They were both dying to ask each other questions. And so t2 played matchmaker and set up a meeting between this year’s IIHM Young Chef India Schools winner Garima Poddar (Calcutta Girls High School) and last year’s winner Simran Kapur (Modern High). Minutes after Garima was felicitated at Rigolo, the annual IIHM fest in the Kund area of City Centre Salt Lake on November 29, the two girls — both of whom made Calcutta proud in the inter-city masterchef for students — got chatting. Excerpts from the chat where t2 played moderator.
 |
| Garima Poddar and Simran Kapur in conversation |
Simran: After winning, one of the first things I did was Google myself. Did you?
Garima: I Googled myself yesterday! For the first time, it was not my Facebook profile popping up but the winner of IIHM Young Chef.
Simran: What was your quotient with the other participants?
Garima: It was good. It took us time to ease out with each other a bit. Ami became really close to me because we were roommates. And Nishtha is the most adorable terrorist; I still talk to her every second day! Shreya was quite intellectual. And Bushrah and Devika came last moment so I didn’t really get to spend time with them. It was just through the WhatsApp group.
Simran: One question I really wanted to ask was — how did you manage to cook 10 dishes?
Garima: I was very scared. They gave us this rack and I had preparations for 20 dishes stacked inside. But then I didn’t get a lot of ingredients because some weren’t available and others were lying with the other participants and I had to go hunting. Then I ended up making a lot of rice and chef Shaun was like, ‘Make sure you use it!’ So I incorporated it into other dishes, like I made some lemon rice. I didn’t even realise when I had completed 10 dishes!
Garima: What about you, Simran? Did you plan any dishes and go or did you see the pantry and make stuff?
Simran: Everyone plans. But that plan changed four times! When I entered the competition it was soup and when I left, it was amuse bouche.
 |
| Garima is felicitated by IIHM chairman Suborno Bose and chef Shaun Kenworthy |
Same pinch: They both love Italian cuisine *high-five*
Sweet spot: Simran loves all things sweet like chocolates and especially gur in winter. Garima can’t refuse a Chocolate Pistachio Baklava.
Last thing they baked: Simran baked a Kiwi cake for her mom while the “last good thing” Garima made was hand-churned coconut ice cream, which she posted on Twitter and it was retweeted by Gordon Ramsay!
Apps they use: allrecipes.com to cook and Snapchat to post!
Favourite patisserie and five-star restaurant:
Simran: La Maison Des Delices, Waterside Cafe in Hyatt Regency, Jai Hind Dhaba and I’ve heard the Balle Balle dhaba around Salt Lake here is good.
Garima: My current favourite is 1658, before this Fire and Ice, and Hub at Taj Bengal is an all-time favourite.
t2: Garima, you also put up an amuse gueule, the spelling of which t2 Googled for you in London so that you got it right!
Garima: (Points at Simran) The inspiration came from her. I didn’t want to use the same term so I made the salad into an amuse gueule, something that amuses the mouth for a while, like mustard and pepper.
Simran: What one piece of advice do you remember before going to London for the finals?
Garima: Everyone told me, ‘Make sure the shape of your roti is round’. So I took the 100 roti challenge and made 20 rotis every day for five days.
Garima: Okay, if someone served you raw meat in a restaurant or you found a hair in a dish, how would you react?
Simran: I wouldn’t be very rude but I would point it out. I would send the dish back and ask for a better dish. But I wouldn’t be mean because these things could happen.
t2: What apps do you girls use the most?
Garima: allrecipes.com, it has recipes of every dish.
Simran: Snapchat. Everything I eat or make has to go on Snapchat.
t2: Okay, seriously, what are you guys planning to do in life?
Garima: I want to do my Eco honours, then MBA in hotel management and become a chef. And I don’t want to become a chef cooking in the kitchen but a culinary legend in India!
Simran: I’m studying mass communication in St. Xavier’s and I want to become a food critic. What IIHM really helped me with was facing a crowd on stage. If you had seen me before in school, you would’ve cried!
t2: Let’s talk about boyfriends…
(Both roll their eyes)
“Guys these days!” they chorus.
 |
t2: Garima how many pictures do you have on your phone? The first time we asked you to send us a picture of yourself for an article, you sent us 200! |
t2: But when you went on stage, we heard boys in the audience go, ‘Garima, Garima..!’
Simran: I also heard all of them whistling and hooting, Garima!
Garima: (Blushes and says confidently) When Angelina Jolie walks, people also behave like that. But she doesn’t give a damn about it.
t2: How much did you guys have to feed friends and family when you came back as winners?
Simran: I literally cried and told people, ‘Listen, I can’t.’
Garima: I told everyone, ‘Just come to my restaurant when it opens!’ And when my tuition friends asked me I said, ‘See, it’s against the chef’s order to serve cold food so come to my place!’
Simran: What a great idea! Then toh, no one will come to my house only since I stay in Salt Lake! (Laughs)
t2: Now, it’s time to wrap up! Anything you’d like to end with?
Simran: I love you, Garima.
Garima: I love you, too, infinitely! Soon the world shall see us hosting a TV cooking show together and you are all invited!
Text: Karo Christine Kumar
Pictures: B. Halder
What’s your message for these young chefs? Tell t2@abp.in
What: IIHM presents Rigolo, in association with t2
When: November 28-29
Where: IIHM campus and City Centre Salt Lake
It was two days of non-stop fun at Rigolo, the annual two-day fest organised by International Institute of Hotel Management (Calcutta), in association with t2. While the first day of the fest was held at the IIHM campus, the second day was held at City Centre Salt Lake.
The fest saw 14 city colleges participate over two days competing in various events from rapping to college band and western solo.
The fest concluded with a guest performance by SIXthVEDA, a city-based rock band on the evening of the second day.
 |
| The day’s festivities started with IIHM students singing all-time favourite desi numbers like Ajeeb daastaan hai ye. |
 |
| The band from IAM Institute of Hotel Management, performed a rock version of A.R. Rahman’s Dil se re and Urvashi urvashi for Battle of the Bands. |
 |
| Students cheer on participants from their perch near the stage. |
 |
Students pose for a selfie at Rigolo. We love the SpongeBob SquarePants cellphone cover! |
 |
| Students groove to the track Abhi toh party shuru hui hai, during IIHM’s dance team’s performance in the choreography round. |
VOICES
 |
| “This is our last college fest. We came to support our college and just have a good time,” said Shilpa Saha and Atanu Mukherjee, third year students of IIHM. |
 |
| “IIHM organised a great fest and I enjoyed it thoroughly. My college’s choreography event was great,” said Madhura Guha, a first-year student of microbiology at Asutosh College. |
 |
| “I had no plans to attend the fest but came last minute to cheer for the college. Our college student Faizan Khurshid won the prize for the western solo performance. Overall our college came first in the fest, so I had a great time,” said Sutanuka Samanta, first-year student of English honours at Asutosh College. |
Text: Neha Banka
Pictures: Mayukh Sengupta
