I play to win: Zorawar Kalra

Zorawar Kalra Founder amp MD Massive Restaurants Pvt LtdIt was the year 2006 Zorawar Kalra had recently tied the knot with his sweetheart Dildeep The couple planned to honeymoon in Barcelona mdash a beautiful destination no doubt except that Zorawar had more than romance on his mindldquoIn July I called up El Bulli the famous Spanish restaurant renowned for molecular gastronomy and requested for a reservation in October The lady on the other side of the telephone laughed The restaurant after all has a oneyear waiting period for reservations I coolly told her it was my honeymoon that I was coming to Spain only for the restaurant and that my fatherrsquos name is Jiggs Kalra She called me back in an hour and confirmed my reservationrdquo he guffawsZorawar Kalrarsquos future plans include taking Masala Library and Farzi Cafe to Dubai ldquoWersquore also trying to do something luxurious with sweetsrdquo says the restaurateur PicsSatyajit DesaiA grownup dropping his celebrity chef fatherrsquos name for favours isnrsquot that quite a low ldquoIrsquom shameless I got what I wanted and thatrsquos what mattersrdquo laughs Zorawar heartily ldquoThatrsquos also how I built Masala Library the Bandra Kurla Complexbased restaurant that specialises in molecular gastronomy Otherwise I would have never thought of experimenting with this area of foodrdquo adds the 37yearold on a serious note We are at Masala Library indeed As we sip a delicious Wild Mushroom Chai mdash a consommeacute of mushrooms topped with truffle and dehydrated mushrooms mdash we know what Zorawar meansFood on his mindFor Zorawar growing up amid diehard foodies in Delhirsquos Navjeevan Vihar meant that every lunch and dinnertime conversation revolved around foodldquoAt breakfast we discussed lunch at lunch we dreamed of dinner Dinner involved passionate voting on what would be served for breakfast the morning afterrdquo he recalls Zorawarrsquos childhood seems like the parathasdripping withgheeinthetiffinbox kid Was it ldquoNo ours wasnrsquot a typical Punjabi household There were more sandwiches than parathas in my tiffinrdquo says the restaurateur recalling how he would often gobble down his South Indian friendrsquos lunch in exchange for his ldquoMy grandmother was a fantastic cook but there was no way I was going to wake her up at 5 in the morning to cook for merdquo he rues The entrepreneur remembers being wideeyed with wonder as he accompanied his father to the best restaurants in the country and abroad ldquoWhen I was in the Class 10 we went all over Scotland and Wales on a road trip and stayed at eight or nine bedandbreakfast inns Our hosts plucked fresh produce from their backyards cooked it well and served us generouslyrdquo remembers Zorawar No wonder his fatherrsquos lsquojobrsquo held eternal fascination for the teenaged Zorawar ldquoI thought he had the most glamorous lifestylerdquo he confesses But Zorawar reveals that it was not until 1985 when his fatherrsquos television show on Doordarshan became really popular that he realised that Jiggs Kalra was a celebrityCreating conceptsIt didnrsquot take him long to figure out where his true calling lay ldquoThe sole reason I pursued an MBA at Boston University was so I could learn how to run a restaurant businessrdquo says the food enthusiast adding that he was clear that he wanted to be as involved in the business of food ldquoI donrsquot have the temperament to cookrdquo he says simply ldquoI like to create concepts nurture them over time and build a strong systemrdquo After working in US for a year as a business analyst in Chicago Zorawar intended to open a restaurant there but destiny had other plans and the entrepreneur had to return to India in 2004 ldquoMy father was unwell and I returned to take care of the business I was dejected for a couple of months mdash my plans had gone awry But now when I look back I am glad they didrdquo he smilesZorawarrsquos maiden venture Punjab Grill started as a small foodcourt outlet in 2006 at Metropolitan Mall in Gurgaon Soon after though he realised that he needed to notch things up a bit and got the brand Dabur on board to make Punjab Grill one of the most profitable restaurant chains in the country ldquoWe opened seven Punjab Grills in quick succession and bagged a number of culinary awards within six monthsrdquo he says with an unmistakable hint of pride in his voice In March 2012 after receiving an attractive valuation for his business Zorawar sold his stake in the company and started Massive Restaurants Pvt Ltd in September that year ldquoI am an entrepreneur and it was important for to have full control over my domainrdquo he says Making Indian cuisine lsquocoolrsquoThe first restaurant to open its doors to the public under his company was Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra in October 2013 The fact that it is full of diners at 4 pm on a weekday is testimony to its popularity The restaurantrsquos next destination for the restaurant is Dubai sometime later this year Zorawar tells usIn December 2013 Zorawar launched Made in Punjab a casual dining restaurant at Inorbit Mall in Malad and in July 2014 they launched Farzi Cafeacute at DLF Cyber City Gurgaon a restobar that food critics have hailed as a mustvisit and which he soon plans to launch in MumbaiWhat gladdens Zorawar the most is that he has achieved what he hoped to with Indian cuisine mdash gatsby it up enough for even the most diehard world cuisine lovers to be curious about ldquoI think Indian cuisine is one of the most amazing cuisines in the world but it suffers from a perception problem mdash in a world where everyone is consuming Japanese and American cuisine Indian food just doesnrsquot seem cool enough I hope to be known as someone who cared enough about his home cuisine to put it on the world maprdquo he says Zorawarrsquos future plans include becoming a Rs 300400 crore listed business in the next five years ldquoI donrsquot like being number two If we are nominated for an award we want to win it Being second in my opinion is being the first among losers and I donrsquot like thatrdquo he emphasises Full speed aheadLaunching three brands in one year comes at a price and for Zorawar that has meant spending long spells away from his family ldquoThere is no lsquomersquo time therersquos only lsquoshersquo timerdquo Zorawar candidly admits referring to his wife The father of two tries to keep Sundays aside for his family when he isnrsquot racing sports cars at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida ldquoWe are a club of 12 sports car enthusiasts who love to drive down the circuit once a monthrdquo says the adrenaline junkie They also go on regular drives around the city ldquoWe tried taking our wives along with us a few times but they couldnrsquot deal with it Which is okay with me because if she sees the way I drive I probably wonrsquot be allowed to drive after thatrdquo he says with a smile But he did promise his wife that he will never drink and drive and thatrsquos a promise he intends to keep His other favourite sport is golf But isnrsquot that too tame compared to sports car racing we wonder ldquoNot when you play with me Irsquom extremely competitive I play to winrdquo he grins