The Young Brigade

Chefs Kunal Kapur, Tejas Sovani and Vikramjit Roy are experimenting with form and flavour to reinvent the modern dining experience.

- Shafquat Ali & Bibhor Srivastava

Gone are the days when the place for chefs was in the kitchen, the place for creativity was in the recipe books and the place for innovation was mostly in the realm of imagination. Today, chefs like Vikramjit Roy and Tejas Sovani have taken their rightful place in the restaurant floor while celebrity chefs like Kunal Kapur are dominating the small screen. As kitchens have become the playground for experimenting, innovation is the norm rather than the exception.

While Vikramjit, head chef at the much-acclaimed Tian, ITC Maurya, has been billed as the brightest creative chef of his generation, Tejas, the executive sous chef at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, has caught the imagination of food connoisseurs with his innovative twist to age-old recipes at the awarding-winning Amaranta. On the other hand, Kunal, the Delhi-born celebrity chef and restaurateur, refusing to rest on his laurels as “the next big guy in kebabs and curries in India” left his job as executive sous chef at Leela Gurugram to continue making waves on television while touring the farthest corners of the country in search of new recipes.

As the culinary revolution sweeps the country, this Young Brigade of Chefs is experimenting with form, flavour and presentation to reinvent the modern dining experience.

In a freewheeling interview, Hotelier India sat down over lunch with Vikramjit, Tejas and Kunal to find out more about their culinary philosophy and their gastronomic journey. Excerpts:

As three young chefs who are changing the face of modern dining in the country, how do you think India’s culinary journey has evolved?