Rita Blah and how her popup at Tijouri inspires me!
I don’t think it’s a surprise that Rita Blah’s popup at Tijouri was a big success. I have always said that her food is wonderful and that’s not the opinion of a son and his comfort food. It’s an opinion that is held by some of India’s greatest chefs from Prateek Sadhu to Gautam Krishnankutty. What I actually want to talk about is how inspiring she is. Just the act of doing your first popup at age 72. To continually challenge yourself, to grow, to have dreams and pursue them.That’s the part that blows me away. This wasn’t a simple exercise. It’s one thing to cook at home. It’s a whole other thing to cook in a hotel kitchen for a paying audience with a team that has zero exposure to the dishes or cuisine you’re cooking. The whole act of planning a menu. Thinking of progression and courses when that’s a concept alien to the cuisine. Sourcing ingredients. Planning quantities and estimating how scaling will impact flavours. Rethinking how recipes change with equipment, temperature and ...
