With culinary escapades now just a scroll away, city-based chefs discuss their go-to food bloggers for inspiration on Instagram
Secret no more
Chef Husna Jumani
Head Pastry Chef, The Clearing House
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Recommends
Elisabeth Prueitt
Instagram account: lizprueitt_tartine
Followers: 39K
Around a year ago, I was scrolling through the handle of Tartine, a famous bakery in San Francisco, when I chanced upon Elisabeth Prueitt's dishes. She is the pastry chef at the bakery. Her gluten-free desserts and breads surprise her followers every day. Elisabeth recently got allergic to gluten, and hence, has been experimenting a lot with desserts. She also doesn't shy away from sharing recipes, which is rare for an Instagram food blogger. In fact, she puts up detailed preparations, right down to the flour mixes. You can trust her work, because she sells the same at her bakery. I recently tried the lemon Dutch baby pancake recipe, prepared on a skillet and made to order. But, unlike any other gluten-free product I have eaten before, hers turned out exceptionally moist, and the taste of lemon was unmistakable.
Naked treat
Recommends Andrew Bowden
Instagram account: @andybowdy
Followers: 70K
He is Australian, and a self-proclaimed cake slave. His cakes look out of this world, which is one reason why I follow him. Andrew has so many crazy flavours and fillings in one cake, that you almost think it to be unreal. For instance, a recent post was about a coconut cake with chocolate mousse, pumpkin pie filling, bourbon caramel pears, and brown sugar pecan, among many other things. You'd never imagine all of this in one cake! And, he does naked cakes, so you can see the layers. He is also non-fussy when it comes to glazing and garnishing. His signature way of decorating cakes is putting a huge meringue on top and torching it.
Green warrior
Chef Sanjana Patel
Partner and executive chef, La Folie Patisserie
Recommends KarishmaâÂÂu00c2u0080ÂÂu00c2u0088sakhrani
Instagram page: @karishma_sakhrani
Followers: 40.5K
Karishma is a Master Chef India finalist, a health coach and food stylist, all rolled in one. But, for me, what makes her stand out is her passion for promoting vegetarian and gluten-free eats. A vegetarian herself, she cooks the food you see on her handle. Her sense of detail while plating, makes every ingredient pop on the plate. She is also known to have a crazy love affair with avocados and plates them in the most gorgeous fashion. She makes being vegetarian look fashionable. What's also interesting is her pairing of indigenous ingredients. Try her wakame avocado salad with Spanish wakame black rice. The beetroot quinoa burger and toasted coconut chips sourdough toast are great, too. For someone with no professional experience, Karishma is worth watching out for.
Happy feet
Tal spiegel, Paris
Instagram page: @desserted_in_paris
Followers: 133K
Tal is known as one of the quirkiest and most passionate pastry chef students in France. He is the food blogger every renowned pastry chef launches his or her desserts with. His love for food photography, combined with a shoe fetish, has given him a distinct identity. If there is anything new that is trending in the French dessert scene, he is likely to be the first to disclose it via his Instagram account.
His recent collaboration with renowned pastry shop Fauchon in Paris, was fun to see. Fauchon and Tal launched a unique line of funky print éclairs that matched his 10 favourite pairs of shoes. This is the first time that customers will be able to taste his creations at Fauchon. He has also written a book titled Patisseries De Paris, where he talks about his love affair with desserts, and chronicles his life as a pastry intern in Parisian kitchens. The fact that he has not disclosed his identity makes his a vicarious account to follow.
Nailing the Plate
Chef Sameer Bhalekar
Executive Chef, +91, Juhu
Recommends Cheg garrethwilson
Instagram account: @theprivatepass
Followers: 43.6K
My Instagram posts are only about food. I'm always typing tags of ingredients in order to find out about the innovative ways they are being used. In fact, it was while scrolling the 'explore' section that I stumbled on Chef Garreth Wilson, and was blown away by his presentation of dishes. Each dish is immaculately plated with attention to detail. I am inspired by the way he uses different textures and colours on a plate.
Desi flavour
Chef Vineet Bhatia
Instagram account: @chef vineet
Followers: 14.6k
The desi food scene is no less intriguing. I have been following Chef Vineet Bhatia for a year and his posts are exciting because he tends to give his own twist to traditional Indian dishes. He has a very modern touch to Indian cuisine which is very evident in every dish he creates. I remember a post where he laced the tandoori mirch paneer with a coriander coral. It added a wonderful aesthetic value to the dish, making it visually striking.
Charting new territories
Chef Anand Morwani Co-founder, Brewbot, Andheri
Recommends Massimo Bottura
Instagram page: @massimobottura
Followers: 566K
Massimo Bottura has modernised Italian food, which is a mammoth task to accomplish, because Italians grow up thinking their home-cooked food is the best. When I was working there, it was common to hear people say, 'Amo il cibo di mia madre' which means, 'I love my mother's food'. Bottura went ahead and set up a restaurant in the heart of Bolognia. Although it failed in the initial years, he persevered and today, he's one of the biggest influencers.
A 360 degree view
Chef Gaggan Anand
Instagram: @gaggan_anand
Followers: 82.8k
Chef Gaggan's posts are diverse. They revolve around food, culture, himself, his surroundings, cooking techniques and focus on ingredients. But there is no over promotion. He worked his way up and flourished. Gaggan is one chef who is pushing the envelope when it comes to Indian cuisine globally.
Manhattan Treats
Viraf Patel Executive Chef Consultant, Gateway Taproom, BKC
Recommends Dan Barber
Instagram account: @chefdanbarber
Followers: 202K
THE reason I am on Instagram is because I want to know what the world is eating. Therefore, Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of Blue Hill in Manhattan and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York, tops my list of Insta favourites. I got hooked to his account after watching an episode on him on Netflix. Barber's understanding of sustainable farming, animal husbandry and cooking is incredible. This has not only inspired me as a chef, but also goaded me to consider farming.
Homegrown Humour
Rahul Akerkar
Instagram account: rahulakerkar
Followers: 2,074
On the home turf, I've been closely following Rahul, who was my boss when I forayed into the hospitality sector a decade ago. He was the frontrunner then, introducing the city to European food. I am keen on knowing what and how he's going to change the food scene again. His cheeky humour is a bonus.
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