Too many cooks spoil the broth, they say, but put chefs from all over the world in one place, and you get a veritable feast. Over 800 chefs attended the sixth edition of the International Chefs' Conference organised by the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) held over the weekend at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai.
With the theme ‘Golden Heritage, Glowing Future’, the focus was on young chefs taking over the mantle from established ones. Students from the Culinary Academy of India were in attendance, absorbing a wealth of knowledge from experienced chefs and gaining mentors.
The sessions were 10 to 15 minutes long, taking on the concept of TED talks, so the delegates did not tire but were kept on their toes. Topics ranged from junior development and modern culinary procurement to how to drive culinary education. Christopher Koetke spoke on sustainability, and on finding local solutions to global problems and why it is so critical to the food industry.
Kiruba Shankar gave the chefs a primer on how to best present themselves on social media, and the importance of having an online presence in the digital age. He urged them to create a brand, not only of their restaurants, but also of themselves, so that people would look up to them. Restaurant and business owners were also encouraged to highlight the talent in their kitchen.
With the world’s population booming, the question of how to feed them all comes into play. And that is what Dutch chef Lars Charas of Feed the Planet is trying to answer with his organisation, Feeding Good. “Nutrients in the soil are the most basic thing in the planet. It is responsible for the taste in our food. Currently, 25 per cent of the soil in the world is depleted of nutrients, so plants can’t grow. And with the climate so uncertain, it affects the availability of food,” he said. He called on the chefs present to strive to make a change, no matter how small it might seem. “There are three basic solutions: produce more food, create a better food chain and better eating patterns. As chefs, we can influence all three,” he said. A moving presentation by Chef Willment Leong of World Chefs without Borders brought to light the amount of good that chefs can do in case of natural disasters and how they can make a difference in people’s lives. The not-for-profit organisation gives culinary training to people from underprivileged backgrounds from third-world countries.
Speaking on food trends and nutrition, Vikram Cotah, COO of GRT Hotels and Resorts, said, “We are systematically poisoning our children; studies show that kids these days might live ten years lesser than the previous generation.” He recommended Mediterranean, New Nordic and traditional Asian and Okinawa cuisine for healthier diets. He added that plates would be smaller, meals would be served with a side of bragging rights for social media, chocolate would be darker, beers hoppier and coffee, darker.
A sushi workshop on day two was followed by an intense panel discussion on negating challenges for women in the culinary industry. Chef Manisha Bhasin commented that she had struggled to find something to say about women chefs in a room that had an overwhelming majority of male chefs, but also reminded the audience of the heritage that people like Julia Child and Alice Waters have given them. To combat this trend and make women feel more comfortable in commercial kitchens, the IFCA Women’s Forum was launched. Historian S. Muthiah spoke on the evolving nature of food in Chennai and on growing up with these food stories over the past three decades.
