He epitomises the philosophy that the journey to a destination is far more important that the destination itself, for executive chef Ananda Solomon of Taj President, Mumbai, likes nothing better than to seek out his culinary beliefs, experimenting on new ingredients everyday and travelling to sample a variety of cultures and food. And if that is the effort that makes for the ingredient of a successful meal, his recent National Tourism Award by The
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India for best chef, is the proverbial proof of that pudding!
From the culture to living habits, weather conditions, economic strata, how a wedding takes place in a certain town — are all pointers to the way people eat. And the best way to discover what the food of a place is about, he says, is simply to take a road trip.
“I have had the best food on the Maharashtra-Kolhapur-Belgaum-Kankavli-Goa stretch, far from the reaches of technological gadgets and other wizadry. My favourite dishes here are the fish chilli fry to be had with rice rotis — everything is hand-made and prepared in earthen pots, you can’t beat that taste,” he states. His other vote go to the parathas-dal and pickle that is made fresh at the dhabas on the Delhi-Chandigarh route.
It’s been 16 years since Ananda introduced Thai food to Mumbai’s foodies at a time when the cuisine wasn’t a mainstay in Mumbai. “There were a few who tried their hand with the cuisine and failed,” he says. So in an age of easy-come-easy-go operators, what has been his secret to success? “I’m always experimenting. I get into the kitchen and work on creating new flavours everyday,” he says.
There are also certain rules he goes by. “For me, there is so much that goes into a meal. I like to run a good kitchen with a great attitude! There’s no scope for lethargy, where there is no aggression you are bound to fail. I also think great places are not a one day phenomenon. Today’s guest has evolved too. He has travelled far and wide and is looking for perfection. So, if you want to excite the taste buds of a person, you have to be on your toes all the time.”
