What's cooking in your fine kitchen?

India's first Michelin Chef Vineet Bhatia at the BOLD Talks at DUCTAC Dubai. Image by Abigail Mathias


He stood there smiling, reminding me of the famous Maharaja, the Air-India airline mascot. Of course I'm not too sure if India's first Michelin chef, Vineet Bhatia would much appreciate the resemblance this writer is making. But I am glad that the smile drew me in to listen to a rather lengthy talk about taking bold choices...

Chef Vineet Bhatia is a pretty famous face for most of us Indians. He's been responsible for taking Indian cuisine to new heights. Here in the UAE his multitude of eateries have large waiting lists and I can't really say I've dined at them but yes I've been served some of his food in the first class lounge of a certain airline in this region.

So yes, I went with my own reservations. It had been a long day of listening to many experts from various fields. Some people started late but Vineet was here on time. Little did most of us in the hall realise that here was someone who was laying his heart on the table. Keeping it out there on the chopping board for all of us to partake in. Like most people in a new city, he said he started out with almost no experience and he was treated with disdain by a disgruntled customer who talked down to him.

Vineet says that it was the time that he made the decision to become better than the best. He doesn't claim that he is an expert on Indian cuisine. He is only going along for the ride and making the mistakes and taking a bit from here and there and improvising along the way.

His message resonated with me. Still does every time I am in the kitchen. Perfecting a dal. My own little lentil pot of rich flavours. It is never too late to learn, thank you Vineet for the lesson.



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