The World According To Gary

Celebrity Chef Gary Mehigan, of Masterchef Australia Fame, Has a New Tv Show That Explores the Transformation of the Indian Food Industry

- Anu Prabhakar

Chef Gary Mehigan is most well-known for his role as a judge on the hit reality TV show Masterchef Australia, but that’s only half the story. He is an author, biker— he hints at a plan to bike from the south to the Himalayas on a Royal Enfield— and, more recently, a podcast host.

Mehigan talks about his latest TV show Masters of Taste with Gary Mehigan and why he is repeatedly drawn to India’s regional cuisines. Edited excerpts:

WHAT ARE YOUR EARLIEST MEMORIES OF TRAVELLING AND EXPLORING NEW FOOD?

When I was a child, travel and holidays were always in and around the U.K. Camping was the order of the day— trips to Devon, Cornwall and Wales were favourites. Cornish cream and ice cream, blackberries picked at the roadside, or an afternoon spent strawberry picking, fish and chips by the sea and long treks and drives through the gorgeous countryside…

My first big adventure was backpacking around Canada in my early 20s. I was working in London at the time and I had an idea of working in Canada or the States. However, those big breakfasts, steaks the size of dinner plates, Caesar salad and the odd fine dining experience showed me that, at that time, it wasn’t for me. But it was one of those moments in life when you realise that there is a big wide world out there and I wanted to be in it!