You would have read his columns in various newspapers or seen him on TV in shows and commercials or even movies; the multi-talented Kunal Vijayakar slips easily into many hats with a charm. Being a big foodie at heart, experimenting with various cuisines and learning about the history and science behind the dishes has been something that has always intrigued Kunal. He has been a well-wisher since our early days and has really gone out of his way on numerous occasions to give us detailed & incisive feedback during product development; he has never hesitated in introducing us to his connects in the culinary world and has on occasion also honored us by referencing our creations in his writing assignments. One thing he hadn’t managed to do though was find time to visit us in our office.
When we heard that he had some spare time between two shoots and was going to drop in for an elaborate lunch, the whole team rescheduled all their commitments to spend time with the star of The Foodie – with Kunal Vijayakar.
We had interesting conversations around the latest trends in the food industry and how molecular gastronomy was as much an instrument of abuse as it was of creativity. He endorsed our approach of placing innovation at the helm of everything we do and backing it up with strong research and extensive developmental processes.
The highlight of the afternoon was his sharing with us the history of how Mahesh Lunch Home had transformed itself from being a joint frequented primarily for drinks and bar food to its recognition as one of the hippest fine dining establishments and a pioneer in coastal cuisine in the country; and how our latest initiative with Mahesh Lunch Home, of creating the world’s first Sol Kadhi ice-cream was such a path-breaking step in the city’s (and Mahesh’s) rich tradition of creating culinary history.
All the flavors of Icestasy were offered to him for a tasting session and it was fun watching him react to them as he passed remarks in his quintessential humorous style. While he found it difficult to pinpoint one flavor to be his favorite, he nonetheless zeroed in on the traditional Boondi Laddoo and couldn’t stop commending the chef for hitting the perfect taste. Here’s hoping that his next visit doesn’t take as much waiting as his first one did and that we keep meeting the expectations of all our well-wishers!