Bangalore went into a tizzy recently when the three superstars of Masterchef Australia visited the city as part of the World on a Plate (WOAP) food festival. The event took place across two major side-by-side venues -- the JW Marriott and UB City. JW Marriott also played host to Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris for the busy weekend which saw master classes, pop-ups and interactions galore.
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What a delightful trio! Photo: Mayur Channagere/Photomojo
I had the pleasure of interacting with each of the three judges at the end of the press conference for WOAP, albeit for a short while. I came away with some interesting observations and thoughts from each one on the culinary scene both in India and internationally.
Naturally the conversation centred on food and all three were unanimous in their praise of Marriott executive chef Anthony En Yuan Huang and waxed eloquent about the special Kerala breakfast he had organized for them by bringing in a chef from the Marriott Kochi. That set the ball rolling for the rest of the conversation.
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The quick-witted Gary. Photo: Mayur Channagere/Photomojo
In fact Gary went on to say, "If the chef who cooked our breakfast were to open a restaurant in Australia, it would be packed. But, at the same time, it couldn't be a traditional Indian restaurant that looks like the Taj Mahal. It needs to have specific theme, an idea and will need to be trendy and new." Which led me to my first question...
Gary believes that information and stories about Indian food should be "exported". He argues that what drives tourism is local stories -- where the good restaurants and markets are -- and it all comes together to become a foodie experience. "When we come to India, we are lost -- it's about wanting to know where the good dosas are, or where the best new Indian food is at and it's about exporting those ideas. Particularly South Indian cuisine, because we don't get too much of it. Even when it comes to North Indian food, our exposure is limited."
Gary and George both spoke of the good work that Manish Mehrotra is doing with Indian Accent. "Manish is doing some amazing stuff," says George. "For chefs like Manish or even me, food is culturally deep in our hearts. To take something culturally embedded and give it a modern twist, can go wrong in many ways. But Manish has managed to keep it on the straight and narrow and is doing a fabulous job". George also went on to speak about his close friend Sat Bains and his restaurant in Britain. "A Punjabi who is not cooking Indian per se, but is doing something spectacularly wonderful."
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Gary and George manning the stoves. Photo: Mayur Channagere/Photomojo
On this visit to Bengaluru, the trio also visited the Permit Room and were all praises for the young chefs. George recalls, "When they came out, I just grabbed them and had them take me into the kitchen and show me how they make their paratha. We just stood there together and had a moment, and did what cooks do -- discuss, chat and take pictures of how things are done. These boys are taking your (Indian) cuisine and giving it that touch of modernizing that takes it to a new level."
We watch the shows, we cheer for participants -- some win and some don't. I ask Matt, how much does a cooking reality show contribute to building a career in the culinary world? "With our show at least, 75% of the contestants end up in a food-based career. One of them fronts a kids' TV food quiz show and we also have a physiotherapist who now cooks at one of the six best restaurants in the world. It's all about 'find your dream and follow it'. I recently met Nidhi from our Season 8 show in Adelaide and she is now planning to open a small cook shop serving her specialty curries, and it is definitely going to do well."
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Matt at the food festival. Photo: Isshani Channagere
Cooking shows like Masterchef have also changed the way we cook at home. We pay more attention to ingredients, seasonality and even plating! Gary agrees and says, "It is also in the usage of words like 'crema' or to even consider a croquembouche. People did not know of the different types of foams and crumbles. We have a girl on this year's show, Nicolette, who is 19 years old. She told us that she was 11 years old when Masterchef started and it is so obvious from the way she talks about food that she has learned so much. If I look back at my career 20 years ago, I wasn't talking about food the way she is. It is amazing."
Gary agrees that social media has changed the way people think about food. "We can look on our phones and check out what happened at Noma last night or what's on at Huxley in San Francisco for breakfast. You can see them get in pink radishes or a charred and pureed lemon and so on. These are things that you can pick on so easily."
I also had to ask Matt about his thoughts on online review sites and how they fare for restaurants. He says the problem with aggregator sites is that you do not know the people who write for them and therefore cannot establish a relationship. "With personal blogs and websites you tend to understand the writers better. That being said, as a writer for any outlet, your reputation is on the line each time you put up something because people want to go and have the same experience. It is important to filter out the fluff and look for the good stuff, among the writers."
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Clik here to view.![2016-06-07-1465283330-4624003-13340169_10154580418150715_5088207876155350745_o.jpg]()
Matt Preston's passion for food is palpable. Photo: Mayur Channagere/Photomojo
This is what Matt does when he steps out :"I put out a request on my social media, because I think social media should be an outward thing where you ask for advice. Based on such advice I visited Karavalli at the Taj Gateway, Bengaluru and my god! What a man Chef Naren is; still going strong for close to 26 years and his food..." Now that is something wonderful that comes out of online media as well.
The three gentlemen were every bit as gracious and affable as you see them on TV. Their knowledge of food and ability to translate their thoughts into words, leaves you hungry for just a little more of their time!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![2016-06-07-1465283388-316218-13305202_10154580421265715_4973382590262870782_o.jpg]()
George's 'soft-shell crab souvlaki in a paratha' in the making. Photo: Mayur Channagere/Photomojo
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What a delightful trio! Photo: Mayur Channagere/Photomojo
I had the pleasure of interacting with each of the three judges at the end of the press conference for WOAP, albeit for a short while. I came away with some interesting observations and thoughts from each one on the culinary scene both in India and internationally.
Naturally the conversation centred on food and all three were unanimous in their praise of Marriott executive chef Anthony En Yuan Huang and waxed eloquent about the special Kerala breakfast he had organized for them by bringing in a chef from the Marriott Kochi. That set the ball rolling for the rest of the conversation.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The quick-witted Gary. Photo: Mayur Channagere/Photomojo
In fact Gary went on to say, "If the chef who cooked our breakfast were to open a restaurant in Australia, it would be packed. But, at the same time, it couldn't be a traditional Indian restaurant that looks like the Taj Mahal. It needs to have specific theme, an idea and will need to be trendy and new." Which led me to my first question...
Indian food on the international smorgasbord
Gary believes that information and stories about Indian food should be "exported". He argues that what drives tourism is local stories -- where the good restaurants and markets are -- and it all comes together to become a foodie experience. "When we come to India, we are lost -- it's about wanting to know where the good dosas are, or where the best new Indian food is at and it's about exporting those ideas. Particularly South Indian cuisine, because we don't get too much of it. Even when it comes to North Indian food, our exposure is limited."
Gary and George both spoke of the good work that Manish Mehrotra is doing with Indian Accent. "Manish is doing some amazing stuff," says George. "For chefs like Manish or even me, food is culturally deep in our hearts. To take something culturally embedded and give it a modern twist, can go wrong in many ways. But Manish has managed to keep it on the straight and narrow and is doing a fabulous job". George also went on to speak about his close friend Sat Bains and his restaurant in Britain. "A Punjabi who is not cooking Indian per se, but is doing something spectacularly wonderful."
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Gary and George manning the stoves. Photo: Mayur Channagere/Photomojo
On this visit to Bengaluru, the trio also visited the Permit Room and were all praises for the young chefs. George recalls, "When they came out, I just grabbed them and had them take me into the kitchen and show me how they make their paratha. We just stood there together and had a moment, and did what cooks do -- discuss, chat and take pictures of how things are done. These boys are taking your (Indian) cuisine and giving it that touch of modernizing that takes it to a new level."
Cooking Reality Shows and Us
We watch the shows, we cheer for participants -- some win and some don't. I ask Matt, how much does a cooking reality show contribute to building a career in the culinary world? "With our show at least, 75% of the contestants end up in a food-based career. One of them fronts a kids' TV food quiz show and we also have a physiotherapist who now cooks at one of the six best restaurants in the world. It's all about 'find your dream and follow it'. I recently met Nidhi from our Season 8 show in Adelaide and she is now planning to open a small cook shop serving her specialty curries, and it is definitely going to do well."
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Matt at the food festival. Photo: Isshani Channagere
Cooking shows like Masterchef have also changed the way we cook at home. We pay more attention to ingredients, seasonality and even plating! Gary agrees and says, "It is also in the usage of words like 'crema' or to even consider a croquembouche. People did not know of the different types of foams and crumbles. We have a girl on this year's show, Nicolette, who is 19 years old. She told us that she was 11 years old when Masterchef started and it is so obvious from the way she talks about food that she has learned so much. If I look back at my career 20 years ago, I wasn't talking about food the way she is. It is amazing."
When food discussions go online
Gary agrees that social media has changed the way people think about food. "We can look on our phones and check out what happened at Noma last night or what's on at Huxley in San Francisco for breakfast. You can see them get in pink radishes or a charred and pureed lemon and so on. These are things that you can pick on so easily."
I also had to ask Matt about his thoughts on online review sites and how they fare for restaurants. He says the problem with aggregator sites is that you do not know the people who write for them and therefore cannot establish a relationship. "With personal blogs and websites you tend to understand the writers better. That being said, as a writer for any outlet, your reputation is on the line each time you put up something because people want to go and have the same experience. It is important to filter out the fluff and look for the good stuff, among the writers."
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Matt Preston's passion for food is palpable. Photo: Mayur Channagere/Photomojo
This is what Matt does when he steps out :"I put out a request on my social media, because I think social media should be an outward thing where you ask for advice. Based on such advice I visited Karavalli at the Taj Gateway, Bengaluru and my god! What a man Chef Naren is; still going strong for close to 26 years and his food..." Now that is something wonderful that comes out of online media as well.
The three gentlemen were every bit as gracious and affable as you see them on TV. Their knowledge of food and ability to translate their thoughts into words, leaves you hungry for just a little more of their time!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
George's 'soft-shell crab souvlaki in a paratha' in the making. Photo: Mayur Channagere/Photomojo
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Like Us On Facebook | Image may be NSFW.
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