Kolkata girl Megha Jhunjhunwala discovered her passion for cooking when she was all of five. The MasterChef India Season 2 contestant found her way back to the culinary world after a slight detour, but once she did, there was no turning back. In 2019, Megha started Hearth & I, a bespoke venture that has taken her around the world, collaborating with local chefs to create “luxury sit-down” meals. In a short span of time, the 39-year-old has cultivated a reputable clientele across the globe, from a mountaineering couple in Iceland to the Ambanis.
My Kolkata had a freewheeling chat with The Modern High School for Girls alumna, as she poured her heart out about her culinary journey, and even shared a recipe!
Edited excerpts from the conversation follow.
My Kolkata: MasterChef India Season 2 — let’s start there. How was the experience?
Megha Jhunjhunwala: I think the best part about MasterChef India was meeting the wonderful friends I now have across India. I probably wouldn’t have bothered to enrol myself, but my elder sister did, so I went along for the ride.
What role did Kolkata play in your growth and aesthetics?
I did my schooling at The Modern High School for Girls, and later moved to London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins for my higher education. I was always inclined towards art and design, but finally dropped out and moved to food, which was my true north, and studied cuisine and patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in 2010.
Kolkata is my roots, my foundation and will forever be. Growing up in Kolkata — it felt safe. The people of Bengal have touched my life and they influence me till date with their love, culture, emotions and especially food.
Bengali food like bhaja moonger dal, jhuri alu bhaja, and Gobindobhog rice is still my go-to meal after a long day at work.
How did you find your calling in the culinary world?
From what my mum tells me, I started cooking at the age of four or five. I remember standing on a stool with my mum by my side while I instructed how I wanted the vegetables to be chopped, sauteed and flavoured. I think I always took cooking for granted, but my family always encouraged it. Even whilst I was away in London studying fashion, I think I spent all my allowance on grocery shopping and feeding my friends, flatmates and their friends. It is such a joy to be in the kitchen and feed people!
I realised cooking always came naturally to me. I could cook anywhere, anytime — even when I lived in the Himalayas for a couple of years a decade ago. I intuitively cooked a whole meal for the first time with a single clay stove in the higher Himalayas with whatever was available, which wasn’t a lot.
Tell us more about your Hearth & I…
I started my company named Pepperstar in Kolkata, back in 2009. I did bespoke 7- to 14-course sit-down private dinners and events. Hearth & I came into being in 2019, when I moved to Delhi after getting married.
Hearth & I specialises in sit-down 7- to 14-course menus, world cuisines and patisseries — focusing mostly on western cuisine. We also do some regional cuisines like Bengali, Marwari, Garhwali and Goan. We have started catering as well. We have done pop-ups and Indian workshops in places like the UK, French Alps, and Iceland.
We have a core team of 15 people currently and also collaborate with local chefs across the world for larger events.
What are some of the milestones you have achieved with Hearth & I?
I think the greatest milestone is that we barely do any marketing and that we’ve been able to grow a wonderful clientele in Delhi NCR, which not being my home base is a big thing for me. Eventually it’s this clientele that literally forced us into catering and now that wing has grown beautifully and steadily across India and Europe as well.
How do you approach curating a multi-course menu? What factors influence your choice, and how do you ensure the menu resonates with the occasion?
It depends on moods, flavours, occasions and themes. Each dinner is approached very uniquely to bring forward the best experience, which is heartfelt and greatly valuable for the client.
For your ‘A Love Letter to India’ sit-down menu in London, you served ‘shukto soup’. What other ingredients and flavours from Bengal feature on your global menu?
Shorshe, nolen gur and Jharna ghee.
Any growing trends that you have noticed in these types of meals?
Small plates and variety, including diet-specific food options, are taking priority in menu planning.
Your Labneh has ingredients from various parts of the world. What inspired this approach, considering the importance of sustainability and reducing carbon footprint today?
Authenticity is the key. We love to transport our guests to the region the food is from. Thus, certain ingredients cannot be replaced. But we do a mix of working with our local partner farms and vendors as far as possible.
Your Instagram profile gives glimpses of lip-smacking gourmet food. What, in your opinion, is the future of gourmet food?
Thank you! Means a lot considering I barely get time to get out of the kitchen and be on Instagram. Gourmet food is moving toward more region-specific cuisines, thus reviving hidden stories and putting so many more cultures on the food map through its food.
Any memorable clients you’ve worked with so far in your career?
We’ve been blessed to work with some of the best business houses and clientele in India, from the Ambani wedding this year to a very special mountaineering couple in Iceland.
Small bites with Hearth & I
The most popular cuisine ordered
Lebanese, Mexican and Italian
The most popular dessert order
Our gluten-free signature Belgian Dark Chocolate Torte
A dish that is always a hit in the UK
Sangar ka sabzi (a Rajasthani dish made with beans and berries)
A fail-proof format of presentation
Grazing tables and platters
An ingredient you’re toying with next
Zucchini
The most difficult ingredient to source
Fresh morel
The most popular vegan order
Our in-house vegan cheese grazing platter
From the kitchens of Hearth and I
A gourmet recipe that you love and would like to share with our readers?
A simple tahini to make the perfect hummus —
Ingredients:
- White sesame seeds: 200 gm
- Garlic: 7 cloves
- Fresh lime juice: 2 tsp
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 100 gm
- Salt: To taste
Recipe:
- Dry roast the sesame seeds until nice and toasty. Allow it to cool down
- Mix all the ingredients together and make a paste
- Add some water at this point to get your desired consistency
- Add water to thin out as desired for salad dressings
Tip:
- Add herbs and spices of your choice to play with different flavours
