Abinas Nayak - Food Is An Art And Nothing Can Be More Creative Than It (Winner Of Master Chef India Season 6)

Home kitchen is completely different, we have everything at our footstep, everything is planned in a small amount, you cook alone at home and carry out things according to you. But in professional kitchen everything needs to be planned before, if we are doing any event we have to plan properly, like we need to have an estimate of what and how much ingredients we have to buy, how we have to coordinate among the team members. Working in professional kitchen teaches you a lot of things like team building, patience and how long you can work. So basically, they are two different scenarios hence the approaches too.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

Before master chef or before cooking I was all into basic academics; I had a normal routine. I did my 10+2, then got into engineering and then I worked as an IT guy at Infosys for next 5 years. I was always fond of food, watching food vlogger’s video, learning about food but never got my hand into cooking.

But 5 years back when I was in Thiruvananthapuram working for Infosys, I started cooking by myself and from there I got triggered that I can cook, I did experiments with lot of things. One thing that is very constant in my cooking is to plate the dish very well, it should look neat and clean.

So, it was basically an IT guy trying to cook and get into something professional. Meanwhile I participated in lot of cookery competition which gave me confidence and boost to carry forward. I competed and won in HUNGRY FOR HALDIRAM 2018, then I won PAUSHTIK AAHAR in Mumbai, In Hyderabad I participated in Cookery King and was the runner up there.

I also won the MasterChef Lokicooks fellowship competition in 2019 just before MasterChef India where MasterChef Australia contestant Loki mentored me. I did couple of stuffs to lift up Odia Cuisine in a modern way. All these motivated me more and I knew I can do something. They pushed me to get more mileage and confidence along with skills for my MasterChef journey.

2. What led you take up this career path?

I got into engineering not by any choice, it was just because I had to do it as I completed my Bachelor of Technology degree and was looking for a job. So, Infosys is that dream job which any engineer would like to do. But I was always into creativity, art, painting and everything that is creative.

I never cooked at home during my childhood or until I started working at Infosys. But I was always behind my Grandmother and mother about what’s cooking, how the food is being prepared.

So, I was always observant and curious about it. When I started cooking, I realized food is an art, nothing can be more creative than it, like how an ingredient is transferred in a beautiful plate. This lit the fire inside me to become a chef.

One more thing that was very important for me was I come from state of Odisha and Puri Dham is there which is one among four pilgrimages (abodes) in India. It’s a popular mythological belief that Lord Jagnnath comes every day at Puri to have food. Also, people don’t know much about Odia cuisine which triggered me to do something to promote it and present it on world map.

3. Does one’s approach change while cooking professionally and at home?

Yes, the approaches are different because cooking at home and cooking professionally in a professional kitchen are two completely different scenario. I have been travelling and cooking in different restaurants and kitchens where I have to adapt.

Also, home kitchen is completely different, we have everything at our footstep, everything is planned in a small amount, you cook alone at home and carry out things according to you.

But in professional kitchen everything needs to be planned before, if we are doing any event we have to plan properly, like we need to have an estimate of what and how much ingredients we have to buy, how we have to coordinate among the team members.

Working in professional kitchen teaches you a lot of things like team building, patience and how long you can work. So basically, they are two different scenarios hence the approaches too.

5. Is there a dish you particularly associate yourself with?

There are couple of dishes, but one among them which I could relate the most is ‘Ghanta’. It is an Odia dish we called it ‘Ghanta.’ It is a mix vegetable curry where we put up all seasonal vegetable and add some spice along with some protein such as any dal, peas.

The reason why I relate to it is because I have always been into different fields such as sports, food, extra-curricular activities. So, my mind works in all different fields just like ‘Ghanta’ where all different bunch of ingredients and vegetables are cooked in a same pot, yet the result is delicious.

6. Can cooking be learnt at culinary school or a natural talent is required?

There are people who have this natural talent and amazing skill of identifying ingredients, they have an amazing taste. But cooking is something you can’t have until you try to cook at your own.

Just like any form of art until you don’t practice it you can’t be perfect with it, similarly with cooking. Some may be naturally talented but you have to practice, you have to experiment and understand the ingredients which can be done by trying it constantly.

Those who want to get into professional cooking, they have to get into culinary school because that gives the insight of how food industry works. So, if you are an aspiring chef who wants to get into a professional environment, you should definitely get into a culinary school.

7. Which is your favorite book and why?

There are lots of books which I read and they helped me to learn about spices and flavor. But one book that is my current favorite is ‘Masala Lab- the science of Indian Cooking’ by ‘Krish Ashok’ which includes very minor yet important things about cooking, the science behind cooking and flavors.