Recently everyone was glued to their television sets, watching the latest round of Food Network’s ‘The Next Iron Chef’, a reality show which pits potential top chefs against each other, and only one can emerge victorious. The battle involved ten noted chefs with rounds of elimination every week – and Mumbai native Jehangir Mehta made it to the final round with chef Jose Garces. They had to make five different dishes, using ribs and racks. It was high action drama and Chef Garces emerged victorious.
Mehta has, however, been a big winner as far as the Iron Chef buzz has translated into lots of traffic to his restaurant, Graffiti Food and Wine Bar, which he started in 2007 in the East Village. It’s probably one of the smallest restaurants and its kitchen is just 50 square feet, but Mehta produces some big tastes, using spices from many parts of the world, including India and Persia. Recently Zagat gave it a 26 for food which says a lot about the quality of Graffiti’s food. Mehta is indeed a fearless warrior who is not afraid of strong spices or of blending them in unconventional ways.
His unconventional desserts have received a lot of media coverage, and Mehta has been pastry chef at top restaurants like Jean-Georges, Mercer Kitchen, Union Pacific, Compass, Virot, Sapa and Aix. He’s got a cookbook ‘Mantra: The Rules of Indulgence’ under his belt, in which he highlights Ayurvedic ingredients to produce indulgent delights.
Currently he’s cooking up a lot of different pots: he’s in demand for catering high-end parties for Fortune 500 companies; he runs Candy Camp for children to get their first taste of cooking, and just this November he’s launched his own online food show, J Walk. And on top of all that, Jehangir Mehta is also the dad of a pair of young twins! Wouldn’t you call that a full plate?
Related Post: You can read about Jehangir’s beginnings and career here.
(Photos credit: Food Network)
