Sanjeev Kapoor seems to be ageing in reverse, like Benjamin Button. We have watched him, first on TV and then on various digital media platforms for almost 30 years. Yet, he just seems to be getting younger.
He is as affable in person as he is on screen. In Kochi, for the inauguration of his restaurant, Yellow Chilli, at Lulu Mall, he is upbeat as he settles down for a chat.
If anything, Kapoor is brave. He constantly reinvents himself. Starting with a TV show, then a channel dedicated to cooking, writing multiple cook books, launching cookware, mentoring young talent, restaurant... His plate is more than full. He pegs it all down to his commitment to food.
Is it challenging to stay relevant at a time when cooking is so competitive?
(Laughs) I don’t have to work extra hard, I have always worked hard. I stay true to my beliefs, stay honest and do the things I believe in.
The prism I use to look at food is very different, I look ahead. I don’t see things from a ‘Sanjeev Kapoor perspective,’ it is always from the industry perspective. When I launched a television channel dedicated to food, years ago, I was asked if it would carry only my shows, I said no. I’d create celebrity chefs; then I was asked if I’d create my competition. I said no. It would make the industry grow.
You have to keep your ears to the ground, know what new trends will be and sometimes what you do becomes the trend. When I started my YouTube channel I told people that digital was the future. Now see. Sometimes what happens is, you reach a position where you start defining things — where what I do becomes relevant rather than me doing something to be relevant.
Khana Khazaana, in a sense, was keeping your ears to the ground. (One of the longest running shows on television)...
Television was an opportunity open to all chefs. Chefs, my peers and seniors, used to laugh at me those days. They would say ‘You are a chef, what are you doing giving such easy recipes?’ I would say ‘the show is for women at home. I want them to do something where they will succeed. For me it was very simple, doing what I believed in. I still do.
As for working with technology?
I am working with Amazon, for Alexa. There are only two chefs in the world on the voice platform, and I am one of the two. I am always interested in new technology, it is not thinking about relevance, it is about being in the moment. Trends may come from other industries, I am as interested in food trends as I am in what Elon Musk does, I know what’s happening in hyper loop or I may immerse myself in the history of a place.
But, voice?
I am telling you, we may not use it that much in India, but we will in the future, say the next couple of years. I have been working with Amazon on it and a lot of work goes in. You have to work on the technology, recipes, voice—everything. But before everything, you’ve got to know that you have to do it.
Not only will we be using voice technology in India, it will be in local languages too, not just English.
How did you go about it?
I started a radio show. If I have to work with voice, I have to ‘understand’ voice more. It’s been on air for a year, aired by around 35 radio stations across India. The reason is to create content on the audio media. I wanted to know if I have to give out (sic) on radio — how would people understand, the format — people have to get it, right?
On a format like radio, listening is tracked, and if it doesn’t work they will not keep it on air. The show is the second highest rated.
How did Yellow Chilli, which has close to 70 restaurants across the country and abroad, begin?
Yellow Chilli comes from the belief that food from India should get prominence. People are shying away from the real taste of India, even at home. In a sense, it is my responsibility to keep that flag flying.
An experience abroad, of Indian food, is always more expensive. Why should it be? People shouldn’t feel cheated, they should feel delighted. A lot of disservice has been done, I want to change that and make sure that we start respecting our food.
Since I am from the north of India, the skew of food is from the region, however we try to include some local dishes. It is part of my commitment, it is something we want to do. I have been asked, ‘why would you do that?’ I say, ‘I know why I am doing what I am doing.’
In terms of things I do, restaurants would be the most difficult. In some sense thankless too (laughs). That despite the effort, no matter what you do, people want things their way. There are so many variables—I can do a TV show, write a book, do a recipe for Alexa and nothing will change. There are no risks, but here the risks are high. But still it needs a mad man like me to take it to the next level. I want to broad base Indian food globally, showcase the variety and complexity we have to offer.
Are you chef or entrepreneur?
A chef is an entrepreneur; he has to be, he should be. A chef’s skill set is creation, his cooking is not a hobby, it is done for a purpose. You are creating to sell—it means you understand business. You should know at what cost you create, at what price it is sold. If you don’t get a sense of it, you are not a good chef.
Published - July 13, 2018 02:31 pm IST
