BENGALURU: Ask Sarah Todd about the most striking thing that happened in her life, and she replies, “I’m in the fifth year of my chef’s journey in India, and everything that I cook now has an Indian touch. Initially, I wanted to open an Indian restaurant in Australia. Somehow, I opened an Australian restaurant in India, and I knew then that the universe had different plans for me!” The MasterChef Australia Season 6 contestant received almost 50,000 Indian followers on Instagram on the night a particular episode, wherein she cooked her “infamous aloo gobhi”, was aired.
Todd was at The Leela Palace Bengaluru on Wednesday to judge a cooking competition organised by FICCI FLO, the women’s wing of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A former model who joined a cooking course in Australia and became a single mother at the age of 24, Todd has come a long way by setting up three restaurants in India -- Antares in Goa, Wine Company in Delhi, and The Wine Rack in Mumbai. “I have always been inspired by the home food of different countries. Everywhere I go, I ask someone’s grandma or aunty to invite me home and cook for me,” said the 33-year-old chef, adding that she is “obsessed with dosa”.
Todd’s life lesson is quite simple – give 100 per cent to what that you’re doing. “Once, I was in the park with my son, Phoenix, and I found myself distracted. I asked myself, ‘What am I doing?’ I should be more connected with him, and when I am at work, I should focus there. You have to stay present in the moment,” she added. Her biggest setback was when Antares got burned down in January and she just looked at it helplessly. “Coming out from that shock and rebuilding it was a challenge. But the support I received from all over was a realisation that I have created something so big that I had no idea,” she said, adding that she was once approached by two young girls who had driven for six hours to meet her. One of them started bawling the moment she saw Todd. “I knew then that it’s more than just food. I am an inspiration to so many and that motivates me to go on every day,” she said.
To reiterate this, Todd became a part of FLO Masterchef 2019, where women from the grassroots level cooked dishes that were judged by her and Mir Zafar Ali, executive chef, The Leela Palace. “We help women network into businesses and give them the exposure they need,” said Shruti Mittal, chairperson, FICCI FLO, Bengaluru. They have helped 30 women enroll themselves in a course with Indian Institute of Hotel Management. Some of whom took part in the competition while others attended a job fair at the venue.
Geetha K, a resident of RT Nagar and a mother of two, said, “I want to start a catering business to be economically independent, and support my kids’ education.” Rathna M said she wants to earn a more decent living.
“We learned bakery items like doughnuts, biscuits, cakes, etc.,” she said.