| The Rs 40-crore company also just acquired Karen Anand's Gourmet Kitchen brand, which Kumar hopes to take from a Rs 1.5 crore brand to a 20 crore brand in a few years. "I have always been lucky in that I have been surrounded by beautiful women who cook for me," he says, referring to Anand and his own girlfriend. |
| Temptation Foods, predominantly present in the export of fruits and vegetables for the past 10 years, has dished up everything from karela and parwal to Alphonso mangoes to serve the nostalgia of the Indian diaspora. Now, with the change in the retail supply chain and modern retail trends, Temptation Foods is all set to enter the local retail segment as a branded food player. |
| With so much food talk around, it's not surprising that Kumar likes his meals at home to be kept unfussy. Which doesn't mean he's not the consumate foodie. He just eschews traditional Marwari fare for penne and stuffed ravioli. Accompanied by his girlfriend Bhairavi Goswami, a model, Kumar frequents restaurants and bars around the city in search of the best Barolo and Amarone wines. |
| Evidence of his bon vivant taste abounds. Old masters and contemporary classics hang on his walls. Connor and Hercules, his beloved dogs, have a French dog groomer. But Kumar just as comfortably recommends eating brain masala at the low-brow eatery in Bandra or bhurji pav at Churchgate station. |
| Kumar's a bit of a haphazard cook, throwing in a bit of this and slapping on a bit of that, as the whim takes him. The shelves in the kitchen are overflowing with ingredients (plenty of Karen's Gourmet Kitchen produce, of course) and cookbooks and kitchenware. But these are used more by the retinue of kitchen staff present than Kumar himself. He jokingly says he is constantly vilified by Goswami, who is a far more accomplished chef. "Now I am wondering why I don't do this more often. It's rather fun," he says. |
| The conversation veers inadvertently to aphrodisiacal foods and pet food. Connor and Hercules are above mainstream brands of dog chow. It's chicken teriyaki and fish tikka for them, procurred from speciality gourmet pet stores in the UK. "They're better fed than I am," says Kumar. But he can't complain. Goswami just made him a breakfast of baked pear and brie. And if that isn't indulgent... |
| Favourite Recipe |
| Farfalle Pasta with Shitake Mushrooms and red/ yellow peppers |
| ½ cup olive oil 30 gm each of garlic and basil 180 gm sun-dried tomatoes 2 cups cream 60 gm shiitake mushrooms, julienned 60 gm each of red and yellow peppers, julienned Salt and white pepper 2 full cups farfalle pasta 60 gm whole butter |
| Purée the garlic, basil and sun-dried tomatoes with olive oil. Sauté the red and yellow peppers and shiitake mushrooms in whole butter. Add cream and let them reduce, then add sun-dried tomato mixture. Finish with salt and pepper. Arrange hot pasta in a dish and spoon mushrooms and the sauce over the pasta. |
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