Garima Arora is the Chef and Owner of Restaurant Gaa and the all-day modern Indian eatery & bar, HERE, in Bangkok. Her cuisine is focused on applying traditional Indian cooking techniques onto locally sourced ingredients.
In 2018, Arora became the first Indian female chef to earn a Michelin star at the age of 32. In March 2019, Restaurant Gaa made its debut on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list at No. 16 with the Highest New Entry Award, and shortly after, claimed its place at No. 95 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Gaa is currently ranked at No. 46 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2020 list.
Today her mission is to rediscover and reform the narrative on Indian food through her cooking and her not-for-profit initiative, Food Forward India.
Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up with an exceptionally talented Garima Arora, Chef and Owner of Restaurant Gaa, first Indian female chef to earn a Michelin star who talks about her workout, diet, beauty secrets and success story.
Namita Nayyar:
Growing up in Mumbai in a Punjabi family. You started off as a journalist whereby you discovered your love of the culinary arts, and pursued training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and graduated in 2010? Share your journey and what attracted you to become a chef class-apart?
Garima Arora:
My passion for the culinary world started very early on. I was drawn to it mostly because of the joy I witnessed in both my grandmother and father as they cooked and also our happiness as we tasted the food. So in a way, I kind of always knew that I would get into food someday but it wasn’t until I did some more research and realized that time had to be now, that cooking is a young man’s game and that it would be best that I started right away while I still had the stamina.
Namita Nayyar:
During initial years at Noma in Copenhagen and you refined your skills under Chef René Redzepi. In 2016 Arora moved to Asia taking up the position of sous chef at Gaggan’s eponymous restaurant in Bangkok, before opening your own place, Gaa, a year later. Share a memorable incident spent with Chef Rene? Also what all led you to start a restaurant in Bangkok, Asia? Why the name ‘Gaa’? Why did you choose the concept of an ‘Indian breakfast canteen’ as your next restaurant?
Garima Arora:
Gaa happened by chance, really. While I spent some time exploring and falling in love with Bangkok and other parts of Thailand, I was approached by a group of investors and that was how Gaa came about. Gaa was named after my initials (Garima Arora) to reflect a highly personal and unique cuisine we created.
The idea of HERE came to me as I reflected on how we in India are big breakfast eaters and truth be told, also big lunch and dinner eaters! Our mission with this casual sister restaurant is to showcase a larger spectrum of Indian flavors and techniques but of course, with our own twist and in an easily accessible way to the Thai audience. It was crucial to us to strike this balance as HERE was born in the midst of this pandemic where we could only thrive if we managed to capture the hearts of the locals.
Namita Nayyar:
In November 2018, you were awarded a Michelin star & you went on to become the first female Indian chef to receive the distinction. Share your reaction when you came to know about it?
Garima Arora:
A memorable incident you still hold close to your heart? It was one of those moments where everything was aligned. That night I was sitting down for a meal at the restaurant for the very first time with my core team and suddenly I got a call. The room fell to silence and my team right away all knew from my reaction what it meant.
Once I hung up the phone, we all broke into smiles and hugs. It was such a sweet and heart-warming moment to share with my entire team. It reiterates that in this business, you cannot succeed alone; it takes an immense amount of effort and teamwork in order for a restaurant to run, let alone earning accolades.
Namita Nayyar:
Let us know what all goes behind the scene of planning the menu to make it tempting, enriching and serve to the best of capacity to all your clients? Which is the favourite dish of your visitors, a must-try for a first timer, veg & non-veg?
Garima Arora:
Even though Gaa is a fine dining restaurant and HERE is more casual, our approach to cooking remains the same. In any of our R&D process, there are two approaches: produce and technique. Either we start with an interesting ingredient or a very fascinating technique. Somewhere down the line, the two meet and the one thing that we never sacrifice is deliciousness.
This season for Gaa, our tasting menu highlights the spirits of the Street Food in India. We create dishes which best encapsulate what and how we eat back home whether it be by way of memories, flavors or mannerisms like eating with hands. The goal is to offer familiarity while also surprises the guests with something they’ve never experienced before.
For HERE, our breakfast menu focuses on delivering wholesome and nutritious meals and in fact, most of the dishes are vegetarian. Some of my favorites are our Black Rice Dosa served with freshly churned butter, ghee & gunpowder and coconut & jaggery and my dad’s recipe of Oats Chilla served with some peanut chutney and green salad. Our lunch & dinner menu packs on big and robust flavors.
Some of my favorites are our Crispy Squid Koliwada served with Chinese Celery Mayo and sour dough with homemade makkhan and fried green chillies. Another thing not to be missed is our naughty take on the naans. My favorites are the Candied Ginger & Lime Zest and Spiced Potato with Straciatella Cheese. It’s comfort with little elements of surprise.
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This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
In February 2019, you were named Asia’s Best Female Chef for the year by World’s 50 Best Restaurants &your restaurant ‘Gaa’ made its debut on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants listed at No. 15, in 2020? Congratulations for the great achievement, according to you where the secret lies for the same?
Garima Arora:
I don’t think there’s any secret to this except hard work and determination.
Namita Nayyar:
Your daily fitness & diet routine? Type of diet your follow & stick by?
Garima Arora:
I do strength training with my personal trainer three times a week. In normal circumstances, I would be spinning twice a week as well but currently all gyms are closed due to Covid, so now I stick to private yoga sessions just to make sure I get some balance in. In terms of nutrition, I find that a diet that is high in fat and low in carbs works best for me. It keeps me feeling satisfied with a steady flow of energy throughout the entire day. Keeping blood sugar levels stable is the key for me.
Namita Nayyar:
Your 5 all-time favourite recipes you love to eat & serve your family?
Garima Arora:
My grandmother’s recipe of Latto (Burmese salad), my grandfather’s recipe of keema, my mom’s recipe for ghiya (gourd), my recipe for green chili clams and my dad’s never-ending brunch sessions (too much food and wine to count on this one).
Namita Nayyar:
Skin care & hair care routine you follow?
Garima Arora:
Coconut oil for everything!!
Namita Nayyar:
You recently launched Food Forward India (FFI), a culinary initiative that brings together people at the forefront of the Indian food industry? Throw some light on the same, reasons behind the same?
Garima Arora:
When we first won all the accolades back in 2019, people asked me all sorts of questions about what I wanted to do next in my career. They wanted to know if I’d do a 4-hand pop up or a new restaurant in India and so on. In that moment, it was clear to me that I would like to use the momentum to bring attention to a cause that I believe in strongly and that is to show the world the real “Indian cuisines.” So that’s how Food Forward India came about. Today its mission is to explore and catalogue the immense diversity of the cuisines of India.
Namita Nayyar:
What gives you immense happiness as a Chef? You’re role model?
Garima Arora:
Trying something new for the first time and taking that experience to my guests. I love it when you have to think, smell, see and touch your food together with tasting to understand it. Eating something that has no point of reference. My role model is always my dad.
Namita Nayyar:
Five key factors one should work upon before starting a restaurant? Where does the success lie?
Garima Arora:
Number 1 will always be believed in what you do. It’s the most important because there will be noise along the way and you have to stick to your gut feelings.
Number 2 is to have a clear business plan.
Number 3 is to surround you with people who not only have valuable skills but also a good attitude.
Number 4 is to get a good accountant.
Number 5 is to be mentally and physically prepared for whatever comes your way. Sometimes you won’t know until the moment arrives so it’s important to always be ready to act.
Namita Nayyar:
Your future plans & projects? How have you coped during the pandemic?
Garima Arora:
It is hard to look too far into the future at the moment when things can change all the time in this climate but the one thing I make sure to do is to maintain and control my own physical and mental health. I realized that if I don’t take care of myself then I can’t take care of the other 40 lives whose livelihood depends on me and my decisions. Being in good physical health is the only way to stay sane and sharp through this difficult time.
Namita Nayyar:
Message for your fans and Women Fitness followers?
Garima Arora:
“You will never always be motivated. Learn to be disciplined.”
Garima Arora Social media presence
- Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/arorgarima/
Gaa Restaurant
- Official Website : https://www.gaabkk.com/
- Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/gaabangkok
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness