"DOMINO EFFECT"
OF RIVAAYAT
It was on 27th of February
this year that I met Chef Ravitej Nath, popularly known as Chef Ravi.
Our meeting happened in my room at The Courtyard by Marriott,
Gurgaon. He walked in and precisely recalled our first meeting which
happened nearly five years back. Ravi sat down and began to speak …..in
around 40 minutes, he explained me all about RIVAAYAT (and left me curious and hungry for
more). What a ‘Storyteller’ (I said to myself)? A friend of mine who owns
a five star hotel in Gurgaon was also present in the room during our
interaction. My friend was dumbstruck at the way Chef Ravi spoke on
RIVAAYAT.....Incredibly articulate and passionate Chef Ravitej Nath is the Executive Chef at The Oberoi, Gurgaon. He
is also a voracious reader.
Yesterday I met Chef Ravi again. He
continued from where he left ……..Listen to what Chef Ravi had to tell me
on the domino effect of RIVAAYAT. (Just to jog our memories he was part of the
haloed troika which organized this conclave, along with Chef Bali and Chef
Rohit).
" It was just five days of RIVAAYAT (Dec 18 - 22,
2014) ….and in less than three months since then, eight of our hotels have
already orchestrated a food festival - all of which have been
inspired by RIVAAYAT ". Can you beat that? he said. “Even today the
WhatsApp group of Rivaayat Chefs is very active. Every Chef is ready to share
what they have tried in their respective hotels….. they share pics. ..they
share anecdotes …they share experiences. It feels like real time immersive
training. ”
How do you feel organizing such a big event? I asked. “At
the end of the first day of RIVAAYAT many a Chefs walked up to me and
complimented me saying -" You did a good job"! I had such a sense
of gratification. I felt that I have contributed to this great event in my own
small way”. Our senior most and most respected Chef Saurav Banerjee (Oberoi
Grand, Kolkata) was so excited and thrilled. It seems he told someone: "I
feel like going back right now and start cooking”. This was one of the best
compliments I could expect. Equally charged up were the junior Chefs".
"It was not a monologue said Chef Ravi. It was
not just cooking. We enjoyed learning together …. 40 of us in a room”!
Those few days we just breathed food all day long. Not a
single opportunity was lost to glorify food. Even the tea breaks were theme
based. The "Back to School" theme had our lunch served in a Tiffin
box. In the "Dabbawalas" theme every one wore the famous ‘Dabbawala
Topi (cap)... it brought out the creative best in all of us….."Oh! Oh!
Chef Bali ne pagdi ke ooper rakh di apni topi"(Chef Bali placed the cap on
top of his turban)... said Chef Ravi smilingly.
"We even made the vendors feel valued”. Five
items (Rice, Sambar, Poriyal, Chicken Fry and Payasam) for fifty people were
cooked by just two people using just one oven. “Please utilize your ovens
fruitfully was the indirect message”. “We introduced new equipments as well. The
cold press juicer was one of them. It ensures the nutritional value of the
juices remain intact".
Rivaayat was also fun. On one of the evenings we
arranged for a three hour trip of Old Delhi. It was a walking tour
meant for trying all kinds of street food on the way. It teased the taste buds
and had great experimental value. The next morning the Chefs were seen
dishing out the Delhvi dishes.
Chefs should also be aware on the current trends in
the market. With this idea in mind, we took the entire Chef Brigade to Farzi
Cafe - a modern Indian bistro and tapas bar which serves fusion Indian
cuisine.
“I swear, RIVAAYAT has been a phenomenal experience.
It was meant to stir a revival of Indian food - that we know by now. That
it would also stir a silent revolution amongst the Oberoi Chefs is a lesser
known fact “, he summarized.
Chef Ravitej is married to Neerja.
Text and Pictures: R Kesava Mallia in Gurgaon
No comments:
Post a Comment