Going social with food

The past few weeks have seen many a seasoned chef beat the ‘cooking coma’ by using social media as a platform to not just talk recipes, but also share insights about the wholesomeness of food, writes Madhulika Dash

Two weeks ago, when a homebound Chef Sabyasachi Gorai (Chefpreneur, Fabrica By Saby) began doing live videos on his Instagram handle (@sabygorai), it felt an obvious way to keep his team in various restaurants (Lavaash By Saby, PoppinsHotal, Byg Brewski, Bob’s Bar and such) “motivated”. His idea was to keep the R&D spree that he had started during the pre-lockdown phase, “go unobstructed.” But in the weeks following the first Sunday stay-at-home, the videos that initially were meant for the team, transformed.

Chef Saby

“I had this flurry of people joining in to ask things which ranged from how to freeze vegetables to how to use an ancient grain and even finding alternates,” recalls the culinary whiz, who was soon joined by his protégée and award-winning Chef Megha Kohli (@meghakohli) to partake some of the requests, especially those, says Chef Kohli, “which warranted a video like the recent ravioli we did on demand.” Today, both Chef Gorai and Chef Kohli’s Instagram accounts have moved from just being advocates of traditional food, to a stop shop, to ‘all things food’, especially those that can help you get through the time with “taste and wholesomeness”.

Chef Megha Kohli

Fascinatingly, Chef Gorai isn’t alone at finding a cause to re-purpose his social presence, Chef Vikas Seth (Culinary Director, Sanchez- Sriracha) too became one of the few to re-tweak his platforms (@chefvikasseth) to become more relevant and suit the new need. Reveals Chef Seth, “to tell you the truth, the idea was just to make a home-diary where I could invite all to what was being cooked in my kitchen on a day-to-day basis, and how I used food to kill boredom and find means to do things with my family. That’s how the now-famous chilli-chocolate cookie and the chia lemonade, and of course, the avocado, tomato chutney, pear toast was born, but as we went on, it began focusing on this simple, delicious food that was functional, tasty and with that nugget or two of
‘health’.

Chef Vikas Seth

The sense of the need for functional food became the nudge for Chef Mandar Madhav (Executive Chef, Conrad Centennial Singapore) to tweak his Maharashtrian food dedicated Instagram (@chef.madar) into a space that had quick, one-bowl meal that did more than just satiate the palate — it helped rediscover food. “Even as a chef, we have these spurts of what we call ‘cooking coma’ where we do not know what to make — and look for comfort food that is easy, tasty, nourishing and yet a variety to the common favourites,” says Chef Madhav, who has since then dug up his childhood food notes to get a variety of simple, yet wholesome recipes like the gongura prawn, baked handvo and laziji — all made with few ingredients, but staple heavy.

Another chef to reinvent his social presence is Chef Pawan Bisht (Corporate Chef, One8 & Verandah), who calls the change an “unplanned charter.” Says the Nainital-born who often shares videos and pictures cooking one traditional dish from his farm in Chhoi, “while most of my food here is extremely local, I realised the connect that some of our dishes and techniques have a pan-India presence. And a few that can be made anywhere you are with a collection of simple pantry ingredients.” The realisation proved to be a turning point as today, says Chef Bisht (@pawanbisht1), “it isn’t just a place where I am documenting tradition but reinvesting in food — how it is grown, what it can be used for and of course substitution.”

Hemp chicken curry

With this, Chef Bisht has joined food advocates like Sheetal Bhatt (@theroutetoroots) and Alka Jena (@CulinaryXpress) who have used heritage and heirloom food to promote the cause of good food habits. Says Alka, “the answer to most of our issues today can be found in food, like kheer for calming the body and mind down, or santula to give you a delicious power bowl of nutrients. One just has to find it.”

This food pattern has found support from some seasoned lifestyle specialists like Dr Vishakha Shivdasani (@doctorvee) who have been using their social media to advocate ‘food as the key to good health.” Says the columnist who dabbles between sharing articles, tips and even her own cooked meals online to help promote the cause of ‘food as medicine’, “there is no better time than today to understand the key role food plays in our wellness — and I am not talking recipes or dishes but the whole pattern of food.”

Chef Prateek Sadhu

Concurs Chef Prateek Sadhu (Chefpreneur, Masque), who has been known for his unique take on ingredients, technique and of course foraging. But now limited to his home, he drives another aspect of food home, preservation. “The thing about food is that it is edible in its entirety, just needs the know-how,” says the award-winning chef who today works his post to help people navigate the zero wastage drive by helping them use peels, stalks and even old vegetables to interesting use like making a stock using onion peels and such using spices to build in.

A few years ago, celebrated food author Michael Pollan in his book The Omnivore Dilemma had said, “for our generations to survive, we need to dig deep into the food tradition of the past.”

While Pollan meant it as a solution to the larger food crisis in the US, little did he know that it would be the path most taken by chefs to break another crisis — staying home and staying healthy.