transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] This episode of Biscuits & Jam is brought to you by Tennessee Soundbites. Hey, y'all, welcome to Biscuits & Jam from Southern Living. I'm your host, Sid Evans. And today, I'm talking with someone who hasn't slowed down since she first joined us on the show back in 2020. You may also know her as a fierce Food Network competitor and judge, a cookbook author, and a trailblazing chef and restaurateur. Maneet Chauhan got her start in India before coming to the US to attend the Culinary Institute of America. She went on to work in top restaurants and eventually opened Chauhan Ale & Masala House in Nashville, where she blends Indian flavors with Southern influences. She's also behind The Mockingbird, another Nashville favorite, and she recently opened Eat, that's E-E-T, in Disney Springs, Florida with her husband Vivek, bringing their modern take on Indian cuisine to an even wider audience. Along the way, she's written two cookbooks and appeared on shows like Chopped, BBQ Brawl, Maneet's Eats, and Tournament of Champions, where she became the first two-time winner in the show's history. Maneet is always a delight to talk to and she's always got a lot going on. This time we talked about how she honors traditional Indian cuisine while making it modern and accessible, why she sees BBQ as a global language, and how she's turning her 50th birthday into a year-long celebration. All that and more on this week's Biscuits & Jam. Maneet Chauhan, welcome back to Biscuits & Jam.

Speaker 2:
[01:47] Thank you so much. I was actually listening to the last podcast we did, and I realized that it was just before my book chart came out.

Speaker 1:
[01:57] I think it was three years ago, right?

Speaker 2:
[01:59] It was actually, no, it was 2020.

Speaker 1:
[02:04] Oh gosh, really?

Speaker 2:
[02:05] Yeah, because I was talking about the book coming out, and I'm like, really? It seems like we just had this conversation yesterday.

Speaker 1:
[02:14] A lot has happened since we last talked.

Speaker 2:
[02:18] Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 1:
[02:20] I mean, you've been very busy. You've had so many things going on on the TV front, and I mean, you've been traveling, going to festivals, you've got the restaurants. Where should we start, Maneet?

Speaker 2:
[02:39] That's a tough question to ask me. Wherever you want to start, there will be stories which will be coming up.

Speaker 1:
[02:46] So where am I reaching you? Are you at home in Nashville right now?

Speaker 2:
[02:49] I actually am at home, believe it or not. It's almost an anomaly, but I am home at least for a day, and then I fly to LA and then to New York. So yeah, that's normal life right now.

Speaker 1:
[03:04] How long have you lived in Tennessee now?

Speaker 2:
[03:07] It is 12 years.

Speaker 1:
[03:09] Wow.

Speaker 2:
[03:10] Yeah. See, the accent is creeping in, y'all.

Speaker 1:
[03:12] Yeah. That's a pretty good run. And that time's pretty much with when you opened Chauhan Ale & Masala House, right? Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[03:25] That's the reason why we moved over here, and it felt like we had arrived home, so no reason to leave.

Speaker 1:
[03:32] Are you feeling like a true Southerner now?

Speaker 2:
[03:34] I am. I am. I think there is a lot of commonality of people who are from India and the people from the South. So it felt very much at home.

Speaker 1:
[03:46] Yeah. I know they love having you in Nashville. Very lucky to have you and everything that you've brought to that town.

Speaker 2:
[03:55] I am lucky to be here. It's amazing. The Southern hospitality, it extends not only to the restaurants or the hospitality industry, but it's built in each and every person you come across. It's easy conversations. It is that sense of belonging.

Speaker 1:
[04:11] Yeah. You're not in Nashville proper, right? You're south of Nashville, always.

Speaker 2:
[04:15] We live in Franklin and the restaurants are in Nashville.

Speaker 1:
[04:18] Yeah. Well, that's a beautiful part of the world. Gets a little bit more rural down there, and you've got those beautiful farms and back roads.

Speaker 2:
[04:31] Downtown Franklin transports you into how the old towns in America were, and they've done such a great job in preserving it. So it's kind of fun.

Speaker 1:
[04:41] Yeah. It's a beautiful place. Well, Maneet, you also celebrated a pretty big milestone recently.

Speaker 2:
[04:50] I am going to. October.

Speaker 1:
[04:53] 50.

Speaker 2:
[04:54] October is going to be my big five-o.

Speaker 1:
[04:56] Oh, I thought it had passed. This is just the ramp up to the birthday.

Speaker 2:
[05:00] You know, Sid, there are people who celebrate birthday, birthday week, birthday month. I just decided to celebrate the birthday year. And how I'm celebrating is by sabering 50 bottles of champagne. I don't know why it came to my mind, but I'm like, let's celebrate this way. So that's what's happening. So yeah, there is a lot of sabering happening, a lot of sparkling wine being consumed. So yeah, it's a good year so far.

Speaker 1:
[05:27] I mean, I love that. I've only done that one time sabering a bottle of champagne and I got it, I think, on the second try. You must have gotten pretty good at it by now.

Speaker 2:
[05:37] I have gotten pretty good, but I have to use a kitchen knife. I cannot do it with a saber.

Speaker 1:
[05:42] Really?

Speaker 2:
[05:43] Yeah. I think because I'm a chef, so I need to use the tools that I'm most comfortable with. Recently, somebody got a saber for me. They're like, do it with a saber. I tried it. I'm like, nah. I took the kitchen knife and boom, that was it.

Speaker 1:
[05:56] It went right off.

Speaker 2:
[05:57] It went right off.

Speaker 1:
[05:58] So is your batting average pretty good now? I mean, do you always get it on the first try?

Speaker 2:
[06:03] Pretty much on the first try. Around two weeks back, I was in Tallahassee and I'm like, I'm going to say, but they got me a magnum. And I'm like, oops, I did it. I was actually very impressed myself.

Speaker 1:
[06:18] Well, there's something very festive about it. It's a great thing to know how to do. Maybe you could show me your technique sometime.

Speaker 2:
[06:27] Let's do it. The next time we meet, we are going to say, but together, it's just a matter of confidence. It has to just, you cannot stop. It has to just be a follow-through.

Speaker 1:
[06:36] Yeah. I've heard that same thing. You've just got to be confident and committed. You got to be completely committed, and then you're going to be fine.

Speaker 2:
[06:44] Exactly.

Speaker 1:
[06:45] So Maneet, talk to me about this 5.0 milestone and what this means to you.

Speaker 2:
[06:51] You know, the biggest word that comes to my mind whenever I think about, you know, turning 50 is gratitude. I have been so fortunate to do so much and experience so much, and I continue doing that. And I think that is one of the biggest things that I'm so grateful about. I mean, traveling has been something which has always, you know, enriched me. Projects that I never thought had anything to do with being a chef, but that's what I am doing. You know, being on television. I think also the biggest thing about turning 50 is the amount of confidence that you get, and that comes from, you get to hoots about anything. It's like savoring. If I go on the stage, and if it doesn't work, oops, sorry. It's like, you know, when I would be younger, I'm like, I can't do this. I would be, now I'm at that stage. It's like, yeah, okay, if it works, if it works. If it doesn't, it's fine. Next thing is going to be even more interesting. So I think those are the things that I'm enjoying the most. Just embracing each and every moment. Two weeks back, I was in DR We were filming something, and I was walking into random people's kitchens and asking them, can I cook with you? And I don't know Spanish. And you know, the lady who was doing my makeup, she was doing the translation. I was making pan de coco. I was making, you know, these yuca empanadas called catapias, ricotta, like, it was incredible. Harvesting almonds and breaking them or even like, you know, opening a coconut with a machete, which now that I look at the video, I'm like, my thumb could have gone, but hey, it's all right. But I think that's it. Just immersing myself in each and every moment I find myself in I think has been the biggest gift that this year has gotten to me.

Speaker 1:
[08:52] It sounds like you are appreciating the little things. You've done so many things in your career. I mean, you've had incredible success with your television shows and launching businesses and cookbooks and so many things. But when you think about what the most rewarding things are, is it those kind of little?

Speaker 2:
[09:15] It's the connections. To me, it's the connections. And I think that's the reason why I got into food. It's connecting with people on something which is as simple as learning how to cook something with them or teaching something. I think it's that connection. It's the power of knowing that you might, you don't need to know the same language to connect with somebody. And again, I always say that what connects us as people is so much more than what divides us. It just keeps on re-iterating the fact every time I connect with somebody who have never met. Like, I don't even know the same language, but we still connect. And I think it's so powerful.

Speaker 1:
[09:54] You spend so much time on TV. I'm wondering how often you get to interact with fans, you know, who have just been watching you. And do you get a chance to meet them? And if you do, what do they say to you?

Speaker 2:
[10:07] So that's why I love doing these festivals, because you actually bridge the gap between being behind a camera and the people who are watching you. And that's what I absolutely love. You know, we opened a restaurant in Disney Springs in Orlando. And I make it a point that I am there at least once a month where I'm doing these meet and greets, where people come and get to meet me and try my food. Or when I'm in Nashville, I make it a point to walk through the restaurant so that people can meet me. I think what takes people back is the fact that, you know, what they see on TV is what they get in front of them. There isn't a facade. Like, this is what it is. If I stop by a table and we start talking, we can talk about anything. And I think that's what makes it really special.

Speaker 1:
[10:54] You know, Maneet, you've gotten so good at so many things. I mean, you're very skilled, obviously, as a chef and you've won these competitions. I mean, you won the Tournament of Champions twice on the Food Network, which is congrats. I mean, that's amazing. But I'm wondering what's something that you're working on that is a challenge for you right now, something that you're learning. You know, you started out as someone who was interested in baking and pastry arts. Is there an area of focus now that something that you really want to get better at?

Speaker 2:
[11:31] I definitely want to get much better at teaching and being more proficient with disseminating the knowledge that I have. To me, I'm a student for life. So every day I learn something. And it can be the most random thing, but I have that need to learn something. Right? And it doesn't need to be about food. It can be life lessons. It could be math. It could be accounting. It could be geography. It could be anything, but the thirst for knowledge is going to be with me for the rest of my life. But to me, what I'm really working on is, at times, I learn something and I don't realize how important it is to disseminate that information. Right? And that is something that I'm working on to make sure that the next generation of chefs is a stronger generation than we are, because only then we are going to succeed when the next generation is stronger than the previous one.

Speaker 1:
[12:31] Yeah. You know, Maneet, you started out in hospitality. We were talking about Southern hospitality and you started out working in hotel management. That was kind of your initial direction in India, right? You went to school for hotel management.

Speaker 2:
[12:51] Hotel management in India.

Speaker 1:
[12:53] And that's all about hospitality and how you treat people and how you make people comfortable. And I'm wondering, what are some things that you tell your employees? You know, you talk about teaching and disseminating information. It's one thing to learn how to cook. It's another thing to learn hospitality and to learn how to take care of people. I'm curious, what are some things that, you know, as you're talking to your staff and the people who are operating your restaurants in Nashville or in Disney Springs, what do you tell them?

Speaker 2:
[13:32] To me, the best compliments that I get on socials or anywhere is that we came over, the food was great, but the service was absolutely fantastic. And it is obvious that your team enjoys working for you. And I think that really, really stems from above. When I walk into a restaurant, like Mockingbird or Chauhan or Eat, I walk in with a sickening amount of sweetness, right? I walk in, I'm like, good morning, everyone. And I realize that that sets the tone, right? If I walk in grumpy, it really, really permeates through the entire place. So even if I'm having a bad day, I have to realize that it's my responsibility to lift the entire team, because it's a tough industry, we know that. So whenever we are training, we always tell people that, you might be having a hard day, we absolutely understand that, we support that. But in that hard day, there's always going to be that one glimmer of brightness, and we want you to just concentrate on that. These are great servers, they know their work, our managers, they are good at what they do. But they're also humans, and we need to have the grace of letting them being humans. I think that's what it is. They know that if they are having a bad day and they need to step out, there is always somebody to cover for them. And there's always an open door policy. I make it a point that when I walk into the restaurant, there is Josephina walking. I'm like, Josephina, how are your twins doing? It's that personal connection. It just takes a minute of my time, but to them, it's like, okay, she cares. And I think if I do it, so do my managers, so do the people under them. And it makes a family, which is very, it's very nourishing to grow up in that environment.

Speaker 1:
[15:32] Yeah. You must have a lot of people working for you who are very young, in their 20s, probably. How do you kind of make a 20-year-old, 25-year-old understand your unique approach to hospitality and how to kind of bring that to life?

Speaker 2:
[15:55] I think the first step of doing that is realizing that the world they are in and the world that we started in when we were 20 are completely two different worlds. It's been a journey for me because I'm like, I used to do that when I was 20. I would work like seven days a week, 16 hours a day, but those were different times. We have worked so hard, we have strived so hard to make sure that the industry is more conducive for the next generation, that they don't have to do what we went through. It's up to us. I think the first thing is to understand that it's a different generation, and then to figure out what really makes them tick. I yesterday was having a very interesting conversation with a young kid, 14-year-old who wants to be a chef, and he asked me, what makes a good manager? My answer was that a good manager is not somebody who gets the work done. A good manager is one who realizes what your strong points are, what your weaknesses are, and makes you work on your strong points so that you really flourish. I was saying, I'm an awful singer. If somebody comes and tells me sing, that's not my forte. Of course, I'm going to fail. You've got to set up your team for success. Right now, there are a couple of kids who I'm like, why do you want to be a chef? They're like, because I want to be on TV. I'm like, okay, be good at what you do, then TV will come calling. It's never the other way around. It's a different generation. I mean, people think that you can do recipes on social media and you're a chef. That's not it. So you've got to have a higher amount of patience. I have two kids. So I like, literally I'm being trained at home.

Speaker 1:
[17:45] Yes.

Speaker 2:
[17:45] So at work, I can take the training which is happening to me at home and transfer that like, okay, let's figure it out. Let's come up with solutions together. And as soon as they feel that they have an input in their growth, they get even more invested in doing a task very, very well.

Speaker 1:
[18:05] Yeah. Who was the person in your life who taught you the most about hospitality?

Speaker 2:
[18:14] I don't think it was one person per se. It's been each and every person who I have come across, including the people who have not been nice to me and who have inspired me for what not to do. Right. I mean, you've come across people who made you feel really bad about yourself. And I think that was one of my biggest pivotal moment where I realized that I will never ever be a person who makes somebody else feel bad about themselves. I mean, all of us, as it is, struggle through, you know, self-worth issues. And if there's other people who are kind of really doubling down on that, I'm like, nope, not happening. So I think it's a combination, Sid. It's each and every event, you know, like the Charleston, the classics, like each and every person that I met, there was so much hospitality, you know, exuding from them. And you're like, this is incredible or the incredible tailgate party, right? Which is amazing. And it's the space, it's the feeling, it's the ethos. I think I learn from each and every person that I come across.

Speaker 1:
[19:20] Yeah. That's interesting that you said that you've learned from the people who haven't treated you as well or who made you feel bad about yourself. It's true because you do take lessons from those people. They may not be inspiring lessons, but maybe they inspire you to do it a different way. And you think, you know, that's not the way that I want people to feel.

Speaker 2:
[19:41] Yeah. I think that's very, very important that you've got to make people around you feel worthwhile. Strong. That's your job as a manager, as a leader. That is my job.

Speaker 1:
[19:58] After the break, I'll talk more with Maneet Chauhan about cooking and learning from her family, her home kitchen renovation, and how her show Maneet's Eats is helping to demystify Indian cuisine. This episode of Biscuits & Jam is brought to you by Tennessee Soundbites. In Tennessee, music and sound are what set the state apart. It's the birthplace of seven music genres, which is why it's long been considered the musical capital of the world, with more songs written, recorded, and played live than anywhere else. Here's another reason to love my home state. That creative energy reaches far beyond the stage and into the culinary scene. From Nashville hot chicken to Memphis barbecue to bold chef driven restaurants, Tennessee's food culture is as rich and soulful as the music that made this place famous. Now, Soundbites is connecting chefs with musicians to create one-of-a-kind dining experiences where legendary food is paired with legendary music and food never sounded this good. Learn more and watch the episodes at tnsoundbites.com. Welcome back to Biscuits & Jam from Southern Living. I'm Sid Evans and today I'm chatting with the chef, restaurateur and Food Network star, Maneet Chauhan. Maneet, I want to ask you a little about the home front. You mentioned your kids and being a mom, of course, is job number one. Tell me a little bit about cooking at home and how you've introduced your kids to food.

Speaker 2:
[21:39] Vivek and I, we love cooking. I think that's what really bonds us. We are in the kitchen creating dishes or Vivek tries to recreate the dishes that his mom or grandmom would do and me too. That is literally the heart of the house. The kids are, like our daughter is getting really curious about spices. Anything that she's eating, she's like, this needs some chaat masala on it. I'm like, she's a chef's daughter. I love that. So they do get really involved. My son, on the other hand, who is 11 and could not care about cooking at all. He lives in a completely different universe, which is Marvel and DC and Disney. That's where he lives. But he loves to eat and he is like clockwork. Twelve o'clock, this is my lunchtime. Five-thirty, this is my dinner time. If he likes something, he'll keep on eating. It's almost impossible to get him to stop. If he doesn't like something, he's like, I am full. So food is such an integral part for both of them, only in completely different ways. Like she is intrigued, she wants to cook. He is at the present moment. Unless I tell him that, hey, you know, Thor made this or Iron Man is making this, then he gets involved in the cooking.

Speaker 1:
[23:09] Maneet, I've heard you talk about your son being on the spectrum. And I'm curious if that's, you know, changed your approach to food and cooking with him. I must take a little bit different mindset.

Speaker 2:
[23:27] It has. I think that he's opened my mind a lot more than what I used to do before I had him. You know, they are set rules in any industry that you grew up with, right? Like simple things like, you know, red meat, red wine, you know. You walk into a kitchen with those blinders. I think, just to see the world through his eyes has completely opened my mind as to like, there are no restrictions. This is what I'm going to do. He is a fantastic eater. Like you put anything in front of him, he will eat it. And he's not a fussy eater at all. But he did open my mind to like, this is what I'm going to do. I do a lot more research on ancient grains or getting ingredients from India or cooking, you know, not only for taste but for health. So a lot of that has definitely happened thanks to him.

Speaker 1:
[24:28] Do you hear from other parents who are going through similar situations?

Speaker 2:
[24:34] It's actually incredible that you're asking that. Just day before yesterday, there's a lady who reached out to me on social media and she said that my oldest son is your biggest fan. I think it was on Friday night because I wasn't in town. But my youngest son is on the spectrum. I was like, gotcha, so is my son. I called up my entire team and made sure that first of all, seat them away from the crowds and then what he likes to eat. Mockingbird is right around the corner. So I'm like, he wants fries, he wants nuggets, whatever he wants, just make sure that you get it. Then she sends me the sweetest message on Saturday morning. He's like, not only did my son enjoy himself, he now says that you are his favorite chef and this is his favorite dining experience. The fact that your team made the effort, your server kept on stopping by acknowledging us. I think it was such a powerful moment. Autism Speaks has a huge gala in New York and I am the chef chair this year. So I am getting even more involved and having more conversations with parents to make sure that they better equip their kids to have an easier entry into society.

Speaker 1:
[25:57] Well, that's wonderful and I love that you're a part of that event. When is that actually? When is that event?

Speaker 2:
[26:03] I think it is April 31st.

Speaker 1:
[26:04] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[26:05] Yeah. It's amazing. It's 50 chefs. They are each and every chef has a table and we do a four course meal for the people in front of us serving them. So it's incredible and Chef Franklin Becker, his son is also on the spectrum. So he's been doing it for years and years. So it's incredible how the chef community actually comes together to support causes which really matter to them.

Speaker 1:
[26:31] That's wonderful. Maneet, I want to ask you about your home kitchen. I mean, this is a place where you spend a lot of time. As you just said, and you're cooking all the time, it's the gathering place, it's where you hang out. What are some of your priorities in terms of how you want that space to look and feel and be organized? I'm guessing that you have some very strong opinions about this.

Speaker 2:
[26:59] So it's Vivek's 50th also this year. So the gift that we are giving each other is we are renovating our kitchen completely. When we bought this place, our son Karma was in the NICU. So we needed a place which was functional to us, and the kitchen was okay. It's definitely not my dream kitchen. So after all of these years, we are like, this is it. So we are going to go ahead and we have a huge patio. So we are going to enclose the patio and make the kitchen huge. So what I'm really excited about is a gas range that's non-negotiable, right? Like that is where, as a chef, we do like really great cooking.

Speaker 1:
[27:41] Wait, you don't have a gas range now?

Speaker 2:
[27:43] No, we do have a gas range, but I want to, you know, more power, more strength.

Speaker 1:
[27:46] More juice, yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[27:47] When we bought it, it actually was electric. And I'm like, no, that's the first thing that we did when we kind of did a mini renovation. Then huge refrigerators. What I'm really, really excited about is that I'm getting a hearth oven where I can do not only naans, but I can do flatbread pizzas, like, you know, all of that, like high, high heat cooking. Oh, what I'm really excited about is the cabinetry. So I am moving my entire kitchen forward so that there is a huge hidden sliding doors where I can push all my equipment, like my KitchenAid or my food processor and stuff, so there is no clutter and it's clean. Yeah, like a huge island and color, right? Like the color combination that we are looking at. When we meet next, hopefully it should be done. I can't wait to show you the photographs, but we're looking at like this really navy blue with gold accents. So that's what we're looking and then white marble with some gold flecks in it. As you can see, I love my sparkle.

Speaker 1:
[28:54] Okay. This could be a Southern living story, Maneet. You got to keep me posted on this.

Speaker 2:
[28:59] You know what? I will. It's so exciting just working with all of the people. So yeah, I'll keep you informed.

Speaker 1:
[29:05] Well, I guess you've been too busy to really get around to this. You've been traveling and doing everything, but thinking about your own kitchen.

Speaker 2:
[29:13] That's true. But also I think the kids are at that age where, okay, if I don't have the kitchen for a couple of months, I can still figure it out. You should see my kitchen right now because I've gotten these chest freezers where I am making rotis with a vengeance. Like if I have to make four of them, they have 50, and then I'm throwing it in the freezer because I'm thinking of when the construction starts, the chef in me, which is like everything is marked, like there are the masking tape with the dates, what it is. It's hilarious.

Speaker 1:
[29:48] You're planning ahead. I love it.

Speaker 2:
[29:50] Totally.

Speaker 1:
[29:52] So Maneet, the home cooking thing has also started to show up a little more in what you're doing on TV. I'm curious about the show Maneet's Eats, which is really more about home cooking, and I'm curious what that experience has been like for you, and what enjoyment do you get out of that, as opposed to a competitive cooking show?

Speaker 2:
[30:19] It's been interesting because I remember when I came from India to go to the CIA, I was the only Indian on campus for the majority of the time that I was there. I took some of my friends to eat Indian food, and this is upstate New York. It was not the best Indian food, and I was like, come on. Since 1998 of coming to this country, all I have wanted to do is show people the beauty of Indian food, the seasonality of Indian food, the health of Indian food, and it's really not that complicated. So to me, the whole idea was to demystify, you can actually do this at home. And it's really funny because whenever I'm cooking at home, I put a camera, and whatever I'm cooking, I just record it, and then I post it on Instagram where I'm like, you know, this is the recipe, it's simple to make, and people have constantly been reaching out, they're like, oh, we thought that Indian food would be so much more complicated. And I'm like, you know, the largest population on the world is making this on a daily basis three times a day. It's really, everything is not that complicated. So I think like Maneet's Eats was pretty much, you know, a step towards demystifying what Indian food is, because a lot of it is in people's mind that it is, you know, it's cutty, it's complicated. We don't know if we'll be able to do it. So that was it. Just, you know, to kind of remove the misconception or preconceived notion that it's very, very complicated. It actually isn't. And I'm hoping that my next book would be along those lines.

Speaker 1:
[31:57] Oh, are you working on one?

Speaker 2:
[31:58] I hope so, yes. I think it's about time to.

Speaker 1:
[32:01] Yeah, okay.

Speaker 2:
[32:03] Just because I don't have enough going on.

Speaker 1:
[32:04] Well, maybe after that kitchen renovation is done.

Speaker 2:
[32:07] Yes. Everything is in tandem.

Speaker 1:
[32:11] So Maneet, when you and Vivek have a chance to get out of the house, which I can't imagine is super often, where do you like to go? What are some of your favorite places kind of around Franklin or Nashville?

Speaker 2:
[32:30] We were laughing yesterday that we know more places outside of Nashville than in Nashville because when we are in Nashville, because we travel so much, we try to be with the kids as much as possible or at work. But we make it a point that when there are events happening, we do travel together. So we do get to spend that time together. But when we are in Nashville, when we get to get out, we go to the Regal Cinema or the AMC and watch some Bollywood movie. That's our jam. There is like literally, I'm like, this movie has come out. Okay, great. Fantastic. Tickets done. So yes, that's our guilty pleasure.

Speaker 1:
[33:13] I love that.

Speaker 2:
[33:13] It's Bollywood movie.

Speaker 1:
[33:14] You can find those at the AMC, really?

Speaker 2:
[33:18] Absolutely. There is one which has come out right now, which has been, it's a four-hour movie. We saw the first part and it was incredible. We are just trying to figure out when we can go and see the movie. So yeah, that's going to happen sooner than later.

Speaker 1:
[33:33] I love that. Can I talk to you about BBQ just for a second? Yes. You're living in BBQ country. There's so many great places around Nashville and even Franklin where you are. But you're also doing this show called BBQ Brawl with Bobby Flay. You've been a team captain, is that right?

Speaker 2:
[34:00] Yes.

Speaker 1:
[34:01] Tell me some things that you've learned about BBQ on that show.

Speaker 2:
[34:04] I think one of the biggest things that BBQ needs is time and its patience. As a chef who works on the line on Saturday nights, patience is something that we're like, move, move, move, move. That was the biggest thing that I learned. The next big thing to me was just the smoke. It was not so much the fire as much as the smoke, which really reinforces the flavor and just accentuates any of the things that you are barbecuing. The best part was that if you think about barbecue, in America, this is what barbecue is. But if you think about barbecue, barbecue has been done all across the world in different formats, right? The competitors, they're like, oh, I have a Korean heritage, so there's Korean barbecue, which is important to me. And I'm like, yeah, if you think about it, the tandoor is also a barbecue. So that conversation, I think, it really opened my mind to what barbecue is. It's a whole world that does barbecue. And how do you celebrate that?

Speaker 1:
[35:18] When you think about the intersection of Indian food and barbecue, what comes to mind?

Speaker 2:
[35:25] The tandoor. It's like the clay oven, the tandoor, because it pretty much is like fire cooking, but it's in a pit or a drum, right? Which has clay all around it. And again, it is controlling the fire with the amount of air that you allow in it. You know, the biggest thing that people think when they are in barbecue is that, oh, you want something to cook quickly, cover it up. No, you need to leave it open so that the air can go through it and the heat can really, really travel. So to me, I think that the tandoor is the best example of Indian barbecue.

Speaker 1:
[36:06] And is that usually done at a low temperature?

Speaker 2:
[36:10] It's actually done at a very high temperature.

Speaker 1:
[36:12] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[36:13] But it has a dual use because usually during the day, with the live charcoal, you're making the breads and you slap it on the wall, right? That's how the naan is made. Or you take the meats and you put it on a skewer. And it's the most succulent meat that you've ever had because what happens is that the outside gets charred while the inside is really nice and juicy because of the high temps. But after the service is done and the charcoal embers, they are dying. That's the time you go ahead and either put a pot of lentils on top of it and leave it overnight. So you get the dal makhani that way. Or you can go ahead and use the tandoor for fermentation, etc. So there is a lot of use for it, but it's definitely not slow cooking in the tandoor.

Speaker 1:
[37:04] Yeah. Well, it sounds like you've found yourself in a good place on this show.

Speaker 2:
[37:10] My team did win.

Speaker 1:
[37:11] Are you going to keep doing it or is there another season of BBQ Brawls?

Speaker 2:
[37:15] Well, it all depends on them inviting me back and that's what it's all about.

Speaker 1:
[37:20] Well, they might be intimidated by you. Well, so Maneet, back to the 50th just for a second, is there a pinnacle of this year for you on the horizon?

Speaker 2:
[37:32] Not really. Everybody's like, are you guys going to have a big party and all? To me, I think it puts undue pressure on a lot of people to show up for the party. So I'd much rather do 50 meaningful small celebrations with people who really matter to me. It's those small moments which really matter. It's not those big, you know, over the top moments. But Vivek and I, we definitely, we're taking a European cruise in May, and then we're going to go to Hawaii, and then we are going to go to the Bahamas, and we are going to go to St. Kitts. And there are a few other trips which are also planned. There's also the usual Aspen, and, you know, Healdsburg, and Devil Beach. So, yeah, it's going to be epic.

Speaker 1:
[38:20] It sounds like a pretty good birthday year to me, Maneet.

Speaker 2:
[38:24] It will be. And then I'll have to celebrate the 50 first.

Speaker 1:
[38:27] Yeah, right. Well, I'm going to go ahead and say happy birthday to you in case I don't see you beforehand. Well, Maneet, I just have one more question for you. And I don't think I got to ask you this the last time we talked. What does it mean to you to be Southern?

Speaker 2:
[38:46] That's the first word that comes to my mind, is heart. It means having a heart which is, it just keeps on expanding. You know, being a Southerner, it is having a heart which permeates into everything that you do. With the people that you meet, with each and every project that you take up, with each and every conversation that you have, there is soul, there is depth. And I did not understand, you know, when they would say that the soul of the South, I did not understand that till the time I did not live over here. And you feel it in each and every interaction that you have. I think that it's huge. It's huge. Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[39:25] Well, Maneet, so great to talk to you and happy 5.0. And thanks so much for being back on Biscuits & Jam.

Speaker 2:
[39:34] Thank you so much for having me back.

Speaker 1:
[39:41] Thanks for listening to my conversation with Maneet Chauhan. Southern Living is based in Birmingham, Alabama. Be sure to follow Biscuits & Jam on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. And we would love your feedback. If you could rate this podcast and leave us a review, we would really appreciate it. You can also find past episodes and more online at southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam. I hope you'll join me next week for my interview with Susan Tedeschi, the powerhouse singer and songwriter in the amazing Tedeschi Trucks Band. We'll see you then.