A Conversation with Chef Maneet Chauhan

As in-person events slowly return to our region, planning is underway for the inaugural St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival, scheduled for May 6–9, 2021. A celebration of culinary arts, beverages, culture and music, this four day event highlights local and celebrity guest chefs, celebrity winemakers and proprietors, artisans, farmers, local distillers and brewers, along with renowned wine, spirits and beer brands.

Kicking off the festival is a gourmet food lover’s experience with a six-course dinner, featuring three guest celebrity chefs, all James Beard Foundation winners and nominees, along with leading local chefs. Included in the lineup is Maneet Chauhan, award-winning chef, author and television personality who appears regularly on the Food Network. She is also part of Morph Hospitality, a restaurant group in Nashville where diners enjoy her multi-cultural cuisine including Indian dishes with a Southern twist.

We caught up with Chef Chauhan to hear her thoughts about preserving culinary traditions while introducing and experimenting with new flavors along with lessons learned from the pandemic.

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Why is it important to you to preserve some of the traditional dishes you grew up with?

That’s the foundation of who I am as a chef – these were the dishes that inspired and continue to inspire me. These dishes are what hooked me to the food world, and the reason I fell in love with cooking.

What similarities are there between Southern and Indian cuisines?

The term “soul food” is often associated with African-American cooking, especially in the South, because you cook from your soul, and it is exactly the same with Indian food. There is also a familiarity in flavors because there is an overlap of ingredients and it makes the South feel like home.

What ingredients from Indian cuisine are your favorites to incorporate into Southern dishes and why? Are there any Southern dishes or ingredients you have introduced to diners when you have cooked abroad?

A few of my favorites are okra and black-eyed peas. The flavors of these ingredients pair well with Indian spices and flavors. I have incorporated fried green tomatoes, hot chicken, coleslaw, pecan pie, American/Southern barbecue and biscuits and gravy. When I visit India, I like to make biscuits and gravy for my family. However it can be a little different depending on the ingredients you can find in India. Shrimp and grits and pecan pie are some of my family’s favorite dishes that I’ve introduced to them.
  
What is the best way we can continue to support local food businesses as we recover from the past year?

The biggest thing is to do what you can – if you’re comfortable to dine in, go ahead, if not, do takeout. I would say more importantly is what not to do is – customers can always keep in mind that the front of house and back of house workers at the restaurants are under a lot of stress during these times. They are doing everything they can to keep customers safe while also providing a great dining experience, so just be kind to them because you never know what they are dealing with.    

What knowledge have you gained during the pandemic that you want to retain and build upon?

The two biggest learning experiences are to constantly be ready to pivot because you never know what direction an external circumstance will lead you in, and to never be comfortable and always stay on your toes.

Check St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival for the complete schedule and ticket information.