Now meeting: Masterchefs of Obama, Trudeau, Mukherjee

THE ELITE LE CLUB DES CHEFS DES CHEFS IS HAVING ITS ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN THE LAND OF SPICES

NEW DELHI: They rule the world’s most exclusive kitchens such as those in the White House and Buckingham Palace, taking care that the powerful people they cook for never go hungry.

This week, chefs to the heads of 16 countries are taking a break together from sizzling diplomatic dinners and leisurely royal luncheons to savour the multicuisine flavours of India.

These top cooks, including personal chefs to US President Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, French President François Hollande, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are members of the elite Le Club des Chefs des Chefs, a world gastronomic association of personal chefs to heads of states. The club is having its annual general assembly in the land of spices.

“It’s an exclusive club because one can be part of it only if one is a chef to a head of state,” said Gilles Bragard, the founder-secretary of club. “If politics divides people, a good table always gathers them. Chefs are great diplomats.”

This will be the club’s first outing in India since its formation in 1977.

The delegation, which includes Trudeau’s Indo-Canadian chef Neil Dhawan, visited the Rashtrapati Bhavan kitchen on Sunday, where Montu Saini, the executive chef to President Pranab Mukherjee, treated them to gol gappas and aloo tikkis.

Saini had literally cooked up a storm to convince the club to convene its annual meet in his home country.

“India has been a member of this club for three decades and never once had it hosted the general assembly,” he said and revealed how he put fellow club members on a guilt trip over depriving India an opportunity to host their signature event.