Cooking up a storm

Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu

Ever wondered why both chefs and doctors don whites? No doubt there is a more plausible and practical reason ascribed to this sartorial choice, but I’m of the opinion it is because of the commonality the two professions share — a steadfast commitment to health and wellbeing. All the more so in the Indian context, where nutritional and lifestyle wisdom is derived from Ayurveda, an ancient stream of traditional medicine. Believed to have been imparted to Prajapati, the lord of all living beings, by none other than the creator of the universe, Brahma, himself. Prajapati is learnt to have then instructed the Ashwins (twin deities) to bring the science of life to the attention of Indra, the king of gods. He, in turn, awarded this knowledge to rishis Athrey, Bhardwaja, Kashyap and Dhanvantari. It was the meticulously documented notes of Agnivesa, a hard-working pupil of Rishi Athrey, which eventually formed the basis of the seminal Charaka Samhita, one of two foundational texts of Ayurveda.

It is this philosophy of wellness and longevity that continues to drive Indian culinary traditions in households as well as professional arenas. While homemakers know the very pulse of the family, it’s the chef community that wields the spatula of influence in professional kitchens. No longer are they mere invisible hands whipping up dish after dish, meal after meal, behind closed doors. Legacy and career chefs are today gastronomic superheroes, in a manner of speaking, and play a deliciously disruptive role in an ever-evolving global food scene. They’re found setting trends, advocating sustainable lifestyles, spearheading hunger alleviation initiatives, connecting produce to people, and much more. One of them in particular, Manjit Gill, chairman, World Cultural Culinary Heritage Committee, is steadily propelling India towards recognition as a gastronomic super power. Recently awarded the prestigious Escoffier Medal for his commitment to the profile and high standards of culinary arts and hospitality, he shares, “It remains my ongoing endeavour to have Indian cuisine acknowledged as and listed under the gastronomy edition of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.”

Gill was instrumental in founding the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA); a government of India certified body that represents all chefs and culinary professionals nationwide. With its headquarters in Chennai, IFCA is also the nodal body representing all culinary associations of the country in its international contact. It is one of 110 members comprising a global network of chefs associations collectively called the World Association of Chefs Societies (WorldChefs). Founded at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1928 with celebrated French culinary artiste Auguste Escoffier as its first honorary president, WorldChefs is the marquee organisation for over 10 million professional chefs worldwide, and is committed to maintaining and improving culinary standards of global cuisine. Synonymous with classical French cuisine, Escoffier earned himself world renown in 1890 as director of kitchens at the newly opened Savoy Hotel in London. He famously created the Peach Melba in honour of Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba during her stay at the hotel in 1893. On another occasion, during his stint with the Carlton in London, a royal guest William II reportedly told Escoffier, “I am the emperor of Germany, but you are the emperor of chefs.”

Filling Escoffier’s rather large shoes as president of WorldChefs since 2016 is the dynamic Thomas Gugler. The certified executive master chef and winner of hundreds of awards, medals and tokens of appreciation from around the globe, he is the corporate director of kitchens at AFS Naghi Group and is based out of Saudi Arabia. His stewardship has seen an exponential jump in membership as well as the formation of numerous chef associations and committees. Of these, the World Cultural Culinary Heritage Committee, instituted in 2017 with the objective to preserve and promote age-old culinary techniques and recipes for future generations, is most recent. “The best kind of food is the cultural ethnic cuisine, the heritage of which can be traced back centuries,” he shared in an interview. That is a sentiment echoed by the world at large as it increasingly looks to its roots for nutritional wisdom. The upcoming World Heritage Cuisine Summit in Amritsar is without question a most welcome consequence of this global change in the culinary climate.

Foodfood

The World Heritage Cuisine Summit & Food Festival 2018 will be held from October 12 to 14 at the historic Qila Gobindgarh in Amritsar. Over the three days, this erstwhile home to Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s famed Kohinoor diamond will host a treasure trove of culinary gems from around the world.  An unprecedented event, the summit will celebrate traditional cuisine with live demonstrations, food tastings, presentations, panel discussions, master classes and Q&A sessions with celebrated culinary masters. It will focus as much on inculcating appreciation for food culture and traditions, as it will on advocating good food habits and sustainable practices. The event will also witness the launch of the Chefs’ Manifesto outlining hunger removal initiatives undertaken and sustainability development goals.