The secret lives of chefs

livemint.com:

Gresham Fernandes, chef-partner, Bandra Born, Mumbai T he 43-year-old Fernandes has always had avant-garde ideas—be it the Smoke House Room in Delhi, which was inspired by the organic, fluid network of fungal threads or mycelium, or the recently shuttered Salt Water Cafe, Mumbai, where European dishes met local produce. And now at Bandra Born, Fernandes celebrates the neighbourhood in which he spent his childhood, and where he learnt to celebrate fine music alongside great food. “My grandmother had five kids, and several of my uncles worked on ships as pursers.

So, music that hadn’t reached the rest of India would reach our home first either as vinyls or tapes," he says. The family didn’t just pay attention to music but to the quality of sound as well. The sound system in the household was always top-notch, with settings changed for each song.

And therein lay the roots for Fernandes’ DJ avatar, Plan B. In Bandra village, people would throw parties on the street for weddings and birthdays, and music would be played using basic mixers. Playing on this minimal equipment grew his skills.

“Even when the joint family broke up and everyone moved into their own homes, the first thing that was bought was a great sound system," says Fernandes. Music has kept him grounded all these years through hectic work days in the kitchen. His interests lie in reggae, drums, bass guitar and sounds that gradually evolve.

“I have heard sessions from when Bob Marley started out with just one microphone hanging in the room. It has all the nuances of a jam session," shares Fernandes. His friends, who travelled extensively, would get him albums such as Homework (1997) by electronic music duo Daft Punk.