LIFESTYLE
Chef and judge Gary Mehigan feels a person does not need to be academically qualified to understand food
“I don’t think Indian food enjoys the profile it should,” says chef and judge Gary Mehigan, who was in Mumbai recently.
Chef Gary Mehigan’s love for Indian food can’t go unnoticed. This is his sixth visit to the country. Last year, the judge of one of the most popular cooking shows on TV was in Mumbai for a one-day dinner, and cooked for some of the top CEOs of the country. In 2015, the celebrityrity chef studied the workings ofof Mumbai’s dabbawalas for hishis food and travel show, Far Flung. Currently on his sixth visit to the country, Mehigan attended the World On A Plate 2 food festival in the city. The chefef says what keeps bringing him back to India is the food. “The variety draws meme back to India. It is difficultt toto pick one dish, but I love everything, from the currieses in the North to those in thee South. It’s all so exciting andnd mouth-watering,” he says.
Delhi is next on his map, and the chef is determined to take back some flavouring with him. “I won’t leave India without some authentic and aromatic spices,” he says. Before he sets out on the spice trail, HT Café talks to him about his most memorable meal, his relationship with the other judges of the cooking show, and more. I believe a foodie [is a better critic], because their understanding of food is more genuine. This is not entirely true. Many good restaurants have been visited more than once. The main issue with food guides and blogs are that they all end up covering the same places. A reviewer visits a place and 20 people follow. When I travel, I use food reviews as a reference. I try not to only depend on that. If there is an empty restaurant across the street from a packed restaurant, a reviewer will visit the crowded one. So, are we following the crowd or is it genuinely a good restaurant? I sometimes wonder if these trends are going to change. Restaurants deserve more than one chance. I like that an established guide like the Michelin is regimented and follows strict criteria for selection and ratings. Matt and George are like my brothers. Our views clash at times and we disagree on 10 out of 12 things. However, our disagreements are mainly on principles, a sauce or the style of putting something together. When a dish is put in front of us, we know who will like it and who won’t. We are like a good marriage. We give each other space and respect each other’s opinions. Although it has been nine years, we love being with each other. I don’t think Indian food enjoys the profile it should. I think that is because India is going through a transition. More and more people are still becoming fascinated with food. Eventually, the country will start exporting a new wave of culinary talents. And the whole world will know about them — chefs like My most memorable meal was in Mugaritz in San Sebastian (Spain). Andoni Luis Aduriz is the chef there. It was memorable for several reasons. We [my family and I] were stressed and were trying to find some place to rest. So, we visited this place and sat under the glorious oak trees. We had tiny bites of something that looked like stones, but were potatoes baked in clay and dipped in some aromatic aioli. Every dish matched our first impression. It engraved its memory in our minds. However, I don’t know if I would go back. If I went back and it wasn’t as good, it would spoil my memory.