Johnson Ebenezer: 5 Dishes That Shaped My Life

CARROTS AND TOMATOES

Starting as a craft course trainee at Taj Coromandel, I was quizzed endlessly by my first chef-mentor Kiran Selvaraj on kitchen science—questions such as what connects carrots and lobsters, or why tomatoes are red. For the former, the answer was carotenoids. Decades later at Farmlore, that memory inspired Thanks for the Catch, a carotenoid-inspired dish. Lobster is gently confit-cooked in coconut oil. It’s served inside a delicate edible shell fashioned from carrot trimmings and paired with a carrot-fennel-orange sauce. It’s a homage to a mentor who taught me to see the science, nostalgia and art behind everyday ingredients.

CORN PASTRIES

I spent a few years working in the US, which exposed me to authentic Mexican flavours. There was an Abuelita (grandmother) who would visit one of the restaurants and bring homemade tamales and corn pastries paired with raspberry jam. That classic corn-and-berry combination stayed with me. At Farmlore, squirrels kept stealing our farm-grown corn just as it reached peak sweetness. Learning from them, we harvested the young, sweet corn to create a multi-textured dessert: a smooth corn custard base, farm-charred raspberries, corn ice cream, a light espuma and a delicate tuile on top.

PAZHYA SORU

My father was a professional hockey player. Often, I would see him devour pazhya soru (fermented leftover rice) with onions and a dry-fish tomato thokku after morning training—a probiotic meal he really liked. Years later at Farmlore, Seeing dry fish exported around the world inspired me to elevate this humble South Indian staple into a signature course. I crafted a gut-friendly pazhya soru using Rosematta rice, paired with a rich lobster thokku, and topped with crispy, potato-wrapped anchovies (karuvadu). Featured as part of Farmlore’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 One to Watch recognition, it’s an elevated nod to underrated home comfort and heritage flavours.Thanks for the Catch

SEATAPHOR

As kids, we would visit Chennai’s Marina Beach after Kanam Pongal (fifth day of the festival). The year was 1991, and news of the Gulf War oil spills was on televisions and radios. During my visit to the beach, I was struck by the amount of plastic strewn along the shore. The image of plasticchoked shores and oil-slicked seas stayed with me for years.

For World Oceans Day, at Farmlore, I translated these childhood concerns into Seataphor. An ‘oil spill’ is created at the base of the plate using burnt sesame oil, charred curry leaf, edible charcoal and glice. On top sits wood-fired fish from Rameshwaram served with a blue, spirulina-infused coconut sauce representing the pristine ocean waters. The dish is draped with an edible ‘plastic’ film made of dehydrated potato starch. It’s a dish that really shaped the way I think about food and delivers a powerful narrative about marine conservation and environmental awareness.

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