Alan DMello rode the length of India’s Western Coast to raise awareness of Int’l Chefs Day. It was the ‘proof-of-concept’ for the next three years of activities. It almost did not start. Did it go well? Here’s his journey.
Asmic said he'll host the community meet-up because the launch event must go ahead at all cost. "Chefs Ride 2023 is too important to stop at the first hurdle," said the executive chef of the Hilton Garden Inn, Trivandrum at 17:00 hrs on 30 August, barely 15 hours to go before the official time on the invite. It is this spirit that got the ride over the line, 27 days and 3,000 kms later in Ahmedabad and keeps us going to make Chefs Day an industry-wide default day of celebration in India by 2030.
The launch was in the midst of Onam, Kerala's favourite festival, many at Lourdes Matha's IHM campus had left for the weeklong holiday, plus it was an hour's ride from the city. The other hotels & media were super busy. Interest was high but RSVPs were low, way low. Seby Mathews, the newly appointed principal was apologetic and very supportive. Chef Asmic's determination was backed by general manager Rishabh Bhargava, his team and even that of Hilton India's corporate office. With calls and messages flying in all directions by everyone, within an hour of that call, the industry rallied superbly. The next morning's community meet-up and subsequent food donation was a success.
RIDE SAFE, RIDE FAR
Riding in India is a dangerous proposition. The monsoon increases the factor of risk thrice over. But this ride had to be done, for the greater good of the community. This year was the ‘Proof-of-Concept’, a template for future Chefs Rides towards ever increasing awareness and participation. I have been driving and riding across the world for three decades, India remains the most dangerous country to travel by road. As much as we have unsafe roads, it is the reckless people who make it fatal.
The main advice in India for long mile-munching trips like this one is consistency at moderate speed. A 10-hour journey should cover 500 kms, all stops included. It stretches time but keeps you safe. My most difficult sector on this trip was from Thiruvananthapuram to Mangaluru (31 Aug - 02 Sep). It was 630 kms of torture because of repairs along the entire two-lane NH-66, heavy traffic on this narrow road and the consistent rain. It took 22 hours of riding over two nights, one day and a few hours’ sleep to reach Mangaluru at 02:00 hrs on 02 Sep. The Goa-Panchgani sector, also on NH-66 over 430 kms was tough for similar reasons. Often, I did feel bad for Scamp, my 350 cc Meteor from Royal Enfield.
He did take quite a beating though we’ve seen this before over 22,00 kms across India in two years with at least another 50,000 kms more to go. Both of us staying in good shape sees us through these difficult journeys. India’s magnificent scenery and people kept us going. The Mangaluru-Goa sector (380 kms) was the only wonderful sector, ironically on the same NH-66.
Chefs Ride 2023 travelled the full length of the West Coast, with eight community & media meet-ups across the five states. The target was 12 events but rain and delayed schedules curbed that. Nonetheless, community enthusiasm at these eight (Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru, Assagao, Panchgani, Pune, Surat, Nashik & Ahmedabad) proved that we’re on the right road and our target of making Chefs Day default across Indian hospitality by 2030 is an achievable goal.
LAST MINUTE CHANGE, SUCCESS!
The original route was from Kanyakumari (01 Sep) to Leh (15 Oct) and 18 events enroute. At least 50 chefs and riders have signed up for it. However, local politics and lack of support in the central sector - UP, Bhopal, Nagpur, Hyderabad & Bengaluru regions – put the entire ride at risk of being a non-starter just 10 days before its scheduled start. Rather than cancel it, we moved it to the Western coast which took less than a day to organise compared to five months across the original route. It meant that I rode solo for most of the way. The support for Chefs Ride 2023 and immediate response of the local leaders across the new West Coast route should be a case study in positive action. A special mention here of Anil Mulchandani, co-founder of the IFEA. He agreed to support us within 30 seconds of our call and then activated his immense hospitality network across Gujarat to back us. This meant the cities of Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Ahmedabad could be included though ultimately, we could only co-host events at the first and last.
In Mangaluru on 02 Sep, The Avatar Hotel and the WGSHA stood out for their exemplary work. Subhash Ullal led the team with a fantastic set-up and hyper-local menu, the WGSHA team led in person by chef K. Thirugnanasambantham donated meals to a local charity they prepared and brought from their Manipal campus. In Assagao, Goa on 04 Sep, we had a double benefit of synching with Chefs Night Out which had at least 75 chefs and restaurateurs gathered at the lovely Villa 259 lounge bar. The concept is created and driven since 2022 by effervescent Madhav Dayal, head chef of the highly respected Miguel’s in Panjim. Chefs chilling together every two months is something worth replicating everywhere.
In Panchgani on 08 Sep, Alyasgar Sewala, owner of Hotel Malas and vice-president of their hotel association successfully brought the local hospitality community together despite heavy rains and dense fog. In Pune, the leaders of the top motorcycle clubs met us to plan the ‘Meals on Two Wheels’ initiative, where their 200+ members will help chefs distribute the meals on 20-21 Oct. In Surat on 18 Sep, Sanat Relia of the local hotel owners association and the team led by executive chef Shashikant Rathod at the newly rebranded Le Meridien were the stars of the very well attended community meetup while Rohan Soni, chef and principal at the Amro HMCT in Nashik organised a good community meet-up on 20 Sep. That day was also the birth anniversary of the institute’s founder, his father. Finally, at Ahmedabad on 26 Sep, in a perfect bookend symmetry of the ride, Novotel’s general manager Amit Sangwan and executive chef Nisarg Chavan organised a wonderful community and media meet-up.
CAPITAL CYCLES, FULL CIRCLE
The first miles and smiles of Chefs Ride 2023 were on cycles. Credit where it's due, OCLD’s corporate chef Parvinder Bali got the 2023 programme off to a great start. He led the Chefs 100 100 on 05 Aug; 100 cyclists completed 100 kms around Delhi-NCR finishing at noon in Greater NOIDA at the India Int’l Hospitality Expo. That too, like chef Asmic’s intervention, was at relatively short notice. It did prove our point, if chefs want it done, it will get done. Int’l Chefs Day belongs to everyone in a professional kitchen.
This year’s ride was a success insomuch as we were inventing a new roadmap by simply getting it done. Chefs Ride 2024 will follow the original route of Kanyakumari to Leh over 45 days, starting on 15 August. Come ride with us. #chefstogether
2024: Chefs Ride (Kanyakumari - Leh) 🏍
2025: Chefs Yatra (All 29 state capitals & UTs) 🇮🇳
2026: Chefs 52 (Year-long bike/car relay across all states of India) 🇮🇳 🚐
2027-28: Round the world 🌏🗺🏍