FEA has been a catalyst for collaborations between home chefs and restaurants or hotels for food festivals. Ankita J Sharma interviewed Sujata Dehury about her Odia Food Festival at The Green House
Do you think such food festivals can support home chefs?
A food festival is both empowering and liberating for a home chef. It is like breaking self-imposed shackles. It opens the gate to more work, business opportunities and meaningful collaborations.
How did you decide the menu?
The thali I did for Ahmedabad was done with a lot of careful thinking. People relished each dish and wanted to know more about the cuisine and the pairings. Be it the Dahibara Aludum or the Odisha style Buttermilk or the Rasabali which is a temple sweet or the Tomato-Khajuri Khata, each dish was appreciated. Gujarati patrons loved the Ekabarni Khechudi.
Was it challenging to work in a commercial kitchen?
I had handled an Odia popup in Delhi, which was tough. At the Weekend with a Home Chef at Green House, House of MG, I presented the vegetarian food of my home state, Odisha. Here, it was like a cakewalk for me as I was confident about my craft. I was already carrying previous experience and had a good idea about the palette of the customer.
Who encouraged you to take on the challenge?
My husband, the FEA family, my own family, close friends as well as social media friends and acquaintances were all supportive of my effort.. My friend sent ingredients from Odisha through courier.
Which were the heart-warming moments?
A senior lawyer, Ajay Choksi and his son relished all the dishes. They especially loved the super simple cabbage patties and ordered a full plate of it over and above the thali. They were also wowed by the Rasabali. Edupreneuer Dr Manjula Shroff, also an Odia, finished two plates of Dahibara Aludum apart from enjoying the thali. I made a quick dish out of steamed colacassia rolls in mustard sauce. An elderly Gujarati lady and her daughter just loved it. This dish was not part of the menu. It filled my heart with joy. A group of young Odia professionals were among my first guests and they were beaming with joy and pride in their cuisine. Another Gujarati family relished each dish and I spent more than half an hour telling them stories about the cuisine. One said she loved the Ramarochak Tarkari though she is not an eggplant fan. This temple style dish has eggplants, potatoes and fried moong daal vadas in it.
