Three MasterChef contestants to tantalise your tastebuds at this pop-up in Chennai

Chennai

In a chat with DT Next, the trio talks about how the culinary scene has changed after the pandemic and what food trends one can expect.

An engineer by profession, Abinas Nayak is someone who loves to uplift regional cuisines and make them contemporary. He observes that after the pandemic, people have become health-conscious and are aware of what they are consuming. “Food industry witnessed a huge change in the year 2020. With a lot of time in hand, people started making healthy dishes at home. More than non-veg dishes, people focussed on plant-based food. They have started including various veggies in the daily meals. On social media, we can see discussions on traditional recipes and how to include them in our diet. This is a very good change and I hope people will stick on to it forever,” says Abinas.

When hotels reopened after the restrictions, the footfall was minimal in many places. “But that’s just a temporary thing. People will definitely step out for dine-in. Presently, there is a fear that the virus is still active. Once things are back to normal, the hotel industry will witness more customers who are willing to try different cuisines and styles of food,” he adds.

Mahendra Thulung, the owner of city-based Dallay, tells us that there is a diversity in food habits and it is healthy. “We have this tendency of criticising our local food made with homegrown ingredients. Before the pandemic, people were more into French, Mexican, or South-East Asian cuisine. I am not saying it is a wrong choice, but we shouldn’t forget our local food. The pandemic has taught us a huge lesson – to take care of our health. Now, many are recreating and reinventing traditional dishes which is a welcoming change,” shares Mahendra.

Though he hails from Darjeeling, Mahendra knows the culinary preferences of Chennaiites. “People here are very open-minded and love to try various cuisines and explore new restaurants. Before the pandemic, almost all restaurants were filled with customers. I think we can see the same in the coming months,” he adds.

While Abinas loves to experiment with rice and traditional desserts, Natasha Gandhi’s forte is millet-based desserts. “I have started making desserts with millets way before it became a trend. I make cakes, cookies, brownies, etc, with various millets. I think after the pandemic people started focussing more on various aspects of cooking. When I tell them that healthy food can be tastier, they didn’t heed it. But now everyone is talking about healthy alternatives,” she smiles. The pop-up will be held on January 30 at Dank Restobar from 12 to 4 pm.