Chef Rana Gomes

Executive Chef, The Royal Orchid

Your father, Blasé Gomes was also a celebrated chef. How much of an influence was he while growing up?

His career was a huge influence for me. Growing up, at any family gatherings, all we would talk about was food. Where other families discuss politics or cricket, ours would just discuss sauces and recipes. It used to bug me those days. I knew nothing of food back then. Nowadays my children are so much more informed because of all the TV shows.

Which TV shows do they watch? Are you also a fan?

They love Masterchef Australia. It very thrilling for them. But I prefer shows where the chefs travel and discover new foods. My favourites are Anthony Bourdain and Peter Kuruvita.

You have served many celebs in your career. Any interesting stories?

Yes, I have been fortunate enough to serve many great people. My favourite was when Rahul Dravid was having his son’s naming ceremony at our hotel. He was waiting in the office and when I walked in he got up and introduced himself. “Hi I’m Rahul Dravid.” I was blown away by how humble he was. He left the menu all up to me - but insisted on Butter Chicken and Curd Rice.

What are the changes you have seen in Bangalore?

I think the significant change has been in terms of the produce. We have lovely weather here and so produce was always good, but nowadays we see so many new ingredients grown locally. An example is micro greens, earlier we used to import them from France.

Where do you eat out?

Obviously I hold our hotel in high regard. When I’m eating out with my family I like to eat simple food. There is a small eatery called Malabar in Jeevan Bheema Nagar. Its the kind of establishment where the owner sits at the counter, almost feels like home. I love their Crab Masala. I also like some of the Bengali restaurants in town. Those are my roots, although I feel I’m more Bangalorean than Bengali!