Rising from the bustling streets of Lucknow to the glittering stages of global food television, the celebrity chef Ranveer Brar has had an inspiring career. Be it on sets of MasterChef, debuts in Bollywood movies, or hosting shows, Ranveer Brar has never failed to leave an impression on his audience.
With his culinary wisdom and charismatic personality, Chef Ranveer Brar is back with the show – Star VS Food Survival, the popular series that brings together celebrities, food challenges, and unforgettable moments. To know more about what goes on behind the scenes, the inspiring journey of the celebrity chef, and memorable moments, read this Slurrp exclusive interview with Ranveer Brar.
What’s unique about Star VS Food Survival, and how was your experience hosting it?
It has been thrilling, to say the least. I personally like challenging my limits, and it’s equally exciting to team up with diverse personalities and take up not just challenges but unexpected googlies, too! Each episode brought its own learnings.
What has been your favourite moment on Star VS Food Survival?
One that comes to mind right away…losing our way in Meghalaya with Munawar was unexpected. We were supposed to follow the stream one way, but we ended up following it the other way and had to spend the night in a cave. That wasn’t part of the plan!
We had nothing to eat, and we had to improvise. We boiled Silkworms to eat! Silkworms are a classic delicacy, but they were a challenge for Munawar. We had to catch live crabs, and Munawar got bit by one of them! So, yep, it is challenging and interesting, to say the least. Plus, it started raining, which made things more taxing, in addition to grappling with the difficult terrain.
How has your experience on the show influenced your approach to food?
When you do shows like this, you realise you are not always in control. And cooking is not always about control. Sometimes, it’s about making the best of what you have and believing that nature has given us plenty, not just to survive but to thrive as well. Shows like this help me connect back with ingredients in the first place, their beauty and abundance, and make me believe that actual cooking is about making the ingredients shine, not the chef.
What’s something you learnt about yourself as a host and chef through this experience?
I absolutely love the outdoors, nature, and ingredients in their natural habitat. I love non-interfering cooking, which doesn’t mess up ingredients too much. So yes, this experience was very, very interesting.
Growing up, were there any ingredients you were drawn to?
I grew up on a farm, so yes, farm-to-table was a given for us. As a kid, I was drawn to everything that grew around us, how Biji used them, how seasonality was celebrated and so on. As I grew up, it was the food of Lucknow, and the stories they came with that caught my fancy. These, I believe, were a strong foundation for my ideologies and philosophies around food.
From small kitchens to international recognition, can you share some milestones in your life?
I have had a fair mix of ups and downs in my culinary journey. I was the youngest Executive chef of my time, had a successful restaurant opening spree, witnessed recession in Boston, and came back to India. TV came calling, and I realised I had a much bigger role in life than just cooking behind the scenes. One thing I came to realise is that life is all about accepting it as it is, never giving up, and just improvising, as you would with cooking, improvising with what’s available, and whipping up something unique.
What was your first breakthrough as a chef, and how did it change your career?
My first breakthrough, which actually I didn’t realise was a breakthrough, was my transfer to Goa around 1999-2000. Goa wasn’t really on the top of the radar, it was a little slow and sluggish, especially for a young chef. Basically, it was something that I didn’t think would work for me, as I was more of a Delhi/ Mumbai kinda person. But then, Goa gave me the time to listen to myself and develop myself as a chef. It was in those formative years that I found my true expression.
Can you share a memorable story from your early days in the kitchen?
Plenty of them. For instance, as an apprentice with Munir Ustad, a local Kebab vendor in Lucknow, I learnt that you have to give food its time to cook and the importance of ratios when it comes to ingredients, as also the order in which they are added to a dish. I carry this with me to date.
What advice would you give someone wanting to become a successful chef?
The first thing I always say is to stick to basics. If you have your foundations right and implement them well, you can always improvise and build your signature from thereon.