Culinary expert Sanchayita Bhattacharjee Alam speaks to GB

Sunshine Bhattacharjee is a Cordon Bleu Alumnus chef and has made a mark in the culinary circuit for her innovative dishes. In the second edition of Women Writers’ Fest, she will talk about the immense effect of social media and extensive travel on food and its preparation in modern times. Here is what she said to GetBengal.

“People these days are not only reading about food, but the whole concept of food, interests and fascinates everyone these days. Travelling to new places opens further avenues for exploring new food. People who have got nothing to do with food are also cooking, finding out about ingredients, travelling and tasting new flavours. They are even putting up places and eateries where they think that their signature work or work that they are doing individually will get them customers as well as appreciation. They are exploring the countless possibilities when it comes to food. 

But there is also a flip side to it. Anything and everything is going by the name of professional food preparation. Anybody is putting on a chef’s coat and a chef’s hat. I feel that this is a uniform which is earned by training. Today, if I am going to the shooting range and suppose I can shoot a gun, I would not shoot wearing the army uniform. Would I? That is because I am not entitled to do it. The uniform should get its due respect. This is something I feel strongly about. It is wonderful to be a ‘hobby cook’ like a Master Chef, but a basic training is imperative. If a basic training is not possible, then it takes years to bring in perfection in what one does. 

However, the idea of food is simply booming in contemporary times. People are going into real serious work about food, ingredients and sourcing them, while maintaining a firm ethical balance which would be highly beneficial for food producers in the long run. My session would primarily revolve around these aspects. Do come and be a part of the event.”