While it’s important to know what’s going on around the world, we also want to be trendsetters in a lot of ways. In the last two months, we’ve really gone the non-hotel way and are doing things, which hotels are generally not known to do,” says Chef Paul Kinny, the director of culinary at The St. Regis Mumbai. He then goes on to bring up the Naga Food Festival that the hotel hosted, elaborating, “People are really interested in knowing about what kind of food it is, what are the ingredients, what is the cooking style. While it’s a lot of education and learning, which is required, we also realise that our staff ends up learning a lot.”
This push from hotels around the country has resulted in well-travelled diners being spoilt for choice, both when it comes to discovering regional cuisines or quality of ingredients. At hotel restaurants, chefs are working to offer healthy, local cuisine that tells a story. Whether that be working with in-house resources, like the ESPA-curated menu at The Leela Palace Chennai or collaborating to source organic produce, the country’s five-stars are rising to the challenge.
As hotels see a number of diners, ranging from long-stay guests to locals, their menus have to adapt. Rohit Tokhi, executive chef at The Leela Palace Chennai, says, “To meet the needs of our guests we have adopted a more personalised approach, wherein our chefs on the floor connect with guests directly to understand their requirements and customise their food accordingly. This also helps us build a better connect with the diners.” While long-stay guests seek out healthy fare, those splurging on a celebration are more willing to indulge – though if a hotel can create dishes that combine both (healthier ingredients with luxurious indulgence), it’s a win-win, explains Avijit Singh, owner of House of Rohet, who, feels, “The future of the food space is moving towards a more farm-to-table approach with growing appreciation for organic and locally-sourced produce.”
Restaurant guests are the beneficiaries as hotels are taking a cue from a new generation of ‘woke’ diners, who would like to eat local, eat healthy and eat sustainably. So while we’ve all read about sourcing ingredients ethically, liaising with farmers and thinking of ways to minimise wastage – it’s something that hotels, given their scale, can implement with an impact. At ITC properties across the country, Manisha Bhasin, senior executive chef at ITC Maurya, New Delhi explains, “On our menus, we do not serve fish that is overfished. We have collaborated with WWF for this initiative, which in turn is also making guests more aware of sustainable foods.” Gagandeep Bedi, executive sous chef at Shangri-La’s-Eros Hotel, New Delhi echoes the sentiment and says, “Use of organic vegetables, super seeds, naturally available ingredients are in high demand these days.”
When it comes to introducing diners to superfoods or ingredients that they’re unfamiliar with, chef Anshuman Bali, executive chef at the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar says, “We make it like a story, to entice the customer.” This aspect of storytelling can be tied to diners taking to social media to tell their audience about their meals – ranging from trying new cuisines to touting their own sustainability bonafides. As a result, hotels are putting together special menus that take guests on a culinary journey.
Chef Satbir Bakshi, executive chef at The Oberoi Mumbai explains the thinking while offering up the example of the menu at Ziya, “Our modern Indian restaurant, where one can expect a certain rhythm that encapsulates interesting story telling with each dish.” He further elaborates, “In the all new Earth, Land and Sea menu where the menu has been bifurcated based on the origin or ingredients, and not by standardised courses, one can enjoy bite-sized portions high on flavour, texture and elements of surprise, each designed to give the guest a glimpse of regional India in its modern avatar.”
Coming back to the Naga Food Festival that The St. Regis Mumbai hosted, it is this kind of food that diners want – as it is authentic and usually involves working with someone who has grown up in the tradition, in this case Karen Yepthomi of Dzukou, the New Delhi-based restaurant. Says Madhumita Mohanta, executive chef at the Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata, “the trend is towards home-cooked meals that give consumers an insight into people’s culture and community.” As a result, regional Indian fare is finding favour at eateries with Kinny emphasising that it also offers chefs in the kitchen the chance to learn about and cook a completely new set of dishes.
Mohanta adds that younger diners especially, want to know where produce is coming from, and worry about things like provenance and sustainability. At the recently-opened Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru, this is borne out as dishes, like the Coorgi kaapi opera cake and Karnataka banana cake specify where their main ingredients come from. Stephane Calvet, the executive chef, explains, “I have always been a big fan of local produce and would do anything to promote local suppliers. Here in our Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru, we work closely with some producers like First Agro, Ivory Root, Green Farmers, etc.”
Ivan Chieregatti, the executive chef at the Hyatt Regency Delhi sums up how diners have changed in their wants, “Food fads become mainstream really fast. With innovation being key, visionary chefs, restaurateurs and mixologists work on unique offerings to entice and entertain diners,” who are always seeking out new experiences that chime with their worldview.
For hotels it is a chance to showcase their culinary skills while also working to give diners what they want, without compromising on taste and of course the dining experience — both of which they’ve honed over the years.
