She whips up a storm

Somya Abrol

A woman is the queen of anything relatively gastronomic at home. Outside the contours of her house, however, even the kitchen seems to be a man’s domain. There are some, however, who’ve stood strong through grueling training sessions for professional kitchens, and returned home only to cook furthermore for the loved ones. Here’s looking at some women who have stood the test of time, and flavours, to emerge as some of the best-known chefs of the region.

The Italian job

Chef Oriana Bellardi

Replete with henna on her hands, Oriana has let India take over her within a month of having arrived here. After studying in South America, Oriana knew her true calling was in her roots, Italian food.

“So, soon after finishing my studies, I went to Italy. The first kitchen I worked in, I was the only woman chef. At first, for a week or so, they didn’t let me touch anything in the kitchen. But, they slowly started trusting me with food. It’s been 18 years since,” she says, as we pester her to let us on to her age, to which, she retorts, “That’s confidential; my mom looks younger than me!”

After Europe, Oriana moved to Portugal; which was much like being here in Chandigarh. In view of the peace and quiet she found there, and here, Oriana likes to treat every day with a renewed zest. “It’s not my job; it’s my project, because I need something challenging to get me out of bed every morning.”

Breaking conventions of having women take over professional kitchens is not cakewalk. “We women tend to be sentimental. If you want to be a chef, you have to forget all your “lady things” behind. If your nail breaks, no crying. If you cut a finger, no crying. You have to be one of the men. Women have to work doubly hard to prove their worth. And, most importantly, you have to hold it together. Initially, even I used to escape to the big freezer and cry when things got hard. But, you learn to rough it out with time.” By the way, Oriana, who is currently the executive chef at Flamme Bois Bistro, Chandigarh, is deeply fascinated by skulls. Has a couple of them inked on her body, in fact!

Spice route

Chef Richa Johri

Starting off as a management trainee with the Taj group in 2004, Chef Richa decided to specialise in the Indian cuisine as she got familiarised with the industry. Thereafter, working with the Taj Palace (Delhi), Masala Art (Delhi) and Taj Vivanta (Bangalore) honed her skills. In Chandigarh, the chef has been working very closely with the owner of Whistling Duck, since the inception of the European-styled restaurant. The road, though, has presented her a mixed bag of goodies. “In professional kitchens, men can’t accept women being in charge. Having a woman in the kitchen curtails their freedom to abuse. When I started off, I did go through some weird experiences, like being put on weird shifts or made to work with uneducated chefs. I had a bad experience working in Bangalore also once, where this guy tried to sabotage my food, by adding extra salt last minute, and some such tactics. But, I fought back by being nice to all subordinates; they’ve been my true strength; not the bosses.”

Ask her about the most womanly problem she’s faced in the industry, and she says, “Honestly, I didn’t face all these problems because I was a woman. I faced them because I was good.”

Do you prepare dinner after returning home? “Yes. I prefer it that way, since my husband is a trained European chef. I prefer having Indian food at home.”

Representing culture

Chef Ishika Konar

“My career hasn’t been challenging because I’m a woman; it’s been challenging because I’m good at what I do,” echoes Chef Konar, currently serving as the executive sous chef at The Lalit, New Delhi. A part of the industry for the past 12 years, hotel management wasn’t exactly the expected course of career for Chef Konar, belonging to a hardcore educational, Bengali family. “Back then, saying I want to study hotel management was a big deal. After my Class 12 exams, I appeared for seven different admission tests, including NIFD and the likes. I finally ended up doing my diploma from Durgapur Society of Management Science, and later a degree from IHM Kolkata. The training happened at Crowne Plaza, Delhi, from 2002 to 2004.”

An expert in Italian cuisine, “because I was trained under chefs who had their forte in European food,” Chef Konar says it’s impossible to know everything any cuisine has to offer. “Forget Italian, you can’t even know everything India has to offer in terms of cuisine. So, the idea is to read up on as much as you can, and keep yourself updated with all modern techniques and trends, because a chef doesn’t represent the food of just the hotel she is working for; a chef represents an entire culture.”

The chef, though, rues the fact that professional kitchens are still ruled by men. “Ninety nine per cent of our industry is all men. The one per cent women chefs we come across have to be very dedicated and gutsy. Not because they’d face flak for being a woman, but because the job is extremely demanding. Being on your toes for 15 hours, playing with fire, sharp objects, hot oil and working with so many different mentalities to create the perfect meal is no child’s play. And sometimes, the monotony does get to you; it’s your passion and dedication that gets you by,” says Chef Konar, mother to a seven-year-old son.

Ask her if she has to hold the fort at home after work too, and she says, “I’ve been blessed with great in-laws. And, my family has made peace with me having no social life whatsoever.”

somya@tribunemail.com