Captain Cooks

Most of them, like Ronald Neubauer, the executive pastry chef at J W Marriott8217;s Bombay Baking Company, are here on contract. Neubauer, who8217;s been with the Marriott group since 1992, has been in India for the past 20 months. But some, like Delhi8217;s Tarsillo Nataloni, who set up the popular Italian restaurant Flavors in Defence Colony, settled in the capital 8216;8216;by chance.8217;8217;

Nataloni first came to India as a tourist in 1992. 8216;8216;When I came here, I felt very close to the country. India is much like Italy and I really love its people,8217;8217; says Nataloni, who was looking to open an Italian restaurant in either Europe, South East Asia or the Carribean.

Dario Dezio, who came to Pune 14 years ago leaving Cabaret Voltaire, his restaurant in Sicily, is another of the species. For someone who8217;s passionate about yoga, travelling to the mystic East in search of a guru was the obvious choice. Here, he found his soulmate now his wife Rebecca, who had also come to India from Britain for the same reason! Dezio8217;s joint, La Pizzeria, is a must-visit for every food-loving Punekar.

Ever popular Italian chef Danio Galli found his soulmate, an Indian, over a game of cards. Galli married Saswati, whom he met at a friend8217;s place in Delhi. He is now taking Mumbai by storm at J W Marriott8217;s Mezzo Mezzo, after giving Delhi8217;s tastebuds a royal treat during his stint at Hyatt8217;s La Piazza. A true purist, chef Galli is modern about everything from the presentation of his dishes to the curious innovations he tries out8212;white pizza with potatoes, marinated salmon and egg. Chef Cummings too believes: 8216;8216;Fusion cuisine might be very popular today, but will be gone in a couple of years. It8217;s flair and creativity that make the difference.8217;8217;

A look at Cummings8217; appetising prawn cocktail, served in a broad plate instead of a glass, is proof enough. But this tasty tidbit is close to the chef8217;s heart for more than one reason. Cummings popped the big question to his now wife, Laura, when they were both high on prawn cocktail.

Though fusion is a complete no-no, these chefs don8217;t miss making the best of both worlds. Like Galli, Nataloni too is settled in blissful matrimony with an Indian, Mary Claire. Again, when it comes to Indian cuisine, they love it. Nariyoshi Nakamura, the Japanese executive chef at The Metropolitan Hotel Nikko, Delhi, has fallen in love with the city and Indian food. This Kaiseki and Sushi expert dishes out a grand Japanese fare at Sakura, the popular Japanese eatery at Hotel Metropolitan Nikko, but relishes 8220;tandoori chicken, dal, curry, roti and Indian rice8221;. And Francis Luzinier, the new executive chef of Renaissance Hotel in Mumbai8217;s far flung Powai, is the guinea pig when the hotel8217;s desi eatery Nawaab Saheb8217;s chefs are test-driving their kebabs. 8216;8216;The chef says, if I sweat, he knows the food is good!8217;8217; says Luzinier laughing.

Between dishing out exotica and ensuring that all their guests are floating on clouds after sampling their meals, our chefs have no time to spare for the mundane.

Luzinier is waiting for his wife to come down from Sydney. But he knows, once here, his wife will pose the usual irate question to him, 8216;8216;Who are you married to? The hotel or me?8217;8217; Even for Galli, there has been no time out since his wedding in October. But even after his exhausting daily schedule, he takes time out for water cycling or golf. Dario8217;s greatest passion, apart from cooking, is painting. And what about yoga? 8216;8216;I start my day with at least 15 minutes of yoga,8217;8217; and that8217;s all the time he can get.

Neubauer, however, has different priorities. After a day filled with blueberry muffins and pastries, it8217;s his few hours of sleep that he is really particular about.

With inputs from Priyamvada Kowshik in New Delhi and Uma Karve in Pune