“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart.”- Cesar Chavez

My passion for food is a journey that began with my birth into a family of certified foodies. In Indian families, the very first meal fed to a child is of great significance. It blends all the flavours available to the palate to prepare the child for the joy of food in later life. My mother, a most amazing cook, prepared me for my journey with recipes that were the envy of an entire town.

Then my father stepped in, cooking food that went beyond ‘home-grown’ dishes, thanks to his days as a young runaway who worked in wayside hotels to survive. Later, I entered the kitchen by first cooking for my siblings. Eager as they were for full meals, they enthusiastically tried every recipe I created – a blend of my own ideas with that of my parent’s. To add to my journey I married a woman who is a fabulous cook in her own right. It is indeed a luxury to come home after a hard day’s work and eat amazing food cooked with passion and love.

However, this decision to follow my passion was made at the cost of a possible future in economics, and an irate parent who had “bigger and better” dreams. In 1997 I did my apprenticeship under the guidance of chef Jean-Yves Salou of the La Rabelais at the Novotel in Abu Dhabi, and the ever watchful eyes of my guide Chef Jose De Los Santos. These stellar chefs dedicated a fair amount of time initiating me into the basics of French fine dining. Now, twenty years later, my passion has led me to become a food developer and a consummate chef; one who believes that cooking should be fun.

This philosophy led me to form the Gourmet Gurus – an ethical hospitality solution –with my friend and brother chef Bhanu Murthy Pitta. Together we travelled the world and absorbed food from the places we visited. This led to our “cuisines of the world” concept, one that inculcates the various techniques and flavours that the world has to offer. We now have a different way of looking at food but the passion is the same –the desire to cook amazing food still our highest priority.

With this in mind, I bring you this blog to share my passion and food experiences with you. Every recipe here is tried and tested, and more importantly easy to make in a home kitchen. We hope you will accept this blog as we bring you food that is simple and easy to cook, but designed to be stunningly delicious.

In Luciano Pavarotti’s words –