As a country of honor for the very first time, India has shined at Cannes. From Deepika Padukone being part of the jury to Pooja Hegde’s stunning pictures by French Riveria, Rajasthani folk singer Mame Khan gracing the red carpet to R Madhavan’s movie Rocketry getting a standing ovation, the tricolor is surely flying high.
Yet that is just not it. Our country is also spreading the flavors of its delectable dishes via a celebrated chef from Bengaluru.
As Cannes Film Festival 2022 is about to reach its climax, we are here to highlight Manu Chandra, the Indian chef who has been winning the hearts of the stars with his wide range of Indian food at the event. Chandra has been joined by two other Indian team members.
Chef’s French Twist To Indian Dishes
Chandra has handled the catering for the India Pavilion at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival and the official inaugural dinner.
As per reports, he was involved with Godawan, the Indian single malt from Diageo. And Diageo had received a request for an Indian chef because India is the country of honor at the festival. So Diageo in turn reached out to Chandra. He was first asked to make the snacks at the India pavilion and then also dinner.
Also, read: Meet The First-Ever Rajasthani Folk Artist To Represent India At Cannes
To make things more palatable to the French and unique, he created a vibrant new menu that celebrates India’s culinary diversity with a touch of France. From a vada pav prepared with toasted French brioche, keema biryani arancini balls, duck confit galouti kababs to jackfruit samosas, the dishes were absolutely amazing.
Guests Taken Aback By The Food
The culinary seemingly impressed the celebrities at Cannes.
Chandra fascinated the guests with a one-of-a-kind baingan ka bharta served in French tart shells and the steamed batter paddu shaped like French madelines. He prepared Jodhpur’s onion kachori in croissant style, laal maas lamb medallion, and bajra khichdi for Indian celebrities like AR Rahman, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and R Madhavan.
Winning all hearts, the chef got a huge round of applause when he walked out to meet and greet the guests.
This was the first time people ate so heartily at Cannes, where usually they’d get a drink and a canape and walk around.