ELLE Gourmet Guest List
Where we’ve been visiting and eating.
PUNEETA CHHITWAL-VARMA THE MEAL: GRILLED SALMON
Last year, writer and food advocate Puneeta Chhitwal-varma and her family enjoyed a week in Rome, where they spent about as much time eating gelato as they did walking (which is to say a lot). But the meal that she remembers most fondly may be somewhat surprising. “One late evening, we had just finished walking through St. Peter’s Basilica and decided to search for a place to eat on Google, which is how we discovered Ristorante Pizzeria Castello,” she says. “My grilled salmon was exceptional—simply cooked with the fresh flavours of lemon and arugula. The sides were my favourite, though: sautéed mushrooms and spinach with fresh Parmesan and a drizzle of chili oil. I think Rome is calling my name again!”
DEVAN RAJKUMAR THE MEAL: LOBSTER ROTI
When you travel as much as Devan Rajkumar does, picking a particularly memorable meal can be a challenge. Still, one recent dish stands out from the rest for the chef and TV personality: the lobster roti from The Roti Cafe in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago. “I had never had a lobster roti before and didn’t really know what to expect,” says Rajkumar. “Typically, dishes that contain lobster—rolls, pasta and so on—don’t contain that much of the ingredient because it’s expensive; it’s also often overcooked. But in this roti, there were huge chunks of lobster, and it was so tender. The curry was beautifully balanced and seasoned well, and it also had coconut milk, which was a wonderful complement. Every bite felt like it was dancing in my mouth. That meal made me very happy—i dream about it to this day.”
MURIELLE BANACKISSA THE MEAL: MOCK-FISH CURRY
“For my honeymoon, I travelled to a small Caribbean island called Curaçao, where I had the most incredible mock-fish curry at a rooftop restaurant called Tandoori Heights,” recalls plant-based recipe developer and food photographer Murielle Banackissa. “The curry, made with tomatoes and cashews, was rich and creamy. The spices were absolutely divine. The soy-based mock fish had a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a subtle ocean-like aroma. This dish was so good that my husband and I had it twice within a four-day span.”
REBECCA GAO THE MEAL: LEBANESE BRUNCH
“I went to Detroit last summer and visited Dearborn, a suburb of the city that has the largest Muslim population in the U.S. per capita,” says writer Rebecca Gao. “I had brunch at an amazing restaurant called Altayeb and had the best eggs with sujek (a fermented sausage), fattoush salad and hummus.”
I’VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE of working with some incredibly talented people from all over the world throughout my career—from writers to stylists to photographers to chefs. I’m always travelling and meeting new like-minded and fascinating people. Over the past year, I’ve visited biodynamic wineries with a group of international wine writers in the Loire Valley, France, learned how to harvest agave in Tequila, Mexico, and visited an organic farm more than 450 metres above sea level on St. Kitts.
In the fall of 2022, I met Puneeta Chhitwal-varma at the Terroir Symposium, a gathering of chefs, restaurateurs and producers collaborating on matters of sustainability. We were often seated together at dinners, and our conversations circled around what it means to create a sustainable food future. Puneeta talked animatedly about the topic, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. When she casually mentioned that she was writing a book, I filed the information away in the back of my brain.
Puneeta and I have kept in touch over Instagram, and when I got a press release stating that her book was now in print, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I wasn’t surprised to find that it was as insightful and engaging as our conversations two years ago.
Now, I’m thrilled that Puneeta is one of the many contributors featured in our first Green Issue, all of whom are positively changing the world we live in through food. Throughout the magazine, you’ll find accessible tips and easy ways to contribute to improving the health of our planet. With its advice on the kind of seafood you should be making, incredible plant-forward recipes and more, I hope you’ll feel as inspired as I do.