THE GRAND VISION OF
RIVAAYAT!
"Two
things impressed me the most" recalls Sidharth
Sharma (26), Kitchen Executive, Trident Hyderabad on his RIVAAYAT
experience " Firstly The Oberoi Group has invested heavily on its Chef
community to elevate their knowledge levels and secondly by reviving the
lost recipes from vintage India we have found a unique way to
give back to the society".
"RIVAAYAT"
is a great vision. Reviving an old tradition is a very difficult process. This
is really a contribution to the next generation" opines Sidharth who had
the good fortune to work in 16 hotels in just eight years.
Reminiscing about his favorite moments at RIVAAYAT,
Sidharth said “we had the honor of meeting senior chefs like Saurav Banerjee (Executive Chef, at The
Grand Oberoi, Kolkata) who has been with the company for more than 20 years.
Young chefs can emulate them to succeed in their careers. ”
“It
was as much a privilege to meet the culinary experts. They shared
information voluntarily, willingly…. My interaction with Mumtaz Khan, the
culinary artist of Hyderabad, was an eye opener".
With
wide eyed excitement he continued “Osama Jalali, the renowned food critic took
us to Old Delhi. We experienced unique people with unique cooking methods. Can
you imagine coming across a fried chicken which can give KFC a run for its
money?….well Old Delhi had it …. Very spicy, very succulent… a world beater!
A
conversation on Indian food is incomplete without the Biryani – so I nudged him
to share the difference between Awadhi Biryani and Hyderabadi Biryani?
“The
Nawabs of Hyderabad were using local ingredients like peanuts and curry leaves.
Hyderabadi Biryani has a lot of spices in it; while, Awadhi is very subtle.
Only raita goes as an accompaniment with Awadhi Biryani, whereas Hyderabad
Biryani goes with brown onion and Dahi Ki Chutney”.
“It
was interesting to deliberate on the views of the handpicked experts who came
for RIVAAYAT, he continued. Food
historian Pushpesh Pant said Mughals were never in Delhi; and even if they
were, it was for very short period. He also opined that Delhvi cuisine is not
exactly Mughalai. Pushpesh thinks differently for sure. Food writer Vir
Sanghvi's speech on ‘Emerging markets in Indian cuisine’ was very thought
provoking. I reflected deeply on this later, many a times”.
IHM
Aurangabad pass out Sidharth, joined as a Commis with the Oberoi Gurgaon. He
was part of the pre-opening team. Before joining Trident, Hyderabad he was with
Trident, Udaipur as well as Trident Mumbai (BKC).
Married
to Aditi, an IT Professional,
Sidharth is fond of jogging. He exercises a lot, to his heart's content. Reads
cook books to learn new recipes.
Text
and Pictures: R Kesava Mallia in Hyderabad
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