By Puja Gupta
New Delhi, April 24 (IANSlife) Celebrity chef Kunal Kapur believes that “chefs will always be in demand” even in the worst of times in the world, adding that “chefs will have to be creative to be self-sustaining”.
In a conversation with IANSlife, Kapur who recently featured on TikTok to share some easy to cook recipes/cooking tips and hacks with the viewers, shares his views on the impact of the lockdown on the food industry and the chef community. We also find out how he is spending time during the lockdown period and more. Excerpts:
Q. How do you think the lockdown is going to impact the food industry and the chefs community?
Kapur: The food sector has been badly hit and there will be both job and salary cuts. It will be testing times for those that have just graduated from culinary college, who may find it difficult to secure the right opening. On the other hand, online platforms can prove to be a great opportunity for enterprising chefs to demonstrate their skills and create business out of it. Even in the worst of times in the world people still eat and hence chefs will be in demand so I think chefs will have to be creative to be self-sustaining.
Q. Are you inventing new dishes?
Kapur: Yes, that’s an ongoing process, with or without the lockdown. However, at this time, the added challenge is getting the specific ingredients. So, my focus is to be innovative with what is available in the fridge and make videos for the same and share them. This allows more and more people to use my recipe videos to cook in their kitchens at home. It is my humble way of helping society.
Q. How was it hosting an online cooking show on TikTok?
Kapur: This was my first live cooking session on TikTok and the enthusiasm from both myself and the audience was on a high. Food and cooking are one of the top sources of entertainment around the world. The best part is, just after my live session, within a few hours users actually prepared my recipe and started uploading their videos while tagging me. What is even more interesting is that they came together with their family members to cook and later shared it with everyone.
Q. How are you spending your lockdown days? What are you missing the most during the lockdown?
Kapur: I’m using this time to work on my next set of books, so there is a lot of writing involved. At the same time I am very active with cooking on social media. One of the things I miss the most is my travel for food research but I am hopeful that soon things will normalise.
Q. What are your post lockdown plans?
Kapur: Well, all the projects pre-lockdown are being re-evaluated for their viability. Things have changed, the market has changed and once things slide back to normal I think I will have to start on a clean slate.
(Puja Gupta can be contacted at [email protected])
–IANS
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