Hello Fellow Readers!
There’s a crazy connection which can easily be built amongst those who love food and that’s what made me feel super excited when I got to know that Chef Ranveer Brar was coming to my city. I had to do anything to be free during those hours!
I was dancing with joy when I got a phone call which asked me for good food places to visit in Surat and that Chef will be available at 2 pm.
After introducing myself and I waited for him complete his shoot. Interviewing while walking breaks the ice easily and allows you to share more as you move. Hence, we decided to walk around the place as we talked.
Though I was completely lost and my phone battery had drained down, couldn’t keep track of what questions I was about to ask, whereas looking at him constantly smiling and talking to the camera when he was on shoot, had my thoughts feel totally strayed. I realized that it sure is a big task to be a celebrity chef and constantly smile at the camera.

Source: http://www.ranveerbrar.com

Source: http://www.ranveerbrar.com
I have always loved watching travel and food channels on TV and felt fascinated watching Chefs cooking, travelling, talking about food. And there I was, watching it happening for real and talking to the person I’ve watched on TV for years.

The more you get to know Indian cuisine, the more you realise there is a lot left to discover” commented Chef and Host Ranveer Brar.
Chef is indeed a very simple and humble by nature. He was too tall to fit in my selfie but he made it with a smile that wrinkled around his eyes. He never fails to connect with people he meets on his journey with that smile and that’s what helps us connect with him instantly on the screen too.
Well, let me introduce you to Chef Ranveer Brar if you don’t already know who he is. You must have seen him on Food Food, TLC or NDTV Good Times starring various shows like Breakfast Xpress, The Great Indian Rasoi, Thank God It’s Fryday, Health Bhi Taste Bhi, Season 4 of MasterChef India. He was the youngest executive chef at the age of 25 to have ever worked with a five-star hotel in India.

At present, he is the senior executive chef at the Novotel Mumbai, Juhu Beach and is also overseeing the Dosa Factory and Shalimar in Cambridge, as well as Mantra in Boston. He handled banquets at the Rashtrapati Bhawan and at the Prime Minister’s residence, plus he cooked for several Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities, both in the US and India, got featured among the top 50 chefs in the Indian Culinary Forum book.
Apart from the fame and all the achievements he has, we admire him for the Desi Sikh he has in him. I have seen him sitting on the floor, cooking in an open kitchen at a small village for farmers and also in well-furnished kitchen of five-star hotels cooking as a host. Love how he keeps that Punjabi spirit alive even in his dishes.
When did you realize that your passion revolves around food?
When I was 15, I cooked Rajma for my mom when she was sick. It earned plaudits from my Dad and that kind of sealed the deal for me. Till then I was flirting with food, around the streets of Lucknow, neighbours’ and friends’ houses and so on.
One local recipe which you enjoy cooking as much as eating.
I happened to visit a small village near Jodhpur inhabited by the Bishnoi tribe. Here, I met an interesting personality called Shanti Devi who treated me to an amazing meal consisting of Rabodi’ a simple sabzi made out of sun-dried Jowar papads and ‘Raab’ a buttermilk drink thickened with Bajra flour. To this day I recall and feel inspired by those dishes.

“With the show rediscovering recipes and reviving forgotten ingredients once again was a thrilling experience. We have more insights into our culture of food and Season 2 will cover a lot more than viewers have seen before.” stated Ranveer Brar
Tell us about some of the most interesting cuisines you encountered on your travels?
During my visit to Kerala a couple of years ago, I was invited to lunch with a Syrian Christian family. I had this amazing Kappa Meen curry (Cooked tapioca served with spicy fish curry) The best part, the fish curry tastes even better the next day, with the Kudampuli and other spices that get absorbed better into the fish. This dish definitely won my heart!

Source: https://urbanasian.com
What is one ingredient that you can’t cook without?
I think it’s the Punjabi in me, but I always find a reason to incorporate ghee in what I cook. There’s an insider’s joke that if the show wasn’t called Raja Rasoi Aur Andaaz Anokha it would be called Raja Rasoi Aur Ghee! I personally feel ghee can elevate any dish, any mood, any time.

source: http://www.ranveerbrar.com
What is the motivation behind your new show and behind you being a successful chef?
I strongly believe that food is a giver. Having been a chef for more than 2 decades now, the people I meet, the stories, the smiles that I witness and come across each day keep me going. There’s so much more to learn and discover.
What cuisines will we get to discover with this show?
Subcuisines of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka & Maharashtra
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What is the best and worst part of being a celebrity chef?
The best part is that it gives one the reach, a larger audience to convey your views and ideas to. The tricky part is that it comes with a lot of responsibility and that has to be handled well.
Which was the dish that you liked the most in Surat? Any recipe that you would love to try from among the dishes you came across in Surat?
Surati Locho.

Source: instagram/ranveer.brar
Did your family always support your interests being inclined towards cooking in your earlier age?
I hail from a family of landlords so the initial reaction was certainly not favourable. They thought it was a passing phase and that I should opt for a more conventional occupation. But once they saw how determined I was they accepted my decision.
There are people in India who still think men shouldn’t cook. Would you like to say anything to them? Have you ever come across anyone like that?
That notion has been changing, gradually but steadily. Among my social media audience or those attending my live demos too, I see men (young & old) showing as much interest & passion in recipes & cooking as women.

Source: http://www.ranveerbrar.com
11. The way to a kid’s heart is also through his tummy. How do you connive as a chef-dad?
(laughs loudly) Don’t we all? Well, if Ishaan says, and I always ask him, he wants to eat chocolate and I want to give him Nachni, then we make Nachni kheer. You always have to work around things and make the most of it.

Source: http://www.ranveerbrar.com
How do you manage your health and fitness when you are travelling and trying new food on the streets of different regions?
The trick is to taste as you go and not binge eat. I also try to stick to my exercise routine where possible plus take time out for a little Kalari practice and/or Yoga.
Few words you would like to say for your fans in Surat and my readers.
Surat is an amazing food destination and I’ve always received so much love during my visits here. Stay food blessed!
And we ended our walk with a cup of chaai and mesmerizing conversations about his love for Nihaari and Lakhnawi kebabs.
He shared how at the age of 17, a kebab ustad, Munir Ahmed, tutored Brar on the finer points of kebab making. That was the epiphanic moment that made him choose cooking as his calling. It took a good deal of convincing his parents who were important land-owners in the district that their son could be a cook and yet be respected, and finally Brar was able to enrol himself at the catering management college in Lucknow.

Source: http://www.menxp.com
The conversation had its positive impacts for days after our departure.
Thank you, Chef Ranveer Brar and the team NDTV good times for sparing some time in favour of Feather, Ink and Coffee.
Visit www.ranveerbrar.com to know more about him.
Thank you for reading. Special thanks to Ranveer Brar and NDTV Good Times team for making this possible. Love, Amreen Khan.
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