What happens when you combine the two C’s together – Cricket and Cooking? As strange as it may sound, this one entertaining afternoon was all about four Delhi Daredevils players wearing the Chef Hat and testing their cooking skills in a “Cook Off” session held at K3, JW Mariott New Delhi Aerocity. Though not much of a cricket buff, I had fun watching Jaydev Unadkat, Siddharth Kaul, Mayank Agarwal and Ross Taylor show some excellent skills in the open Tuscan Kitchen under the guidance of the Chef Daniel Trivero. He seemed as enthusiastic about the whole event as the other sous-chefs and the whole atmosphere was a nice friendly fun affair.
As soon as the four chefs entered the kitchen, you could hear sounds of “clicks” all around. The photo session followed by the questions about whether they cook or know how to cook brought out some humorous answers like , “I can cook omelette”, “I can make maggi”, or the very best “I know how to make tea, does anyone want one?” And then each player occupied a corner of the kitchen and not only did they seem serious about cooking, the dishes did came out delicious. A lot of thought was given to the presentation and it was a win-win situation in this kitchen ground.
We could see Jaydev Unadkat put in a lot of effort to get the perfect thin crust pizza and the eggplant toppings with cheese got us bowled. The Panzanella Salad and Masala Omlette made by Siddharth Kaul was topped with loads of humuor during the making, and we could see a surprise on his face when everyone appreciated his culinary skills. Mayank Agarwal tossed his own version of delicious garden salad, but his Homemade Pasta with vegetables and tomato sauce was tasted and loved by everyone around and he surely got some explosive applauds! And it was a delight to watch Ross Taylor cook. This batsman scored a century with his cooking. He made the Branzino in a Padella ( Pan smeared Sea Bass ) and the Pizza Pepperoni and everyone was surprised to know he can cook! And so well!
Also present at the event was the ever-humble and smiling Executive Chef Girish Krishnan who was happily acting as a “Commis Chef” and enjoying tasting all the dishes. The event followed by some photosession again and some interviews ( No IPL questions please! ) was surely fun-packed and adventurous.