People familiar with the culinary industry might be intimidated by Marco Pierre White. He’s known as the chef who will lose his cool at any moment if you don’t follow his orders in the kitchen.
But when Metrolife met him for the World On A Plate event held at The Ritz-Carlton over the weekend, he was anything but what television has portrayed him to be for years. With a calm, polite and charming personality, he oozed knowledge and subtle humour.
You once said that you don’t want to plan anything, you want to be surprised by everything...
If you have expectations, the chances of you being disappointed is very high. I believe that it’s important to blindfold yourself, metaphorically. Therefore, when you arrive in a new country, you get the full impact.
Did you follow the same policy in Bengaluru?
I was driving down the road and saw three cows under the bridge. I thought they were rather beautiful. When I came back, they weren’t there anymore. I was disappointed but only because I expected to see them again.
Your first visit to India was to Mumbai in January. Has your opinion about India changed since then?
It hasn’t because I don’t have one since I don’t keep expectations. When I think of India, I think of smiles, kindness, happy people and delicious food.
Which do you like more now — Mumbai or Bengaluru?
It’s definitely not as hot as Mumbai here. In fact, the climate here reminds me of the South of Spain.
According to you, what do today’s chefs lack?
What’s interesting is, when I was a boy and went for an interview, I would never ask about the working hours, salary or position. I’d just have my fingers crossed and hope to get the job, because your salary is your knowledge.
And you think chefs don’t go through that struggle now?
They ask all these questions. That’s more important to them than knowledge. You are going to be told anyway. You don’t go to an interview and interview them. The industry has changed so much in the last 40 years. Everyone wants to be famous. I never wanted it. I became famous because of the food I put on the plate.
In Bengaluru, we’ve been seeing a lot of restaurants come up on a monthly basis and shut down too...
Very often, good cooks don’t make it; and sometimes even when their food is not good, some chefs understand the market better. They know their demographic, what people want to pay and what they want. So there’s no right reason as to why it works and doesn’t.
Do you think it’s advised to start your own place right after graduate school or without any prior training?
I think it’s important to have a strategy. It will compensate for talent but not vice versa. You also have to have a vision as to where you want to be in so many years. Then you work towards achieving that. You have to be patient in this industry.
You never wanted to be a part of this world though. Your father pushed you into this...
In those days, you tend to follow your father’s footsteps. I never thought about it actually. My uncle, grandfather and father are all chefs. My brothers started off too but they were smarter than me and left. But in retrospect, I feel very lucky that my father placed me in that position.
Were your achievements because of luck, or because you were in the right place at the right time?
It’s the secret to success. Luck gives you the opportunity. It’s the awareness of the mind that takes advantage of the opportunity.
You said that you’re happy to not run a kitchen anymore. Why?
Because I’ve already achieved everything I wanted. Why do I have to play the same drum? I realised my dream at a young age. Now all I crave in life is ordinary, simplicity and privacy.
So would you call this your retirement period?
I’ll never retire. I’ll always work. I work seven days a week; I have never taken holidays — not since I was a child. I don’t see this as a job. It’s a way of life. When you have that attitude, you never get tired.
You once said that modern methods of farming are good because it makes food affordable. Do you still believe that?
Organic food is a luxury. Most people can’t afford it. So let’s not even go down that road. It’s about the welfare of the animals. It’s about making food affordable for people. Everyone deserves to have a good meal every day.
But studies have said that industrial-scale produce is harmful in the long run...
It’s not healthy to overindulge anything. That’s why you need to have a balanced diet; it doesn’t have to be an organic one. If you want to be a snob about food and fly the flag about organic, you’re not being a realist. Walk through the streets of Mumbai and Bengaluru and you will see many people who can’t afford it. That’s important to keep in mind.