Sponsored by Ventura Foods
James Beard Award winner for Best Chef South Vishwesh Bhatt is, at his core, a lifelong learner and natural educator. After an early childhood in India, Bhatt’s family emigrated to Kentucky, where food was an essential part of building bridges between his two countries. He recognized in the foodways of the American South ingredients and techniques that were familiar to him, including okra, rice, black eyed peas, fried foods, spices. Connecting those flavors to what felt like home to him was foundational as he found his way in his new country and is evident in his cooking today. As the executive chef of Snackbar in Oxford, Miss., Bhatt’s seamless marriage of the two foodways results in menu items that are at once familiar and excitingly new, a blend he explores in his upcoming book, “I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef.”
Bhatt’s path to the pinnacle of culinary success is, to him, a story that has been told before. “I watched my mother cook,” he said. “She then taught me how to cook a few basic dishes. I went away to college with that information and started experimenting, first for myself, then for roommates and friends and finally to impress dates.” But the decision to pursue this passion as a career required some soul searching: “Necessity created the pivot. I realized that things I had studied in college would not lead to a satisfactory career; I was floundering, depressed, frankly clueless, but I needed spending money and I got a job in a restaurant. Almost three decades later I am still doing it.”
For Bhatt, one of the primary sources of pride and pleasure in his work, besides bringing joy to people with his food, is the educational aspect. With chef Meherwan Irani, he co-founded the Brown in the South dinners, a series of events that have explored the culinary and commercial links between Southeast Asia and the Southern United States. These events put the lessons on the plate and are paired with panel discussions about how essential and foundational the connections are, and acknowledge how little of that history is known, celebrated or taught. Bhatt also enjoyed the academic pursuit of working on his upcoming book.
“Writing was fun!” he said. “I think chefs are natural story tellers and food is an easy medium via which to tell stories. Cooking is an old and noble profession. What we do is important, what we have to say is important, we make a difference, an impact on many. It is good to get up on a soapbox and remind folks of that”
As a chef in a college town, with a large percentage of his employees enrolled at Ole Miss, Bhatt loves leaning into the challenge of working with students and early-career culinarians.
“I love teaching the most,” Bhatt said. “I love watching the transformation of tentative young women and men into confident skilled workers. I love it that the skills they have learned will be useful to them for a long time after they leave me. I love feeding people.”
That desire to feed people, both literally and figuratively, is not without its complications.
“Teaching is challenging,” he said. “Convincing young people that what they are doing is noble and good is challenging. Making guests realize what we are doing is important and deserves respect is challenging. Motivating myself to continue doing what I do is probably the most challenging,” Bhatt admitted. “I have learned that I am narcissistic, that I am vulnerable, that I care more about myself than I admit. I am just now starting to learn that it is okay to admit to myself that while I may not be the best at what I do- I am pretty darn good. I am learning and teaching that sometimes you have to be vocal about the respect you deserve.”
Garnering that respect, demanding it, has been made even more difficult during the challenges of the pandemic and the devastating results for the restaurant industry. Bhatt is tentatively hopeful, but realistic about how long it may take for the full impact to become clear.
“I am taking a wait-and-watch approach to the direction the ‘industry’ is headed in,” he said. “I don’t like that term at all. We and other small, locally-owned restaurants have been painted with the same brush as the multi-unit corporate eateries. We are not sure if the general public or the government know or care about the difference. I am not even sure if restaurant folks in big urban centers understand the challenges folks in small towns are facing. I am especially worried about the black, brown, gay, straight, male, female and white divide. I am worried about driving people away from this beautiful way of life because we are too busy raking each other through the mud. I worry that we are silencing opinions. I put in the hard work because I love what I do, and I know that it makes a difference. Most people I know feel the same way. Restaurants are a place to gather and exchange ideas. They are a place to nourish and fortify. We need to remember that — get away from social media for a bit and actually talk to each other if we are going to emerge better.”
Even with all of that said, he does see that some good came out of his experiences during the past two years: “The best thing that came out of the pandemic was confirmation of the knowledge that our regular guests would have our back through thick and thin. The idea that we were a team, and we would help each other get through this was more than just an idea. The loyalty and love shown to the company by our employees was/is/continues to be a driving force that has made me personally proud and the restaurant a place that I want to continue spending time in.”
Bhatt may be celebrated for his culinary innovations, but his approach seems simple to him. “I only put things I want to eat on the menu, so I am not sure how much innovation or exploration there is,” Bhatt said. “That being said, I am constantly reading, watching, eating and following what folks I like and admire are cooking. As a rule, I always cook whatever is going to go on the menu at least twice before it is in front of my customers. And any item that makes the menu has to have a provenance that makes sense in Oxford.”
But beyond those menu decisions, it is the way the business is being handled now that makes him proud. “I am not sure the labor market is going to change. We are no longer living in a world where the ‘customer is always right;’ we have made changes to the menus and to our service model to make things easier and a bit more streamlined for all involved. We have gone to a five-day week and have actually enjoyed two days off in a row so much that we will not go back to six days.” This approach to running a restaurant has relied on a series of truths that Bhatt relies upon for his own professional practice and works to teach others.
“Listen to your employees — their ideas matter,” he said. “If you don’t love what you do — get out. Don’t copy others, make your own way, make your own mistakes. Don’t be afraid to make those mistakes. Always ask questions. Don’t stop learning and never stop teaching. Make long lasting friendships. Media is neither your friend nor your enemy. Like my friend Ashley Christiansen says, BE KIND.”
Bhatt’s book, “I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes From a Southern Chef,” will be released in August 2022.
About MenuMasters:
The MenuMasters program was founded by both Nation’s Restaurant News and Ventura Foods in 1997, with the inaugural event held in May of 1998.
The Nation’s Restaurant News MenuMasters Awards, sponsored by Ventura Foods, is a highly respected competition honoring menu R&D leaders for their personal achievements and contributions to the foodservice industry.
MenuMasters Spotlight is a monthly communication that with stories that tap into the most creative minds in menu innovation and how their passion for food drives their success in business and life.
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