Mega-bites for corporate folks

Mega-bites for corporate folks

Chef Prabhakar Nagaraj recently donned the role of Managing Partner – Culinary Development in Elior India. Talking about the genesis of his love for cooking, he recalls, “It happened on the very first day of college during a ragging session when I was asked what I wanted to become professionally. All I could think of then was a front office manager. They laughed and asked ‘Have you ever looked at yourself?’

That is when I realised I needed to look at something else. Since, my second hour that day was a class on food production, I decided to become a chef.”

He says food for him is the “most important thing for a human being. I like to cook simple and nutritious food. Food which we make should enhance a person’s life, not just make them feel good at that point of time.”

Chef Prabhakar graduated from college and joined the Taj Group where he was “picked for the kitchen management training programme.”

That is where he says he developed an interest in continental food. “I never indulged much in Indian cuisine, but now I have started trying my hand at that too,” announces the chef.

To understand the science behind the ingredients he uses, the chef says he reads a lot about agriculture and how the crops are grown.

Talking about the corporate tie-up he reminisces, “We were running a company called Megabite Food Services for 10 years. Then we were introduced to Elior by our banker. He asked if we would like to partner with them. Once the journey started we realised there was a synergy between their ideas and what we were doing.”

He says their system of production is like a ‘very well oiled machine’. “Every part of the system is properly defined and monitored by chefs. Everyday we provide up to 28,000 to 30,000 meals to various companies,” he beams.

Their aim, he says, is to give corporate employees healthy food which will keep them active through the day. “Look at the kind of work most people in Bengaluru are doing — it involves them sitting in a chair in front of their computers for a large part of their time. Since we do not have enough physical activity, what invariably happens is that our normal foods like rice and chappati create tiredness and fatigue in minds. People often say they are ‘feeling heavy’ after consuming food. So what we have devised is, we have added lot of fibre, fresh and green vegetables into the food. When you eat these, you will feel fresher and lighter and this your productivity on a daily basis.”

The chef is also planning to write a book about how important food is in a person’s life and to aspiring chefs he says, “Do what you like to do. When someone comes and eats your food if he feels happy then your purpose as a chef is served.”

we have added lot of fibre, fresh and green vegetables into the food. When you eat these, you will feel fresher and lighter

The article was published on thehindu.com on April 20,2017