‘The lessons help me in the kitchen’

Chef Aarthi Sampath

With a time difference of 12 hours, we've woken chef Aarthi Sampath at 6.30 am. In a pleasant voice, she greets us. "You're addicted to competitions," we tell her, as we remember her winning American-reality show Chopped in 2018. She laughs at the fact. Sampath is a participant on two American food reality shows on Food Network - Tournament of Champions and Guy's Grocery Show, which she won.

While the first show has 32 top chefs competing in high pressure challenges, and is being hailed as the toughest food show considering the world's top chefs fight it out in the kitchen, Guy's Grocery store has four professional chefs shopping for ingredients and cooking a dish, all under 30 minutes.

"Yes, I like taking part in competitions. There is so much that I learn from pressure tests, some of which I can later apply in my kitchens. Competition opens up my mind, and gives me a chance to cook next to some of the best chefs," says Sampath. In this season of Competition Champion on Food Network, participants included the winner of Netflix's The Final Table, Timothy Hollingsworth. "The level of competition has risen by 100 times," she says, adding that the pressure is intense.

But that's not all. Sampath is also judging Beat Bobby Flay Season 29. "I am extremely empathetic to contestants since I've been on the other side pretty often. I feel their emotions - the stress, hope, adrenaline rush and the need for approval. I understand that it's hard to stand in front of someone and be judged," says Sampath, who has previously judged MasterChef Tamil, which aired its first season last year.

Sampath, who was born in Chennai and grew up in Mumbai, remembers the khao gali outside HR College at Churchgate. "The watermelon juice and the smell of chat-Indo-Chinese food still works up a good craving. On my last visit, I even tried to enter the premises but was not allowed," she laughs, adding that she was introduced to different flavours during her school days when she would share tiffin boxes with her friends during the lunch break. "Nimboo elevates any dish," she adds.

Sampath is presently a consultant at Baazi NYC, a modern Indian restaurant in New York City. According to her, it is imperative that a chef has a thorough understanding of a cuisine for him or her to create its progressive version. "One must master a cuisine and know how to work around different flavours and textures to retain its authenticity even in a modern form. To break the rules, one must know them well.

Indian food is so flavourful and bright, showcasing regional sub-cuisines that are healthy, or re-creating the dishes that one eats at home is trending right now."