Roni Mazumdar, the only Indian to own a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in the US, talks about his journey with Vir Sanghvi at the event hosted by My Kolkata and the Glenburn Culture Club (GCC) at the Glenburn Penthouse
All images by Amit DattaPratiti Basu Sarkar asks Roni Mazumdar about his take on ‘fusion’ cuisine. ‘Fusion used to be big in New York, but now when people there hear that word, they run the other way. Food or any form of art can be expressed in any way as long as there is integrity. Thus, there's nothing wrong with fusion as long as there’s no confusion!’ said Roni
Chef Auroni Mookerjee of Sienna Cafe interacts with Roni Mazumdar. ‘This was probably the best event I have attended all year. My team and I have been following Roni’s restaurants for a while. We check out what they do and are always aware of any new dish on their menu. The awards they have won are universally recognised, so it is very inspiring! Today was a good dose of inspiration for Sienna,’ said Chef Auroni, who was named one of India’s 10 Best Young Chefs by Vir Sanghvi
Husna-Tara Prakash, chef Shaun Kenworthy and Debaditya Chaudhary (Chowman, Oudh 1590, Chapter 2) are all ears
Puja Kapur (Kookie Jar) and Anand Puri (Trincas) listen to Roni Mazumdar and Vir Sanghvi interact. “It is really great to see someone from our city making a mark in the United States, and continuing to promote local foods and culture,
Minu Tharoor, who said she was very sad when Roni Mazumdar’s restaurant, Rahi, closed its doors in New York, asks Roni about the social responsibility of the food industry during Covid and after
Hotelier and restaurateur Esha Dutta and actor Paoli Dam listen to Roni and Vir speak
The spotlight was on Moon Moon Sen, after whom Roni had named a cocktail at his first restaurant, Masalawala. ‘During the event, I asked Roni when he was going to open a restaurant in Kolkata because our city’s diners have very fixed tastes. They are open to new things, but they always go back to Mocambo or Bar-B-Q…. My mother would always want to have kebabs from Bar-B-Q, and I would have to stand in line and get those kebabs for her! That’s why I asked Roni to open up a restaurant here, because it’s about people’s tastes and loyalty,’ said Moon Moon
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, in town to shoot the Kolkata leg of his next film (starring Pankaj Tripathi, Parvathy and Jaya Ahsan), and Indrani Mukherjee at the event
Chef Doma Wang of The Blue Poppy Thakali interacts with Roni and Vir. ‘I want to learn about all of Roni’s ideas because he’s made such a big name in the United States, which is a highly competitive market. I hope to get some valuable input from him because I would like to open a restaurant over there someday,’ said Doma, who featured in Culinary Culture’s list of #India’sTop30Chefs 2022