Scars are often souvenirs of our past. As a child, Savar Duggal recalls nearly chopping off his finger while being a sous chef to his mother. “I cut myself in the kitchen while helping my mother chop dhaniya (coriander). It nearly took my finger off. I still have the scar, a reminder from my past, which has morphed into a battle scar that represents the moment I realised I wanted to take on the culinary world,” says 25-year-old Savar.
Today, he and his elder brother Ankit run The Supper Club. Set up in 2013 in New Delhi, it is a gourmet catering company that creates novel culinary experiences. “The idea is to provide people with a variety of options of quality food with impeccable service and create a great experience for the hosts and their guests. We do everything, from small sit-down dinners and small house parties to large weddings,” says 29-year old Ankit, a graduate of St Stephens College who went on to study film production in New York.
So how did he make the switch to this fiercely competitive business of food? “We are both intense foodies and it was really our passion for food that gave us the idea,” says Ankit.
Savar studied hospitality and culinary arts at IMI in Switzerland. He says, “Our mom always cooked something different for dinner every night and she would always experiment with different cuisines. This really turned me into a foodie and spurred my journey into the culinary world.” Later, he went on to be trained at Le Cordon Bleu in London. “I went on to be a chef at the Four Seasons Hotels in Shanghai before returning to India,” he says.
The duo then spent a lot of time travelling and soaking up culinary experiences all over the world. When they returned to India, discussions eventually lead to actions, and they forayed into the food business with The Supper Club.
The USP of The Supper Club is ‘Something Different’. They provide gourmet catering services with unique food to their clients that breaks away from the typical mould of catering. “We are a catering company started by a chef and a foodie. Our menus cover international barbecues, Italian and Mediterranean, contemporary European and modern and coastal Indian,” says Ankit. “We wanted to incorporate the cuisines we were most excited about and also offer something different from what is available in the current catering world. Our menus have played a big role in winning our clients over. People today have been exposed to a variety of food, and this has paved the way towards having an interest in more than what might be your typical cuisine.”
The Supper Club also works with all their clients to curate bespoke menus for them. “We are always open to incorporating people’s personal preferences and favourites into all of our menus,” says Ankit. The company’s signature dishes include a finger-licking array of delectable treats like Chicken Tikka Taco with Beetroot Pickle, Prawn Fries, Pulled Pork Sliders, Baby Back Ribs, Pumpkin Curry, Okra Pachadi among others. “We also do a great tiramisu and blueberry panna cotta with a salty cookie crumble,” says Savar.
To them, travelling is a great palate cleanser. This summer, the brothers visited Madrid to experience Iberian food. “We also visited San Sebastian, which can only be described as foodie haven. Ninue and Konkoxa were some amazing discoveries serving up some of the most interesting contemporary Spanish food. The culture there is really centred around food and the culture amongst chefs is wonderful,” say the brothers.
The Duggal’s culinary heroes are Anthony Bourdain—because he’s a bad ass, not because he was a good chef—Heston Blumenthal, Martin Berasategui and Paul Bocuse and Larousse (who wrote the culinary bible Gastronomique).
Today, the duo is busy experimenting with molecular gastronomy at their farm kitchen in Chattarpur. Future plans involve expanding the catering business as well as moving towards a restaurant and a culinary school. Looks like they have their plates full of all things delicious.
Bon Apetit.
For more information log on to supperclubcatering.com