Hari Nayak: God of good cooking

Hari Nayak is a world renowned chef, restaurateur and author. Born in India and now based in the US, his first experiment in the kitchen was at the age of 8 when he made masala omelets for his family. Now, he is the God of good cooking. SATimes asked him how he covered this long journey:

Tell us about your family background?

Hari: I'm the youngest of three kids. Older brother is an engineer and my sister is a doctor. Dad is a retired banker and real estate developer and my mother is a retired nurse. As a kid I loved to entertain my family with my cooking skills. I guess I got the skills from my grandfather who was a restaurateur back in those days in a small south Indian town famous for its restaurants "Udupi"

At what age did you become interested in cooking?

Hari: As a kid (age 10) I was always intrigued with the elaborate Indian cooking that would happen in my home kitchen. The other major influence was street vendors who cooked fresh made to order meals right in front of you. It was an absolute treat to watch them cook. I would try my skills on simple breakfast egg omelets to impress my brother and sister at home.

Where were you trained?

Hari: I had my formal restaurant and hotel management degree training at the Welcomgroup graduate school of hotel administration in Manipal, India. Culinary Arts Specialization at the world renowned prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park NY. Hands on professional training with some best chefs in the world like Marcus Samuelsson, Daniel Boulud, Adrian Ferearra, and Imtiaz Qureshi to name a few.

What are the challenges you faced to become a professional cook?

Hari: The biggest challenge was convincing my family that it was a profession worth going for. Back in those days, becoming a chef was not a decorated profession. I had to work hard to convince people that being a chef is not about just cooking. It is about creating an unforgettable experience through cuisine.

Who in your life has influenced your cooking the most?

Hari: The professional chefs that I used to watch on TV growing up like Martin Yen, Julia Child and Graham Kerr.

What is the dish you cook the best?

Hari: Professional chefs cook from their heart, every time we cook we like it to be the best dish we ever made. However, I love to cook Dum Biryani.

How many books have you written books?

Hari: Three books: 'Modern Indian Cooking', 'Spice', 'Mango Mia'.

MIC is my favorite, but soon my upcoming books are going to beat MIC.

What is the best meal course you have ever had?

Hari: The amuse bouche (tiny bite-sized morsel traditionally served before the first course of a meal) at the Thomas Keller restaurant PERSE in NYC.

Which country do you enjoy eating in the most?

Hari: Indian Street Food.

Your favorite restaurant in New York?

Hari: Daniel

Best piece of advice for upcoming chefs?

Hari: Never stop learning, you can never know enough. Enjoy what you do and most of all, Hustle!!

What can your fans expect in the future?

Hari: Three more books, Spice and product line and exciting new restaurant. I have also been part of Cooking for Life charity founded by my friend and a fellow chef Vikas Khanna from NYC. It is Vikas' unique vision to use food to express love for communities and as a power that brings people together. Together we have been organizing gastronomic events to raise money and awareness for different causes around the world. We have raised funds for causes like Tsunami, Gulf Coast, Katrina and the first ever global cooking series at the wonders of the world "The living Pyramids", soul of Taj.

Hari has been providing culinary and consulting services to various organizations like Sodexho USA, ifoodTV, Whole Foods, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Recipe Demo. Hari also pioneered America's first ice cream patisserie, Halo Fete located in Princeton NJ. For more information log on to http://www.harinayak.com/

By Nikki Rattan