For Chef Gresham Fernandes, Less Is More

A tech-forward table that explores contrasts and dualities? While might that sound innovative on paper, how does one execute the concept?

That’s where Chef Gresham Fernandes comes in.

The Chef-Partner at Mumbai’s popular Bandra Born has collaborated with audio-visual artists Murthovic and Thiruda of Elsewhere in India as part of The Gathering, a one-of-a-kind food festival that pairs nine renowned chefs with nine innovative artists, resulting in nine exclusive and immersive pop-ups.

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We got one of India’s best chefs to sit down for a quick chat about his involvement with the festival and how he has managed to make Bandra Born one of the most talked-about restaurants in the country.

Esquire India: How did you get involved with The Gathering?

Gresham Fernandes: Prasad Ramamurthy, who is one of the co-curators of the festival, had come in for a meal and told me about the concept. I've been working with Avinash, also known as Thiruda, who runs Elsewhere in India with Murthovic (Sri Rama Murthy). We have always wanted to do a sound, lights and food kind of conversation, but not in a cliched sense. We wanted to talk about real issues and real conversations, but also to have fun. At the end of the day, the food has to be delicious.

ESQ: ‘Less is more’, we believe, has always been your philosophy?

GF: Yes, but also, when you say less is more on a plate, that does not mean only three ingredients. It’s also about how you have treated those ingredients. I could be doing leek, almond and garlic on the plate but how would you take garlic to its best form? You might make garlic oil or ferment it or make black garlic. What are you doing with the almonds – using them fresh, as almond oil, roasting or blanching them? How are you going to cook the leek? It looks simple on your plate, but there's a lot of depth in it.

ESQ: Tell us a bit more about this collaboration with Elsewhere in India and what the diners can expect?

GF: It is a completely tech-driven concept. One of the things we discussed was about the one thing that's not allowed on the table, which is a screen. But here, we've gone around and put a tablet on the table. We’ve done away with the concept of the chef going to the table to explain a dish but there's a voiceover and the dish is going to be explained to you by a newscaster. Or, for instance, a dish about bananas will have an AI-generated farmer talking about how monocropping kills bananas.

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ESQ: Your restaurant Bandra Born started as a 12-week pop-up and has gone on to become a full-fledged restaurant. How’s that going for you?

GF: When we started the pop-up in the same place which earlier was Saltwater Café, we thought it might be like the emperor's new clothes. If it fails, we can still go back to Saltwater Café. However, over a period, there has been a renewed energy. Within a year, we were in the list of 30 Best Bars India and among 50 best restaurants list by CNT. Then I was part of the 30 best chefs at Food Superstars by Culinary Culture. All of it cemented our notion that we are on the right track.

ESQ: Bandra Born is inspired by all things Bandra, but what does Bandra mean to you? 

GF: Bandra is home.  For me, the best part about Bandra is the Bandra Fair, Christmas, family and grandparents. Anybody who is below 30 may not have seen that old Bandra but we have guests who have grown up in Bandra and moved to other countries. A few days ago, we had a 96-year-old lady as a guest, and she told us she had a great meal. She came to the kitchen and blessed the team. That's what we live for!