What happens when a cigar czar, three fashion designers, an artist and a model decide to compete in a cooking contest judged by a celebrity chef? It turns into a fun experience especially when beer is allowed as an ingredient and a cheering crowd is appreciative of the effort.
"We all want men to get into the kitchen, It's just an idea to get men who are excellent in their fields to cook. We held this event in eight cities so far and no dish was inedible, so men definitely can cook," says Karen Anand who played the judge at a contest held in a restaurant here recently.
The participants included ace fashion designers Rohit Bal, Rohit Gandi and Varun Bahl, Cigar king Chetan Seth, artist Amitava Das and model Lalit Tehlan who were given bonus points for adding Carlsberg beer to their recipes.
"It's summer and what's better than combining fine food with fine beer. We wanted to do something different, something innovative but in the end its all about passion," says Pradeep Gidwani, Managing Director Carlsberg.
Except for artist Amitava Das' 'Poppyseed Chicken', all the participants made Italian food with fashion designer Rohit Bal and Chetan Seth tying for top honours at the 'Men Can Cook' contest.
Fashion designer Rohit Bal who was the co-winner of the contest for his Pasta Erotica says, "I see a lot of cookery shows and all the people in my family are really good cooks except me. I am the black sheep but men are definitely better cooks then women. For them it's hard work but for men it's by choice."
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Celebrity chef Karen Anand judged the food on its appearance, taste and creativity and praised the participants for their creativity.
"Some men know how to cook two or three dishes before hand, that's not creativity. We had three designers as participants and they are bound to do a good presentation," says Anand. Cigar czar Chetan Seth's satisfying 'Pasta Puttanesca' originated in Naples and he stirred it with a tinge of beer to grab the top spot with Bal.
"I had great fun cooking here and I am a good Italian vegetarian chef at home," says Seth. Karen Anand whose last book 'Simple Cooking for Smart Men' dealt with men entering into the kitchen feels they are willing to learn cooking.
"Men want to cook and they want to learn but they cook according to their needs. They need a ready set up and want everything chopped up before they step into the kitchen," says Karen. "Men hate to do the dirty work and want to make something exotic not 'dal chawal'.