Kitchen of Cafe Spice Namaste, London, is stocked with limited edition condiments, oils, spices, blends and sauces all handcrafted by chef Cyrus Todiwala. The cuisine boasts of a personalised fusion menu with strong Goan influences and the chef’s signature style.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Todiwala was inspired by his mother’s cooking at a young age. Having completed his education at a boarding school in Maharashtra, he took his classic chef’s training and began his career with the Taj Group where he rose to be the Executive Chef of Taj Holiday Village in Goa. Armed with culinary skills, he migrated to London with his family in the 90’s where he spread his knowledge of Indian cuisine.
In 1995, Todiwalla established Cafe Spice Namaste along with wife Pervin. Known for his sophisticated cooking and innovative approach, Todiwala has cooked for the royalty, presidents and international celebrities. He holds the coveted Michelin BIB Gourmand for 22 years, is an advisor on HRH The Prince of Wales Mutton Renaissance Movement, The Marine Conservation Society and is on the London Food Board. Today, he runs four restaurants – Cafe Spice Namaste, Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen at Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen at Lincoln Plaza London, and Mr Todiwala’s Petiscos in the London-Essex border.
Excerpts from the interview:
How do you look at the way fine dining has evolved in India?
I left India in 1991, and over these 32 years, I see the evolution in India has been unbelievable. Indian fine dining has completely evolved and is considered on top today. There is competition all around, the levels and standards of food have changed, the availability of raw materials have gone up 100 per cent. In our times, we used to struggle to get things and could only rely on cookbooks. Nowadays, the chefs find thousands of recipes and videos online. They can just look up and do things their style. Indian restaurants, their food, service and standards are all just getting fabulous.
How is Indian food breaking boundaries globally?
Indian food is breaking big boundaries. Today, we do weddings for British young couples with Indian food. There are mixed marriages happening where the hosts ask to serve Parsi food, and we are happy to do that. Back in the UK, the English man wants Indian food for special occasions. The food landscape is evolving and how. Previously, the chefs added too much onion and oil in the food which made the world think that Indian food is very oily – which is not true. In which Indian house do we see the mother cooking oily food? Like her family’s health is precious to her, so is the customers’ health to chefs. I tell my staff that ‘the customer is always the king, if he is happy you will be happy’.
What’s the future of Indian and Asian food?
Indian food will still evolve because regionality will become more prominent. Initially, we had one Karwari restaurant or just this one type of curry or thali, but there are different regions within the state. Bengali food is just famous in Bengal, but hasn’t reached the world. Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland have not come in yet. Nepal, and the Far-east have not come in too. There is a lot more to explore in India and around. I always say, if I could live for 10,000 years, I would have learnt just a little about India.
What is your favourite Indian food?
I am a Parsi boy. As a chef, I have eaten varied cuisines, from French to Italian but personally I am a dal-roti man. I eat in different restaurants and I’m always carrying a pen and paper for ideas and inspiration from other chefs but at the end of the day dal is heaven for me. Parsi mora dal chawal is my favourite food. It is simple and is my mum’s food. Before my death, I would like to have that as my last meal.
How will you take forward your passion for cooking and changing perceptions of people?
My passion for cooking goes on. We have opened a school in New York to teach cooking, but I have included Asian and Oriental food too. We need to use the whole of Asia to raise its profile on the global map. Sometime back, we started this food competition called Zest Quest Asia where I inspire students by taking the winning team to an Asian city, and showing them the smell, taste, etc. of food for their exposure. This year’s winning team is coming to India for 10 days. They will go to Haryana for a first-hand experience of rice harvesting. I will also do a Parsi feast with them in Delhi.
How do you look at the young Asian chefs coming on the scene?
Today, global chefs are being funded by companies that work around a PR and marketing strategy. They look for chefs with skills, sponsor them to go to other countries, put them in big restaurants, promote them and expect them to create magic. People are talking about food and the chefs that are creating them. It is amazing as that is exactly what is needed.
Tell us about the learning from your journey.
My learning comes from myself. I work individually. We do not have the money to put into massive marketing so we have to do it ourselves. I am an old school chef, but there is a new school coming and they are creating a path which is going to be interesting.
