An account of our day out with the Chefs of JW Marriott, Bangalore at the First Agro Farm, Talakad. This is a guest blog post by Mukta Chakravorty, while the pictures are mine.
What is the recipe for a perfect and memorable day? There may be many, but here is mine. Head someplace far from the city where you can reconnect with nature and appreciate the simpler things in life. Add to it some great company and fabulous food and voila! There you have it!
So on Saturday, February 22, a bunch of us foodies, along with a group of extremely talented chefs of the JW Marriott, Bangalore headed to the First Agro Farm for a ‘Chefs’ Cook off’ session involving a taste of farm fresh food and an opportunity for the chefs to interact outside of their work environment.
We had an early start and the crisp morning air helped drive away the remnants of sleep from the previous night. Chef Jolly, executive chef of JW Marriott greeted us and gave us an overview of what the day had in store for us. After a quick breakfast of hot croissants and tea/coffee at the Marriott Kitchen, we headed off to Talkad, near Mysore.
A view of the First Argo farm in Talakad
It was a fairly long drive, but the company was pleasant. After a mistaken detour, we reached the First Agro Farm where we were warmly welcomed by Nameet, the Director of the farm. We were handed glasses of very refreshing gazpacho (a Spanish cold soup) made from the fresh and organic tomatoes and peppers grown at the farm.
The very delicious gazpacho soup, refreshing after a long journey
Rejuvenated by the soup, we were ready for a tour. Not many among us had been on an organic farm before and the wide variety of fresh vegetables and herbs bowled us over. There were peppers of different hues, horseradish that was delightfully pungent, cabbages, cauliflowers, all lined up prettily. We took off on an interesting treasure hunt amongst the rows of vegetable patches stretching ahead of us. With Nameet giving us clues, we had to look for the particular vegetable or herb he was referring to. And what discoveries we made.
The chefs have a discussion on the field!
We lost count of the varieties of tomatoes grown there. They came in all shapes, sizes and colours. There were the bright red and pulpy San Marino tomatoes that are used especially for pizzas; pear shaped yellow ones on the vine (it seems the ones on the vines keep ripening even after they are plucked); tomatoes with ridges on them; the pea-sized, fish-boned structured tomatoes and the midnight indigo tomatoes that were a royal, deep blue and purple in colour.
Different colours and varieties of tomatoes growing on the farm
Chefs posing for a picture – Daniel, Jolly, Bruno Ferrari and Susanto
The cherry tomatoes were simply divine. Red hued, almost grape-like in size, they were immensely sweet, juicy and flavorful. We could easily have polished off the entire lot, they way we kept on plucking and popping them into our mouths. As we explored, we found out purple basil, different kinds of chillies and a host of other herbs and plants. And all of it is organically produced, free of any pesticides. The tour finally came to an end and then came our favorite part – the food!
While we were involved in the ‘treasure hunt’, our talented team of chefs had been busy laying out a lavish spread of fresh salads and barbeque for us. To top it off, there was wine that had been generously provided by Raghavendra of the neighboring Vindiva vineyards. It was truly a sight to behold. And ravenous as we were, we wasted no time in queuing up and tucking in.
Fresh vegetables and ingredients made for the most delicious salads!
At the salad counter, the chefs tossed us made-to-order salads and the choices were staggering! Fresh rocket leaves and assorted greens, smoked chicken, fried peanuts, khus-khus, shrimps, carrots, beetroot, etc with imaginative dressings like pomegranate, mango, pesto and more. All the vegetables had been picked fresh from the farm itself. They also had an amazing green-peas hummus with pita. It was lip-smacking and we went back for second and third helpings.
The barbeque counter was buzzing as well with roast chicken, lamb, pork, baked potatoes and lots more. By the time we finished our main course, we were too full to even move. Just when we thought we could eat no more, Chef Daniel Koshy, the executive pastry chef brought out an array of decadent desserts which looked too good to pass up! So we tucked in all over again.
Satiated, we sat around chatting and taking in the sights and sounds around us. Pretty soon, it was time to leave and head back to the city. But even as we got ready to face the daily grind, along with the hustle and bustle of traffic, it was comforting to know that there are always some places you can head back to when you need to get away far from the madding crowd.
Chef Bruno promises an unforgettable experience at Alba,
the Italian dining place at JW Marriott, Bangalore
— More pictures in this Flickr Album
(PS: On an invitation from the JW Marriott, Bangalore).