‘THE CONSUMER HAS TO BE GIVEN ALL THE CREDIT’
Chef and TV show host, calls us a ‘risk taking start-up society’ and gives his take on the trends in the culinary world that have gained impetus in the last 12 years
The food industry has seen tremendous change particularly in the last decade, which is a reflection of our overall approach to food and the ecosystem around it. Values and virtues such as detailing and personalisation have become the underlying language of food. Experience is another keyword that has defined the food industry. In food media, just information is not enough. And in restaurants, merely eating good food is not enough. Everything has moved from providing for a need to creating a memorable experience.
Another big change that we see is in the quality and quantity of people joining the industry. The glamourisation and personalisation of food has attracted top talent and great minds to this industry. This in my opinion will help in making India a formidable culinary force in the future.
EMERGING FOOD TRENDS
After experimenting with food and speeding up its various stages — from produce to processing — we have gone back to just ‘letting food be’. We now see new trends such as sustainable and organic agriculture, slow food movement, banishing the microwave culture and raw food movement.
The transition from health to wellness is a very clear shift — from eating food that excluded certain nutrients to keep the body healthy to a well-balanced (eat much, eat often and eat natural) diet, which is all-inclusive, and impacts the well-being of the mind, body and soul.
Cultural awareness is a value that has taken over the world. The pride that people have for culture is reflected in food, and that has been the cornerstone of culinary journey for the last few years.
Responsibility has become such an important part of the food ecosystem today, being aware and responsible is, and will be, the only accepted way for food business in the future. Whether it is the responsibility towards the environment (example - responsible farming, eating root to fruit and responsible emissions) or the responsibility towards the consumer’s health, food businesses are showing a lot more genuine concern and empathy.
GOING VEGAN GOES BIG
Vegetarianism and vegan diets are here to stay. The awareness of various environmental issues, health aspects and the expenses involved in rearing livestock will continue to tilt the world towards vegetarian choices. This is the space where Indian cuisine and our ingredients have a huge future. Quick service restaurant (QSR) days seem to be over as the Gen Z is clearly endorsing and celebrating traditional and more intuitive cooking.
YOUNG CHEFS ON THE RISE
We are a country of immense talent and opportunity. While there was always talent in the food space, now the opportunities match up to the talent, attracting amazing people to our business. Nikhil Chib and Kunal Kapoor are pioneers and I have a lot of respect for them. Nikhil started out as one of the youngest chef entrepreneurs and has made quite a mark. Kunal has the best hand in Indian cuisine as compared to any chef in India. I say that with confidence having worked with him for around five years. The biggest change in a chef today is that we have transitioned from being employees to being employers. A lot of credit goes to the consumers who place their trust, thus leading to opportunities. Overall, we have become a risk taking start-up society or at least a challenging the comfort zone society.
All this change that we see and talk about would not have been possible without a demand for it. The consumer has to be given all the credit to get the food industry to where it is now. We live among highly evolved and well-travelled consumers, who are connected to food at a very personal level. When we learn new stuff we want to know even more, and that loop is what has happened with the information overflow around food. That’s why, we are more experimental and accepting today as consumers.