Exclusive: OG ‘MasterChef’ trio on the ‘serious things’ - Mental health, trolls

In an exclusive interview, former 'MasterChef' judges George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan spoke about several subjects including mental health and social media trolling.

“What’s the match score?”

Well, that was one of the first questions Australian chef and restaurateur George Calombaris asked as he joined Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan for an exclusive interview with IndiaToday.in late last month. Just to put things into context, the conversation took place while Australia was playing against South Africa in the World Cup semi-final, the fierce outcome of which, we didn’t know then.

George, Matt and Gary are way more than just former ‘MasterChef Australia’ judges and their popularity is just not limited to the confines of the island continent. But how do they perceive India and what business brought them here?

George, while speaking about the same, said, “You know Gary has got this massive love for India, and he has come here way more than we have. 12 times this year. The three of us haven't really worked together in four years after ‘MasterChef’ got over. So, when he rang us and said, 'Do you want to come and do something in India and team up again?' That was really exciting. What was more exciting was the fact that being able to come to India, which has the biggest audience in the world, and we love that, respect it, and without the audience and contestants, ‘MasterChef’ would have been nothing."

The trio collaborated on a project in association with Bengaluru-based food platform Conosh. They were in India, curating a series of ticketed seven-course pop-up dinners and masterclasses in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru over the course of eight days.

While Matt was all praise for everything Indian, we asked him about an article where he wrote about the top five places in the world for best cuisine, but did not mention the name of the country. He asserts that there is a reason behind it. “I am like a goldfish. I will always tell you where I have last been and I have last been to New York and Portugal. If I had just been to Italy, I would have praised their food and, had it been Naples, I would have been talking about it. And after this trip, it will be like 'Oh my God. What about that pav bhaji? What about the amazing things we had in India?' So, I don't buy into the whole thing about one cuisine being better than the other.”

But, would India make it to the list of top 10 destinations with the best food? This was his response, “Of course! For a very simple reason - in the 15th or 16th century, India was the wealthiest place in the world. It had more GDP than the whole of Europe and China. Also, there's a lot of influence in India. That's another reason. You got Portuguese influence, you got Persian influence, you also got stuff coming from China.”

While the food and beverage industry is a buzzing one, what people hardly talk about are the lows of this world. For example, people dealing with anxiety and depression. What we see is what is served on the table but no one really considers what goes behind it. Matt, Gary and George opened up about mental health struggles in their industry during the conversation as well.

“In Australia, we have had a number of suicides of top chefs and there is no doubt that there are very few jobs where you have to be perfect. Not 80 per cent or 70 per cent, but perfect. Everything you do, every move you make has to be perfect and that's a huge amount of pressure on the chefs,” Matt said.

George was glad that people were finally discussing mental health struggles in the open. “The great thing now is that we are actually talking about it. We have got a lot of work to do. But all I can say is there's a better culture in the kitchens these days than it was back then. So, it's great we are talking about it, having these conversations. We are more conscious of simple things.”

“You need to make them feel good, feel for them so that they can get through the evening. They should have an opportunity where they can come and speak to me if they are struggling. They, too, need to feel comfortable doing that. But there's a lot of work to do because there hasn't been enough governance around this,” George said while talking about the culture practised in his restaurant.

This is what Gary had to say about the working culture in India: “Even in India, when I was at a top hotel chain talking to an executive chef, he spoke about the sweeping change in the hotel industry. Maximum 9 hours a day, 5 hours a week, he said something about efficiency, motivation and a positive working environment.”

During the conversation, George recalled an incident where he called out a customer who made rude remarks at the manager at his restaurant who was an Indian. “Now, we are also pulling up customers who are rude. I know I have. I had a customer who made a comment about my manager who was Indian and, you know what, I used social media as an opportunity to put that person back in their place. I won't tolerate it. We love to serve, but we aren't slaves. That education is also important.”

The ‘MasterChef’ trio is more than just chefs or food enthusiasts. They are massive social media personalities. Now, in today’s world, that isn’t easy. There are social media trolls who scrutinise each and every move you make. So, how do they deal with it?

“I don't worry about it myself. I don't think I have ever experienced this kind of unregulated or unfiltered comments. Actually, if I find comments inappropriate or disturbing, I just delete them,” Gary said.

“These comments are not coming from someone who has eaten at the restaurant or made many dishes. They are coming from another position. I look at it, see if there is any truth to it and then dismiss it because, at the end of the day, it is rubbish,” Matt added.

Published By:
Raya Ghosh
Published On:
Dec 6, 2023