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Chefs are the new rockstars

With the increasing popularity of cookery contests on TV, culinary wizards are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

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When it comes to cooking, each chef has his or her own signature style. He could whip up a salami and cheese omelette from scratch and it would turn out incredible, or rustle up a pasta fagioli that is amazing or come up with a simple dish of aloo mattar with a twist and earn a fan following. But it is only now, with the popularity of cookery contests that these culinary wizards are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

Like other cities in the country, Bangalore has also been hosting cookery contests and there have been several programmes on television where chefs compete, including Master Chef India with Akshay Kumar which is hugely popular.

The recently held ‘King of Chefs’ contest held at UB city was one such contest that brought talented chefs to the forefront. Hosted by Kingfisher and Explocity, the event saw top chefs from Bangalore’s leading star hotels compete in a friendly cook off.

The chefs put up the best of their culinary skills in a two-hour long cooking challenge and the dishes were judged by noted food connoisseurs Karen Anand and Magandeep Singh and the winner of the best dish was crowned the ‘King of Chefs’.

A cookery contest always draws focus to creativity and skill, and both chefs and the audience benefit from them. Most people love watching these shows live or on television, because it shows them what even a slight flair for cooking can accomplish and for the chefs themselves, it is a chance to display their talent first hand for an appreciative audience.

Says Chef Rana Dominic Gomes, executive chef, Royal Orchid, who won the King of Chefs title, “This contest has been a feather in my cap for me. We were given limited ingredients and a time frame of two hours to come up with original dishes for a three course meal. I made an omelette as the first course, a chicken dish for the second and a fruity dessert in honey butter sauce as the final course. It is really exciting to be able to come up with a dish with limited ingredients and to exhibit your creativity.”

According to Rana, most people don’t see the work of a chef too often. “Even in a show kitchen, you rarely see the executive or the sous chef in action,” he says. “Now at a cooking contest, people can see how we do things and how we come up with interesting foods. As for what it does for me, I find that people take me more seriously now and are very respectful too.”

Another chef who took part in the contest, Chef Sitapathi Muthuswamy of Chancery Pavilion, who was also one of the chefs who won the Aesthetic Award says that chefs need a platform to showcase their skills.

“We also get a chance to open up to new ideas and try them out,” he says. “I have been in this field for 24 years and I am happy that we are having these kinds of contests now. It is a new trend in the hotel industry today.”

Another cooking contest that will be taking place shortly in Bangalore is ‘Produce to plate: Young chefs culinary challenge’. Says Kripal Ammana who is spear heading the event, “There is a certain appeal about chefs. In fact, I would call them the new rockstars. Everyone loves food and when it is linked to something like a contest, it becomes more exciting. It is not too difficult to set up a contest nowadays, but it can become gimmicky if it is not done well. Cookery contests on television are very popular, especially contests like MasterChef, since the audience can relate to them. The Indian cookery shows on TV are usually made for a mass audience as a niche audience will not bring in the TRPs.”

According to Ammana, the whole idea of the cookery show now is to recognise the culinary leaders of tomorrow. Top chefs are always written about but young chefs who work long hours do not have a platform to showcase their talents. In his upcoming contest. Ammana aims at finding them and recognising them. “These contests will also help young chefs push the envelope as they are very competitive,” he says. “They will learn to look beyond what they usually do and it is a huge challenge. “

The cookery contest today, which is fast becoming a performance art, is a healthy trend, say most foodies. “But though it is in some ways entertainment, there is a sanctity to what chefs do and at some level that should not be forgotten,” adds Ammana. “In the future, the platform for chefs in cookery contests will only get bigger. Such shows that offer both realism and escapism, will always find an interested audience.

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