To Serve, with Love

Over two decades ago, when Chef Sanjeev Kapoor started out with his solo TV show Khana Khazaana, he had a tough time explaining to the producers of the channel the potential of food as entertainment. “The producers thought that food was only for a niche audience, a misconception that I wanted to clear. When I saw that my efforts of trying to convince the producers were going in vain, I decided to launch my own channel, Food Food,” says Sanjeev Kapoor, during the launch of his latest book The Yellow Chilli. The launch was also marked by a cookery contest “Kitchen Queen of Pune”, held at The Yellow Chilli restaurant in Koregaon Park on Tuesday, and judged by Kapoor.

According to Kapoor, India has three religions — Bollywood, cricket and food. “Nothing can influence Indian audiences more than these three things,” he says.

The Yellow Chilli demonstrates how restaurant food can be cooked in a simpler method at home. “Often people ask me why is it that food cooked at home never tastes like the dish prepared at a restaurant. When you cook in a large cauldron, or on high heat, as in commercial kitchens in a restaurant, food tastes different. It’s all about proportions and having a knack,” he says.

A show up his sleeve is Secret Recipes, in which people with secret recipes from across the country will be auditioned and then featured in a show. At the auditions, to be held in several cities, participants will prepare any secret recipe before a panel of judges that will also include the Kapoor.

The selected participant will get a chance to be on air and cook the secret recipe with Kapoor on the show.