which is his mainstay in West Asia, besides many other brands offering global cuisines. In Kerala, particularly its home town Kozhikode, Paragon is now a household name. It’s also on the bucket list of every tourist — as the flight descends into Kozhikode, you can hear people planning their visit to Paragon.
After opening in Bengaluru in 2023, Govind now wants to take Paragon to Mumbai, and later to Delhi too. And, from West Asia, he is eyeing New York and Europe. In the future, there might be an IPO as well.
As for his restaurants, he himself has accorded Michelin Star status to some of his new outlets, saying the food there tastes like and is served “Michelin style”. Well, even the Michelin Guide tasters won’t be able to find fault with the succulent prawns cooked in coconut cream and topped with fresh coconut shavings.
