THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Picture this. MasterChef judge extraordinaire Gary Mehigan sitting under a tamarind tree on a farm - somewhere on the outskirts of Bengaluru - plucking fresh tamarinds. He's had a masala dosa for breakfast, practised his roti making skills for lunch and there’s a Royal Enfield fresh off the production line that he's stoked about riding, right after.
This might come as a surprise to some fans - but none of the above is fiction. Frequent trips to India over the last few years have led to a spree of desi experiences for this celebrity chef, much loved for both his food and jaunty TV persona. So much so, that Fox Life India offered him a to capture it all on camera - while meeting acclaimed Indian chefs along the way for a new show called Masters of Taste.
New year, new show
“This show is unique as it is the first time that I am working with the Indian counterparts of Fox Life,” says Gary, over an email interview. Raving about his travels and behind-the-scenes with Indian chefs in their restaurant kitchens, he shares with us, “For me, it has been an amazing experience throughout. I travelled to Mumbai and Delhi which carry a distinct food culture, and was amazed to see how these places are making use of modern and cutting-edge techniques to put the best gourmet food on the table for their visitors.” Tasting apart, Gary will also be giving viewers his own reconstructed version of recipes picked up en route.
Knowing his fondness for South Indian food - we are curious whether an idli or uttapam will feature on any of the episodes. “Not at this stage, but I would love to get back there,” responds Gary, who for those who don't know was born in the UK, but moved to Australia, later on, to add to the repertoire of his restaurant profile as a young chef in his early 20s.
Next big trend
Soon to celebrate a decade of MasterChef Australia on air, globetrotting for shoots, and managing his own longstanding restaurant, The Boathouse, in Melbourne that opened way back in 2007 - we have to ask Gary about his forecast on the next big food trend in 2018.
After molecular gastronomy, activated charcoal and edible insects, we're eager to hear him drop a hint of something outrageous. But he says with a pinch of humour, “If I knew, I wouldn't share it, I would be out there doing it!” On a more serious note though, he adds, “I think Indian food is going to come into its own on the world stage. I think the rest of the world has only seen a small taste of what Indian food is about, and with such incredible chefs like Atul Kochhar of NRI (Mumbai) and Manish Mehrotra from Indian Accent (New Delhi) championing modern Indian styles, it’s only a matter of time.” Masters of Taste begins on February 26. On Fox Life India at 9 pm.