Local boy Uttam Thangkhiew is making a splash in the US with his culinary skills. For him, cooking is an art and a way of putting a smile on other peoples’ faces.
“Cooking has endless possibilities, it sparks creativity and the rules are none as long as the dish you cook looks and tastes great,” says the 27-year-old Kitchen Ninja.
Thangkhiew, who works with Doug Adams of ‘Top Chef’ fame, decided to pursue cooking long after he finished school. Now, he will run a raw bar station for Adams.
After finishing his studies from Jain
International School, Bangalore, the alumnus of Army School Shillong came back to his hometown and started Global Illusion, a promoting venture, with two friends.
After a year, he again left Shillong and joined the Indian Institute of Hotel Management in Bangalore. This is where Thangkhiew decided to become a chef.
“I am a certified kitchen ninja, which is a title only graduates of Oregon Culinary Institute can hold, and I was one of the only three culinary management students to graduate with honors,” says Thangkhiew, who had interned at Sheraton Bangalore and Center Point group Shillong before leaving for the US.
He is focusing on perfection now and after a year’s hard work, he has finally perfected the slow smoked and grilled tandoori chicken, he confesses.
The young chef was mentored by the renowned Benjamin Bettinger, the owner of Laurelhurst restaurant in Oregon. He had also assisted Bettinger during a national level feast competition in the country.
He has shared kitchen space with the likes of Vitaly Paley, John Gorham and Andrew Biggs to mention a few.
Talking about the challenges of being in the culinary business in a foreign land, Thangkhiew says the imperial system is the biggest challenge he faced when he moved to Oregon.
But hard work and talent were his weapons to win the battle. To stay afloat and make a name for oneself amid the cut-throat competition is a mammoth task, admits the young chef.
“The pressure is high and not for everyone, to set yourself apart today has become harder than ever. What you think about doing today is already being done somewhere. The race is faster than it ever was,” concedes Thangkhiew, who is taking the challenge head on and keeps himself updated by means of voracious reading.
He even cherishes a dream to start his own venture.
“I want to open up a high-end butcher shop and a tasting restaurant for 20-30 covers,” says the Young Turk who dislikes self-righteous and self-obsessed people.
However, “the ultimate goal is to bring back all I have learned and educate the people on the importance of what we have locally and to tap into the potential we have with organic and sustainable food”, says Thangkhiew when asked about his plans for Shillong.
When Thangkhiew is not cooking he gets behind the wheel and relaxes on long drives. “It is my escape,” he says.
But nothing makes his day better than an honest smile from a visitor at the restaurant.
“My best compliments come from the people I feed. All it takes is an honest smile and that’s the best compliment for me,” says Thangkhiew for whom good food is “simple, flavourful, organic and local and that hits the soul”.
~ By Andre Kongri
(Photo credit: Instagram)
Cooking allows Angelica Tariang to be creative “in a constructive way”.
“Inspiration to cook comes from within me, I am inspired by the raw thins that scream out for transformation, and art is rarely raw,” says the 25-year-old chef based in Mumbai since 2011.
Tariang, who entered the culinary sector three years ago and holds a degree in hotel management, is currently preparing for further studies in the United States.
“I will leave for the US in a month or two to learn about molecular gastronomy that seems to be a trend these days. After coming back I can open up a food chain of my own,” she informs.
Tariang says though her mother was an inspiration at home, the confidence to perform outside came from her teachers and friends who made her believe in her creativity.
The chef, who is into continental dishes but also dabbles in baking, showcased her talent in the US during her internship under Justin Johnson, the award winning chef from Milwaukee. She competed with renowned chefs in the country and won accolades. The confident youngster believes she has a strong foundation and now all she wants is to learn more about culinary skills and the nuances of the business for better performance.
Nonetheless, Tariang, a former student of Pine Mount School, does not rule out failures in the highly competitive sector but says the experience acquired in the process is priceless.
Talking about the competition and challenges to stay afloat, Tariang says diners today are well-informed and giving them a bang for a buck through innovations is the main focus.
“Restaurant clientele has changed drastically in the last 10 years. The biggest challenge is keeping up with the different tastes. Everyday a new trend appears, weather changes, local environment rotates, everything affects the kitchen. A chef has to be able to adapt to the environment around him/her, be able to satisfy the customers and keep them coming,” says the young talent from Shillong who feels cooking for others is the best way to show affection.
Culinary business in India has seen a drastic growth and is a booming sector now. With India’s per capita income growing exponentially, the country has turned into a perfect destination for international food chains to expand their businesses.
“There seems to be a lot of competition from within but what makes the culinary business successful is being able to adapt and serve people with food, taking into consideration the healthy cooking procedure, dietary requirements and a technical knowledge,” asserts Tariang who is proud of her signature dish that is pan seared scallops with pea puree, brown butter vinaigrette, crispy prosciutto with watermelon radishes and afillacress.
With opportunities in the food business opening up faster than expected, the pressure on new age chefs is unsurmountable. So “it is extremely important for independent chefs to stand out in the competition, to be unique, not only in cooking and plating of food but also in the balance of health, hygiene and taste”, explains Tariang while talking about the hurdles for a newcomer.
But the chef, who finds solace in reading, cycling and visiting unknown places, is ready for the challenge and is already training herself to become the owner of a chain of restaurants.
~ By NM
‘We get no time to eat when at work. It’s ironic’
Benny Wankhar first started cooking with his grandmother. From the age of 10, he was grandma’s helping hand in the kitchen grinding onions and garlic in an old fashioned pestle and mortar or just stirring up the hot delicious curry steaming on the range.
“The excitement you feel when the food is ready and steaming and everyone in the family is just waiting to pounce on every last spoonful. What really got me into cooking was looking at all the satisfied faces when they complimented the chef so to speak and ate the plate clean and knowing that those happy faces and full stomachs were the result of something that was made with love from the scratch,” says the 26-year-old continental chef who works with Carnival Cruise Lines based off Miami, Florida.Carnival is a subsidiary of the American-British company Carnival Corporation & PLC, one of the largest travel and tourism companies in the world.
His grandmother, he says, was a big inspiration and there was constant support from his mother.
Wankhar, who wanted to be a musician as a child but scrapped the idea because of “my lack of musical abilities”, chose continental food for the fascinating complexities.
“You really get amazed by how deceptively easy cooking can be. Only once that you start the process yourself do you find out the complexities that go into making a dish edible and presentable and which include texture, timing and knowing the nature of ingredients and how they can be paired with each other. This fascinated me in going deeper into this form of food,” says the food aficionado who has worked with Chef Ranae Smith, one of the Top 10 finalists at Masterchef Australia, when she was in Delhi two years ago.
Wankhar also delineates the real-life pressure in the kitchen, which is both mentally and physically exhausting.
“You have to be on your feet for long hours with barely enough time for yourself to even eat, which is kind of ironic since your work is to feed people. Also, the constant pressure of getting your work done on time so you can move on to the next Mise-en-Place, which never seems to end, and the endless barrage of verbal abuses by your colleagues and supervisor and a boss breathing down your neck checking to see if you’ve done things the right way,” he describes the work pressure inside the kitchen for 16-17 hours.
But Wankhar says he is adept in handling the madness and fondly remembers his probationary days. “I was stationed in the Tandoor section by myself, I saw the line grow longer and longer every minute and I lost count as to how many people were actually on it since the line had gone past the staff mess door, it was then that my boss came down and helped me. I was instantly promoted to the main kitchen.”
He also adds that despite the tension, a camaraderie with fellow chefs grows because each one of them puts his or heart in the kitchen.
While working with Dusit Devarana (now The Roseate) in Delhi, Wankhar set up on the menu his signature dish, Japanese inspired quinoa salad.“The dish has elements of western and Japanese ingredients.”
Despite the prospects in Florida Wankharsays he would love to be back home and start his own venture in Shillong. He dreams of making Shillong the happening place for fine dining.
“Ten years down the line I would love to see myself owning an outlet and having complete creative control over what goes on the plate and to the customers’ table. That apart, I also have a passion for teaching so I would love to start a cooking school/restaurant where children can earn and learn at the same time,” says the local boy who loves to read comic books.
For Wankhar the keys to stand out among the hundreds in the business, especially independent chefs, are “innovation, experimentation and most importantly passion”.
“The competition level is crazy where every second you have to stay two steps ahead of the game to keep yourself from being outplayed. But working towards a dream is never easy, it can be scary not knowing what the outcome would be but never let that uncertainty stop you from taking risks,” is Wankhar’s caution to and advice for culinary aspirants.
~ By NM
Lambert Chiang’s Chinese roots make him naturally inclined to food.
“Food is an integral part in our family routine. I remember as a child I had to contribute to the daily meals cooked in the house, from cutting to washing ingredients. Over the years that I have done these activities has gotten me inclined to cooking and hence taking this to a professional level,” says Chiang while explaining his entry into one of the fastest growing sectors.
The 32-year-old chef at the Intercontinental Dubai Marina, like others in the game, emphasises on innovation and uniqueness. “I think if an independent chef opens his own place then it is something unique and not something that has already been done before.”
Chiang says he does not categorise himself as a chef because “I have worked with numerous cuisines and ingredients and gathered my experience and knowledge in creating unique dishes”. This is also the reason why Chiang is not comfortable with the term ‘signature dish’. “I am a chef of my own style… I create dishes once and move on to another. However, my favourite preparation till date and that I’m really proud of is the ‘grilled veal pancetta wrapped tiger prawns with Spanish paella and orange gel’,” says the widely reviewed chef who wants to have his own restaurant one day. He also wants to create “a unique dining scene” for the people of Shillong, his hometown.
Though there is variety in his creations, he prefers Japanese food because of its “freshness and emphasis on the natural taste of ingredients”.
Chiang completed his culinary education from Culinary Academy of India, Hyderabad, and feels the idea of a cooking competition is banal.
When asked about the best compliment in his career, Chiang, who believes in simplicity, says quoting diners, “The best I have had till date”.
Though the chef does not reveal much about the challenges he faced during all the years in culinary business, he definitely has a word of advice for young chefs, “If you get your basic culinary skills right then everything else will follow and it’s always good to keep yourself updated with the latest trends in the culinary world.”
When he is not cooking up a storm in the kitchen, Chiang makes sure he stays in shape and never misses his runs and long-distance cycling.
~ By NM
Teiskhem Lynrah, born and brought up in Shillong, and Pooja Pangtey from Uttarakhand have come a long way having done about 20 pop-ups around Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Goa and Shillong.
The cooking duo had conducted workshops for the Serendipity Arts Festival, the Village Studio, Goa and the CONA Foundation in Mumbai and have also put up stalls at the Jugmug Thela, Delhi and the Tap Takeover at Café Terra in Mumbai.
They plan to travel more in the future to include more regional hill cuisines in their menu and cover more cities with pop ups. “We are taking things one day at a time but we would like to see Meraki (the restaurant run by the duo) establish as a brand that helps sustain age old cooking traditions, techniques and also empower local farmers, craftsmen and businesses a few years down the line”.
Both Lynrah (31) and Pangtey (30) were inspired to cook by their moms. When they were first working together in Mumbai six years ago, Pangtey recalls how they used to exchange a lot of stories about similarities of their habits back home; everything from the weather to food.
They were both new to the city and bonded over their love for the hills and food.
“When one would come back from home, our friends would either come to Pooja’s place or mine and we would have a feast with the things that we brought back. In the years that followed, the dinners became more regular and more friends got involved and our food was a hit. Although turning this into a venture was an idea that we toyed around in our heads for a long time, it wasn’t until the beginning of 2016 that we hosted our first pop-up in Mumbai”, says Lynrah.
The culinary business in India is growing. When asked about this, Lynrah says,”If you ask us, it’s never dying as people love eating out. Everyone in the city looks for something new to eat and diners are now more and more open to experimentations and new ideas”
When asked whether there is competition, Lynrah says,”There are competitors, however not any that serves the same cuisines as we do as of now. That said, even if there are other people cooking regional hill cuisines, there’s a big market out there and we’ll be happy to have more voices spreading the word about the goodness of hill food”.
The pressure to be innovative is immense. “We try to innovate and keep our customers engaged by constantly trying to evolve with new ingredients from the hills, developing new recipes and an ever changing menu. We also try to keep ourselves constantly updated with things that are happening in this space through research, foraging, local market and village visits etc”, says Lynrah.
When asked about taking their brand outside India, Lynrah says, “Although we are open to taking our brand and food outside India if an opportunity presents itself, however, Meraki has no plans of taking part in any competition as of now”.
~ By Jasmine Laldinpuii KC
Baking is an art form, where the baker comes up with original and creative ideas. Such is the story of Sukhmani Kaur Bedi who hails from Shillong. Her journey as a baker, though, has not been easy. Backkerei bakery was conceptualised by Sukhmani and her husband Karan Jai Bedi.
Sukhmani says the food resonates the warmth and love they have. “When you’ve tasted our products you will get the vibe we live with everyday. It is an experience you will want again”, says Sukhmani.
Sukhmani started her journey in the year 2006, studying Hotel Management and graduating with B.Sc degree in Hospitality and Hotel Administration from Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology Shillong in the year 2009.
She began her career with The Grand Hotel, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. After working there for about six months she joined the Taj group of Hotels at The Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi. And then with ITC hotels at Welcom Hotel Sheraton, New Delhi.
The 30-year-old says the interest in baking aroused in her ever since she was a child. Her mother Ravinder Kaur was a baker too and was trained by celebrity chef Tarla Dalal in her younger years. Seeing her bake every now and then made Sukhmani realise that this is something she would want to take up professionally some day. Sukmani is a Patisserie Chef, and also Model-Artist. Based in New DeIhi with her husband, she also does fashion blogging and social media.
Backkerei makes lip-smacking pies and cheesy cakes. Bedi is the creative head who makes sure the best reaches customers. He helps with managing social media, branding, marketing, advertising, to delivery.
“As young bakers we must create our own style of baking, and to not just follow typical patterns of baking,” says Sukhmani smiling.
When asked about inspiration, she says, “It is all about innovating ideas and love for your art. That is what makes bakers stand out for honest recognition”.
The wife-husband duo also plans to venture into the Northeast. “We are in a conversation with our team to take our brand forward there. We would love to set up our first chain in Shillong,” says Sukhmani.
When asked what is the best part about baking, she says, “It is the connection of the pallet that makes us win a thousand hearts!”.
“There is a deep happiness and satisfaction when we hear our clients say the product is yum or I loved it etc. It is what makes our day and we continue to strive doing better”.
Sukhmani ventured her passion by setting up her bakery in the year 2015 with her husband. Starting off as a base kitchen, they did live baking at DLF Mall Vasant Kunj. Live baking grew to order based baking and after being ranked 4.1 on Zomato in the year 2015 Sukhmani and Bedi will now finally come up with a bakery outlet soon at Greater Kailash in New Delhi.
~ By Jasmine Laldinpuii KC