Indian chef instructs staff

By Genna Tan

In a move to improve the authenticity of Indian food on campus, Bon Appetit chefs met with Raghavan Iyer last Monday for a specialized training session in Indian cuisine.

Mumbai-native Iyer is a Certified Culinary Professional and a member of the International Association for Culinary Professionals, and has written several books on Indian cooking.

Fabio Soto, general manager of Bon Appetit, who took over for Lori Flashner in January, said, "There was a window of opportunity because he was in the area last week, so we took advantage of that to bring him in."

Michael Brinkmann, executive chef, and Luis Acosta, sous chef, took one of Iyer's classes a year ago.

'»¿"We wanted to bring him in to talk about Indian cuisine and the proper way and techniques on how to do things," said Brinkmann. "As chefs we always want to take classes so that we can better ourselves in the field. Things are changing year to year and we're just trying to stay on top of things."

According to Brinkmann, Iyer talked about Indian foods and shared his knowledge of techniques during the training.

Brinkmann said one technique that Iyer discussed was the roasting of whole herbs to bring their respective flavors and oils out.

Iyer also talked about marinating, healthy cooking in Indian cuisine and the tandoori style of cooking, which involves using the tandoor oven to create unique flavors in a dish.

In addition to teaching Indian cooking techniques, Iyer also provided historical background on foods from all over India.

"'»¿He talked about how inland India usually goes with more chicken and mutton, while the cities nearer the sea have more fish dishes," said Brinkmann. "When you're able to talk to someone like that, you get a lot more feel for the cuisine than just showing us one or two dishes and that's it."

Bon Appetit's marketing manager, Melissa Reynen, said a reason for the training was for more authentic food and more variety.

"'»¿Hopefully students will notice a change in the variety, flavor and texture of the food," said Reynen.

Acosta, who cooks Indian food for Mission Bakery once a week, said he originally wanted to take some classes, but Iyer was available to come in and talk to the chefs instead.

"'»¿I've gotten some positive feedback about the food, but we could certainly expand on what we're doing," said Acosta.

Senior Elena Vizzini said the smell of Indian food in Benson was intriguing.

"It smelled really good," she said. "In fact, I remember talking to my co-worker about how I wanted to get some Indian food at Benson when I smelled it."

Next week's menu for the At Home station in Market Square will feature an Indian-themed dinner inspired by Iyer's techniques.

Contact Genna Tan at (408) 554-4546 or gbtan@scu.edu.