Eat,Write,Love

In London,he assisted several Michelin Star chefs and worked with them. When asked about his experience,Swamy admits that,the practical wisdom gained from them was overwhelming. “All were perfectionists. They instilled in me a sense of perfection for the culinary arts and I liked the systematic order of the course. They expect you to give your best and that’s how we learn,” he says. “This is a makeover time for the Indian palate. It’s time to take Indian food international. It’s just not idli,sambar and butter chicken,but there are lot more things for people to understand about Indian food.”

Swamy was the food consultant for the show,Master Chef India, in its first and second seasons,and will be consulting for season three as well. He has worked with several brands like the Taj group of hotels in Mumbai,Bombay Brasserie in London,and Kuwait Airways. As a menu planner,he set up the Bowl House brand,which is a chain of restaurants serving south-east Asian cuisines,among a few other brands. “It is rare that the chef is noticed while working with a large brand. The chefs who step out and be different make a name for themselves,” he asserts.

After having written several cookbooks for clients,he wrote his first independent cookbook,entitled The East Indian Kitchen,in , which won the International Gourmand Award for Best Cookbook from India. It is now in the running for Best Cookbook in the World 2011. Seva Mumbai , Migrate India and Amritsar are his upcoming books,and are likely to release in December. “I am sure it would be one of the loftiest selling books. I will also continue doing freelance food styling and write more on food-related topics,” says Swamy.