WHEN
MILK REPLACED WATER!
Why
are you using milk instead of water to cook your dishes? Chef Manik bounced
this question to a ‘Mughlai Khansama’. Pat came the response
" My product will be consistent across the world. The taste of the dishes
will be spot on no matter where you cook, whereas if I use water the taste may
differ from place to place". This happened while Chef Manik was in
Gurgaon for the RIVAAYAT conclave in December 2014.
Recalls
Chef Manik Magotra, presently the
officiating Executive Chef at The Trident,
Hyderabad .“The beauty of the conclave was the sincerity with which
the Oberoi leadership team approached ‘Rivaayat’.”
It
was an honest attempt and not a ‘tick mark' workshop. They did not cut any
corners and spent a lot of time and energy in planning the event. Each and
every Chef who participated was made to feel special and involved. Even the
aprons we wore had RIVAAYAT printed on it. Another interesting part was
that all the 40 Chefs cooked together for these 5 days…rubbing shoulders with the
culinary experts and food historians, bloggers and critics, who were also
invited for this conclave. It was an august gathering of people who are really
serious about their food. For e.g. Hyderabad's renowned culinary artist
Mumtaz Khan was there; though she was on a wheelchair, she was seen interacting
with Chefs with full cheer and vigor. Throughout those 5 days we were
surrounded by passionate people like her 24X7…..and we all felt so engaged.”
Continued
Chef Manik with a sparkle in his eyes “The leadership team of Vikram
Oberoi (COO) Arjun Oberoi (JMD) & Kapil Chopra (President) were personally
present at Rivaayat. We can’t ask for more – it was hugely motivating for
all of us.”
“How
do you plan to take this forward from here?” I asked.
“After
returning from RIVAAYAT we practiced whatever we had learnt. That was from
January 2015 onwards. In February, we started introducing two to three dishes
ever day for the lunch and dinner buffet at Amara. We wanted to solicit guest
interactions – specially designed Saffron colored buffet tags were introduced
to awaken the curiosity of the guests. We started interacting with our guests
about the RIVAAYAT philosophy and the recipes we had revived. Even
the General Managers monthly employee town hall had 4 slides dedicated to
RIVAAYAT. We really wanted to cascade the message across.”
Trident
Hyderabad is getting ready to pitch a Rivaayat festival shortly at Kanak –
their specialty Indian restaurant and the cooking brigade is working overtime
to master the recipes. The festival starts on March 22nd and I wish
Chef Manik and his team the very best for the festival.
Chef
Manik has been associated with the Oberoi Group for the last 12 years. After
passing out from IHM Chandigarh, he joined the Oberoi Cecil, Shimla. He worked
there for 3 years and then joined OCLD, passed out with flying colors in 2007.
That followed with a stint with Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur which lasted
for five years post which he landed in Hyderabad.
Food
Photography is his hobby. Married to Diganta;
blessed with a son, four year old Ojus.
Text & Pictures: R.Kesava Mallia in Hyderabad
No comments:
Post a Comment