People want to know traceability of their food: Chef Vicky Ratnani

Healthy eating is increasingly becoming a way of life for Indians, with more and more people expressing interest in not just the taste, but also in what goes into the making of their food, celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani has said.

Ratnani who is curating an exotic 'Global Gourmet Menu' for 35 Brewhouse at J W Marriott here, on Thursday said people now wanted to know about the origins of the raw ingredients of their food.

"I have my health food business, so I know healthy food has become very important in our society.

"Nowadays, people don't ask you how you make a dish. They ask you from where the tomatoes came. 'Are they organic?' or 'Have they been sprayed with pesticides?' The whole question and answer game is very different now, which means people want to know the traceability of their food," he said.

Ratnani added that such demands from customers had also impacted the culinary practices of chefs like him, and for good.

"I look to cook for people. When you are a chef, you have a social and moral responsibility that nobody should go dissatisfied or disgruntled when they leave your restaurant," the chef said.

The 51-year-old gourmand who also hosts several food shows on television, will whip up an eclectic and peppy mix of international delicacies, fused with local seasonal ingredients for the feast on August 30-31.

The spread will include dishes like lobster mac and cheese, desi roast chicken, and crispy fish tacos topped with an Indianised sauce made from beetroot, cucumber and yogurt.

The vegetarian menu is equally innovative with recipes like wild mushroom mac and cheese, Mexican grilled corn-on-the-cob chaat, and Rajasthani Mathania chillies paired with exotic vegetables.

"For putting up this menu, chef Ratnani and the hotel chefs visited the local vegetable markets in Chandigarh to explore the local seasonal ingredients," Ramandeep Marwah, General Manager at the hotel, said.

Ratnani also extended his support to the recently launched Fit India Movement, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said would take the country towards a healthier future.

"When the message comes from the top, it creates more impact. It is about well being of the country. As a chef, I support this campaign. I support local farmers, and I support sustainability," the chef said.