Creating a margarine sculpture needs tactics, expertise, and extraordinary patience. Chef Devwrat is famous for the margarine sculpture. He carved of the Shiva Trimurti, which went on to find a place in the Guinness Book of world records.
Image Credit: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com
Devwrat is a TV celebrity chéf. He has painstakingly developed the art of carving food over the past 21 years and practiced his own signature style of carvings on fruits, vegetables, and chocolates for many years now.
He earned his first international accolade at a global level when he won the Silver Medal in the International Culinary Olympics held in Germany in 2012 — the first-ever silver medal for India — for his margarine sculpture, O Cinderella, depicting the immortal fairytale as it unfolded at the strike of the midnight hour, a story we have all heard from our childhood. The competition saw more than 1,800 chéfs participating from across the world.
Since then, Chéf Devwrat has nurtured a dream — a dream of showcasing his skills and depicting our rich Indian heritage on a more global level. So, he decided to go for the biggest and the best — the Guinness World Records — and the rest, as they say, is history!
He is an executive chef with Travel Food Services at the domestic airport in Santa Cruz. He previously worked at the Radisson Blu in Alibaug. Originally from Akola in Vidarbha Maharashtra, he was always curious about the kitchen and the magic that took place inside. It was at the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Pune that he learnt about food carving and how to create food sculptures.
Today Devwrat can sculpt fruits, vegetables, and even margarine into beautifully sculpted figures. The margarine sculpture he carved of the Shiva Trimurti was displayed at the Santa Cruz domestic terminal. It was built using a total of 1,506.8 kilograms of margarine and stood proud at 6.5 feet in height and 8.5 feet in width. Most importantly, it did not have any supporting beams, wires, or rods — one of the main criteria for creating the world record.
Devwrat Anand Jategaonkar, the award-winning culinary professional with 26 years of experience in the hospitality industry, with a smile charming enough to sweep you off your feet. In an exclusive interview with FailWise, he talks about his culinary journey and what made him venture into the arena of margarine sculptures.
Devwrat: The journey, so far, has been a mix of rough and smooth patches. But it has given me immense satisfaction. This field was new — especially in our native place, Akola — and the thinking about this field at that time was very different. It wasn’t at all dignified. My grandfather was against it. He told my father, ‘Do you want to spoil your son? He won’t even get a girl to marry. What’s he going to become? A bawarchi?’
“Looking back, I think choosing this profession was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m most comfortable when I’m wearing my chéf’s cap and jacket.”
Devwrat: Motivation comes from family. I used to watch
my mother and my grandmother cook as a child. My grandmother used to cook some
Maharashtrian dishes, which were delicious.
My mother, on the other hand, was a home science lecturer
and she used to teach her students how to make a variety of dishes. I used to
watch her and soon I learnt to make those dishes at home.
That was when I developed an interest in cooking. My father
always supported us (my brother and I) in our career choices, and told us to
follow our hearts.
Today, my elder brother Dr. Priyadarshan Jategaonkar is a
well know gastro-surgeon at Sevagram Hospital, Wardha, and I ended up being a
chef.
Devwrat: I did not know that I had an aptitude for carving, till I was in my second year of Hotel Management. My teachers were very supportive, especially my production professor, Manoharan who used to take up many outdoor catering assignments.
I used to carve few basic garnishes during our practice sessions. I asked him, whether I could make a few sculptures for one of his outdoor catering events. He agreed and took me along with him for his next event. Ever since then my friend Prakash Kadam and I started carving sculptures together for wedding functions.
My father (Shri Anand Vinayak Jategaonkar) was a writer and artist. He has written many award-winning books in Marathi. His painting and drawings were always an inspiration for me. I guess I have inherited my artistic flair from him.
Devwrat: I like experimenting with food, and create fusion recipes. To create a fusion, a balance of flavors and right ingredients are the keys. You learn these techniques only with experience. In India, we have a very rich food heritage and culture. We also have so many varieties of regional Indian flavors.
Some of my favorite dishes which I like to serve to my
guests are Mediterranean Mezze, Burmese Khou Suey, Rajasthani specialties like
Dal Bati, Churma, Maharashtrian specialties like Puran Poli, Sambarwadi and
Solkhadi, and Greek specialities like Spanakopita.
Devwrat: I was working on this project for almost 4 years. Before
the Guinness project, I traveled to Germany to participate in the IKA culinary
Olympics. I got a silver medal there for my Margarine sculpture called ‘Oh
Cinderella’. It was the first silver for India.
While attempting for the Guinness contest, I wanted to create
something, which would portray Indian culture and philosophy. When I was
working on this project my father fell ill and passed away. During his illness
I had told him and promised him that I would complete the project and he was
the inspiration behind that effort.
The sculpture was done in 10 days at the Domestic Airport, Mumbai. I had decided to do the Shiva Trimurti. While we were creating the sculpture, it collapsed three times due to our techniques and due to the temperature, despite the fact that we were working in air-conditioned surroundings.
Finally, I got it right the fourth time around. Due to some
technical issue, the GWR team did not approve of my sculpture initially. The
whole sculpture had to be weighed once the sculpture was done.
We had to create the sculpture again and I had to send the video evidence to the Guinness team. By then, I had lost all hope. But suddenly, one evening, I received an e-mail stating that my sculpture had been recognized and approved by GWR and I became a Guinness world record holder’.
Washed kitchen utensils "During my second year in college, I decided to, initially, work in Garde Manger. During my industrial training, I didn’t get a Kitchen. Instead, I got Kitchen Stewarding at Searock Sheraton. On my night shifts, I learned how to wash kitchen utensils, how to remove black carbon on handis using caustic soda. After work, I used to observe the Garde Manger chéfs and their creations and, after reaching home, I would practice whatever I had observed from them. During my second industrial training, I got an opportunity to work at the Taj Shamiyana kitchen. During those two months, I didn’t take a single day off as I wanted to absorb knowledge to the fullest. We used to work for 12-14 hours a day. |
Devwrat: My culinary inspiration will always be my mother, I
still keep on learning many things from her, and my teachers are the ones
who inspired me to be to be a chef. I admire and am always inspired by local chefs
who know their craft well.
Devwrat: I believe, more than the recipe, instinct and experience
play a larger role in cooking. Also, while cooking, you need to be fearless and
be ready to accept failure. You keep on learning new things only if you are
ready to experiment and go out of your comfort zone.
Devwrat: If it is your dream, it’s your responsibility to fulfill it.
Do not complain about the situation or support from family/colleagues etc. Find
a way to achieve your goals.
You have to work hard, and most importantly believe in your
ideas. Treat failures as learnings and move on. Do not give up. As someone once
said, ‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Devwrat: I like to spend time with my daughter Mira. I love nature and I like to travel too. I also love visiting ancient caves and studying sculptures, architectural structures, and forts.
"If it is your dream, it’s your responsibility to fulfill it."