Travel is as important for a chef to improve his skills as net practice is for a cricketer to perfect his game. You can’t be a frog in a well and increase your repertoire. You need to visit different countries, taste the food there and understand the nuances of the flavours, before coming back home and applying the knowledge you’ve gained. Chefs aren’t like pani puri wallahs who make the same thing day in and day out. They must constantly reinvent themselves. And that’s what Manuel Olveira Seller has done with La Loca Maria, a cute Bandra eatery that’s launching in a few days.

Barbecue pork rib