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Meet The Chef

Renae Smith and Emelia Jackson
MasterChef Australia

Masterchefs Emelia Jackson, the dessert queen and Renae Smith, the vegetarian connoisseur from MasterChef Australia visited High Ultra Lounge. Explocity had an exclusive interview with them.

Emelia Jackson

What’s the toughest thing?

The biggest challenge in being a professional chef is to maintain your creativity while cooking and to cook something which is unique, attractive and at the same time it should be pleasing to eyes.

Is there disparity between genders in the profession?
Yes, there is disparity in the industry. This is a male dominated industry and you will not see many female chefs around. Of late, in Australia, we have seen more women coming out, joining the industry which is a good sign.

How familiar are you with Indian Cuisine?
I’m not too familiar with Indian cuisine. When I visited India early this January, I tried some Indian food which I really loved. This is the first time I’m coming to Bangalore and I don’t know much of the specialties. I would love to explore the flavours of South Indian cuisine.

How much do competitions like MasterChef help?
Competitions like MasterChef, helps one to discover and improve their professional and non-professional skills. It opens up opportunities and avenues to build up one’s personality. Also, one will get an opportunity to meet people across globe and learn something new every day. For instance, coming to India was an opportunity for me to know India better as a country which is famous for its food divergence.

How did you like the experience in Bangalore?
I had a great experience at High Ultra Lounge. The staff is very friendly and hospitable. Moreover, the Executive Chef Zhang, is very knowledgeable from whom we have learnt many new nuances of cooking. Above all, I enjoyed the sunset every evening; the view is stunning and spectacular from there.
Renae Smith

Why do you think there are fewer female chefs in the industry?
A chef’s profession is quite tough. It requires long working hours, sometimes you work for upto 12 to 14 hours which gets little tricky to balance between work and personal life.

What do you think are the next global food trends?
The next global food trend is vegetarian or vegan food. This trend has been there in Australia for a while now and it’s catching up fast globally.

What’s your take on Indian food? What are you looking forward to eating?
I love Indian cuisine and I have been eating Indian food all my life. I tried a large variety of Indian vegetarian food. Since I am in Bangalore, I am planning to have some South Indian vegetarian curries.

How has your experience on MasterChef been?
It was a tricky experience over all; it takes a lot of your personal time. It was the hardest experience.

How was Bangalore?
The experience has been interesting so far. The Executive Chef Zhang Hao at High knows a lot and I enjoyed working with him to create an exclusive dinner experience for guests.

 



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