Generation N brings new food concepts to city

Remember when shows like Top Chef and MasterChef Australia premiered for the first time on television around a decade ago, and brought a new form of entertainment into everyone’s lives? 

Teenagers, who had hitherto considered cooking to be a boring activity, were suddenly piqued into discovering a whole new career choice — a world of gastronomic delight that didn’t just hinge on taste and flavour, but also texture and design. 

Suddenly, culinary school was a viable option for graduating 18-somethings, and progressive parents were encouraging them. What was more interesting? They wanted to come back and give Chennai’s food scene a makeover. 

Today, that generation of restaurateurs is experimenting with quirky themes, global cuisine and classy ambiences to accentuate the city’s once-conservative dining ideologies to excite modern-day customers. When they are not scouting around intricate parts of India or overseas to discover new ingredients and recipes, the ‘foodpreneurs’ are busy managing their eateries, competing with experienced veterans in the field as well as international food chains. 

As more and more youngsters keep opening restaurants with gusto, what really makes the industry so attractive and viable today? 

“Chennai, according to me, is moving at quite a good pace. The pace at which it evolves gives you enough time as well, to perfect what you’re trying to achieve,” said Anush Rajasekaran, who opened the Middle Eastern-themed Mezze with Swetha Rengasamy and Sandesh Reddy. He added that being a complete newbie might be difficult – working their way up from scratch and getting the right contacts, suppliers, etc. 

“We were lucky to work with one of the industry’s best, Sandesh Reddy, who helped us build this brand from scratch. Other owners of restaurants who do visit us always have nice things to say and are happy to be of assistance if we ask them anything.” 

There does involve a lot of work with social media – that can make or break a brand’s image these days, “Social media, especially Zomato is a huge factor in pulling people. People blindly trust reviews and come over to the restaurant every often. Ratings are a lot. But again, there are downsides to it - small things can tick people off and make them give you bad ratings for faults that aren’t the restaurant’s. 

Learning to balance all that is key, in my opinion,” Anush said. It is true that city residents are eating out more than ever — and the availability of food apps have made it all the more so convenient to order in. Add to that, the influx of cosmopolitan influences, corporate businesses and professionals from all over the world has only increased the appeal of such joints. 

Mathangi Kumar, who was born into a business family, is a Cordon Bleu chef who learnt business before opening her first restaurant That Madras Place five years ago – she was just 23 then. Now 29, the savvy Chennaiite has introduced The Summer House Eatery to the city, with music director Anirudh Ravichander as one of the partners.

Blending a lot of influences from South-East Asia, Cambodia, Korea as well as local flavours, the name has already become a favourite among foodies in town. She said that the biggest challenge of being a woman running a restaurant is the manpower and staffing concern. 

“Sometimes, there exists the issue of people not wanting to work under a young girl. But by and large, we manage fine. In fact, I’m opening my third space now – a Mediterranean outlet with a pizzeria soon.” 

The beverage industry has also seen young blood freshen the nightlife and restobar scene in town. 25-year-old Shiv Dhanya, who runs the South American-themed pub Su Da Ka in T Nagar with a couple of her family members, said, “It’s not about the city because tastes and preferences keep changing and people love to try out new things. When it comes to stability, entrepreneurs will have to work their way out and they ought to know what will gain customer loyalty.” 

From managing stocks and finances to updating menus, dealing with vendors and inventory, these youngsters have understood the intricacies of it all – while running a business in such a competitive environment. But sometimes, when things don’t exactly go their way, they are prepared to reinvent also. 

Madhulika Sundaram, a Cordon Bleu chef, worked at an organic farm in Ireland, after which she decided to come back home and open her dream project — Chef’s Table. The concept was keeping it fresh and organic as possible, with a menu that kept evolving and changing. 

“I wanted to change people’s pre-conceived notions of what a certain dish should taste like, and break the mould. At my restaurant, they would experience something absolutely different – but they had to come up with an open mind,” Sundaram said. 

However, the concept didn’t catch on — and Madhulika converted her restaurant into a café that served usual favourites, and had Asian and European flavours. “But I still house a private dining room at the eatery for regulars who have enjoyed my food — and I curate a meal for them — preparing it in the unique way I want to. It’s people like these in Chennai who keep the creative gene in us going.”