When Chef David Myers, AKA Gypsy Chef visited India for the first time around eight years ago, he was blown away by the culinary diversity on offer. The Michelin star-rated chef who shot to fame as one of America’s most luminary chefs with his first restaurant, Sona, is known to combine his two passions – travel and food. And what better way to do that than opening a restaurant in India? Three years ago, he opened the modern izakaya Adrift Kaya at JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi.
His labour of love and passion recently completed three years and to celebrate that, Chef Myers came together with Edomae sushi master Chef Masa Ishibashi for a four-hands dining experience. An exquisite eight-course menu had the diners relishing a blend of modern Japanese innovation with centuries-old sushi traditions. Chef Masa, who had enjoyed a traditional Indian meal for the first time on this visit, especially the naan and raita, was grateful that he could experience Indian hospitality at its finest.
In a candid chat, Chef Myers spoke about his passion for Japanese food, his wanderlust that inspires him to explore further and why he believes Indian food is a celebration of flavours, spices, cultural heritage and techniques.
Edited excerpts:
1. It’s three years to Adrift Kaya and it’s the first time you collaborated with another chef. How did this collaboration with Chef Masa come about?
I can't believe it’s three years already! Time flies like that. I don't know why it took so long for us to want to do this, but thankfully the stars aligned, and the first person that I thought of doing a collaboration with was Chef Masa. I have always been a fan of his work and would go to his restaurants and enjoy his sushi, not just in Japan, but also when he was doing some projects in Singapore and other places. I was really impressed by his global focus. His restaurant in Ginza - Sushi Masa Ishibashi - is truly the very best in Tokyo. He has a unique style that's distinctly his own. For our third anniversary, we wanted to do something special and world class. Our cuisine here is Japanese and it just made a lot of sense to connect with my friend and ask him if he wanted to come and do this with us to celebrate.
2. You have this great love for Japan. What do you find fascinating about their cuisine and how has it impacted your culinary style?
Let me begin by saying that there are three things that have impacted my life as a chef. One is travel, which has been the greatest source of inspiration for me to create concepts. Secondly, having worked with great chefs has been another big forming factor. And then third, I'd say specifically, Japan has been the core heartbeat to the style of cooking and philosophy of cooking that I have. Japan has taught me to focus on simplicity, details and ingredients, but also having a little bit of flexibility to move within the seasons. It's these little things that I find so special and powerful. I've learned the beauty and the poetry of what Japan has brought to life with their food and the intense focus around that and for some reason, it's the perfect connection for me.
3. India has also fuelled your culinary journey, but do you come to India only as a chef or a seeker as well?
Very much as a seeker as well. I've been studying Transcendental Meditation for about five years now. Transcendental Meditation was developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and The Beatles were among one of the famous people to learn it in Rishikesh. I've been doing it now for a number of years and I love it. I practice it every single day and I want to delve deeper into that. One of the core focuses in our group and as a whole with Adrift is the wellness and vitality component. So, India for me is a great calling card. I also just want to travel all around the country. I’m going to visit Rishikesh soon as well. I'm fascinated by it, and I want to explore a lot more.
4. How much has India redefined what taste, technique or flavours mean to you?
It has made me want to dive deeper into learning about the blending of spices, and how to bring a spice into a dish and what it does to the intensity of the dish itself. It has made me more curious about the history of dishes and where they come from. There are so many different stories about these dishes from different regions. I can't tell you how many times I've been invited for home meals with people wanting to show me recipes passed down over the generations. There is something really beautiful about those stories. All we're doing is trying to deliver an experience at the end of the day for our guests, but a lot of great experiences are talked about through storytelling.
5. Is there a home-cooked meal that stands out in your memory?
My team and were invited by the Executive Chairman, Sandeep Gupta, to his place for a meal. He said it’s going to be very basic and it was everything but that! (laughs) It was so vibrant and incredible. I was just really blown away by the generosity. We had around 10 different dishes and the food was endless. I was probably 10 kgs heavier when I left and had to take a nap for 12 hours! It was really great. That has been one of the most special moments because it was such a generous and relaxed meal.
6. Is there any Indian ingredient you like to take back with you?
I'm just fascinated by the blend of the different curries. I've been to the spice markets where they're blending interesting mixes which have been in the family for years. When I opened Adrift, one of the chefs here got a special mix to add to my curries back home. I took it back home and made it for my friends who were blown away. They had never had a curry like this in their life! It was only because of the spices that the dish was brought to life in that way. You’d think it’s just curry mix but it's really complex.
7. Do you think Indian food is still looked at from a Western gaze?
Yes, I think so, especially if they haven’t been to India. They think it's sort of in the curry, naan and butter chicken space and that's the scope of Indian food. I remember visiting Comorin in Gurgaon and the food was insanely good! They had a dish of lamb brains and although I’ve had the dish earlier, this one had a spice which was so exquisite. I place that dish in the top five of my life because I'd never tasted flavours like that. So, when you come here and experience something like that, it's so exciting.
8. You’re a Michelin-starred chef. Would you approach food differently if the Michelin Guide didn’t exist?
When I opened my first restaurant, I wanted to be the best at what I did. I wanted to be recognised globally. It was a dream as any chef at that time, to be a part of the Michelin Guide in any way. But I never cooked to get a Michelin star. I never created a dish for a Michelin star. I did what I knew and what I like to do in my style. I think about what I want to do because it makes me happy and excited. That's the motivation. It’s an honour to receive a Michelin star. I am so grateful. It gives you credibility in the eyes of other people and gives us a bit of “hey, we made it” moment. But getting a Michelin star doesn't mean you made it. It just means you've earned the right to work harder to keep it. At the end of the day, it's not about a star or a rating or anything else. It's just about what we love. It is a big challenge. But the biggest challenge? It's living up to our own expectations. My own expectations are beyond what anybody ever could place on me. I look in the mirror and ask, did I deliver or not? That's the thought that will keep me up at night more than anything else.