Many years ago, I met writer and gourmet food specialist Karen Anand at a Bengaluru hotel for an interview and her manner was crisp and measured just like her approach towards cooking. She seemed ready for the next chapter of a life that had by now spanned books, TV shows, a brand of her own and she even answered questions about her first marriage with poise. She had said, “I haven’t suffered any huge tragedy in my life. Whatever had to happen, happened. I am stronger and life has gone well in a lot of ways.’’
Back then she had said that the mantra to remember was, “Your control over your life. Be financially independent. To achieve anything, you must be focussed, organised and clear about what you want. Be it my family or work, my focus is clear. My roles in my professional and emotional lives are different from each other. The important thing is to act. To take a decision. I make mistakes, sure. I make them anyway and move on.’’
She had added, “If you want to nurture a family, do that with passion. If you want to work, don’t take short cuts. When I was new to the business, I spent money from my own pocket to learn, to travel, buy books, do research. I worked for free in restaurant kitchens. Today, if am being paid for what I offer, I have earned it. To students who tell me they can’t afford to buy expensive cookery books, I say, ‘Don’t buy an expensive cell phone. Buy a book.’ In order to evolve, one must keep on learning. I have always known, I was destined for something worthwhile. I have always had the knack to keep my head above water. I have marketing skills, without which it is hard to get anywhere. But most importantly, I have passion for what I do, which unfortunately, not many people have.’’
As a consultant to Godrej’s Nature Basket that has launched the Food Trends Report 2015 showcasing culinary innovations, Karen is once again interacting with the media and she looks back at her 25 years in food and the sudden surge of interest in diverse cuisines. She says, “The Indian consumer has definitely evolved and has become more discerning. Exposure through travel and of course TV, has made the consumer more demanding. Of course, we still like food to be tasty and therefore expect a certain level of flavour even if that means we have to go slightly outside the parameter of what is considered authentic. What is very encouraging for an entrepreneur is that even a niche in India represents quite a large number. Success is always a high and it is of course a great reward for hard work as well as vision.”
Having pioneered the Farmers’ Market in Pune, she says, “The Farmers’ Market was an initiative developed by me and my brilliant team of professionals in December 2012. It was the first open-air whole foods and lifestyle market. Anybody who cares about the quality and provenance of the food they eat will love these events – they are open to everyone from chefs, restaurateurs, passionate amateur cooks and people who just love eating and drinking. These markets are described by many as an innovative, unique and quality food experience. I am looking forward to making the market a bigger presence all over India. At every market, we have over 4,000 visitors and pop-up restaurants featuring a variety of regional cuisines and interesting cocktails, a Master Chef demo theatre, cookery workshops, food treasure hunts and a live band.”
Any plans to come back to TV? She says, “No plans to do any judging or anchoring right now, although I would be open to it in the future. I find that the production quality of the Indian shows simply does not match with the quality of foreign shows like Masterchef Australia. I am not quite sure what is wrong—the actual production quality, the contestants or the judges but somehow the package does not work for me. I like watching Jamie Oliver, Nigella, David Rocco and of course Masterchef Australia, both the adult and the children’s version.”
Her range of food offerings has also expanded and she rattles off some of her favourites, “We have a range of conserves and sauces: strawberry conserve, chunky orange marmalade, alphonso mango conserve, Singapore chilli garlic sauce, Schezwan sauce, Mexican salsa, Arrabiata sauce, wholegrain mustard, thousand island and eggless mayonnaise.’’
About winning the Food & Spirit Award (Trophée de l’Esprit Alimentaire), she says, “The award was a huge deal for me and I did not realise the importance of it till I actually went to France and received it at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the presence of many dignitaries.”
Any advice for women who want to make it big in food? She responds, “Prepare to work very hard. Spend hours away from your family and invest in your own business both in terms of time and money. If you are not prepared to do all of the above then just stick to whatever you do with food as a hobby or a small scale business.”
And what is she most looking forward to? “2015 promises to be a unique and fascinating time to be eating in and out in India. A million opportunities are waiting to be explored as chefs are rediscovering the charm of traditional and local — from sourcing to cooking, artisanal trends are increasingly being adopted for brewing beer, making breads and cheese. Indian cuisine to a great extent is being reinvented with the increasing preference for slow cooking. Souz Vide, fusion food and regional foods are making their presence felt like never before,” she concludes.
with The New Indian Express
Reema Moudgil works for The New Indian Express, Bangalore, is the author of Perfect Eight, the editor of Chicken Soup for the Soul-Indian Women, an artist, a former RJ and a mother. She dreams of a cottage of her own that opens to a garden and where she can write more books, paint, listen to music and just be silent with her cats.