Hailing from Los Angeles, Nina Curtis started cooking at the early age of eight. Not with toy kitchen sets, but assisting her father who specialized in entertainment catering. Peeling onions for high-end events made a young Nina resolve never to pursue a career as a chef. She trained in holistic wellness and founded ‘The Nile Institute,’ a wellness spa offering Ayurveda, reflexology and facial treatments.
However, food always remained an essential component of lifestyle. As a fitness enthusiast and a student of nutrition, Nina changed her personal eating habits. She gradually drifted away from meat, finding her proteins in plant-based cooking. Her mother’s cooking, which largely included grains, legumes and vegetables, further provided a foundation for Nina to explore plant-based cooking.
‘I started gravitating towards people who were vegan and vegetarian. Researching more on this subject also opened doors for understanding the greater benefits for the environment as well as building deeper compassion towards animals. That’s where Indian cuisine, recognised for being highly vegetarian and a food culture compassionate towards animals, especially cows, appealed to me. So my motto of being a plant-chef for twenty years is “cook meals for people to live for, not die for”.
As part of the American Chef Crops, Nina Curtis was selected to prepare the meal for PM Narendra Modi during his visit to Washington DC. Commemorating two years of the state dinner, Nina shares her experience with the Center for Soft Power.
Early Experiments with Plant-Based Cooking and Indian Cuisine
Throughout history, a common perception is that plant-based is expensive. This is quite contrary as plant-based meals include legumes, seasonal produce and so much more - all of which have been produced and consumed locally. The idea of farmers’ markets is comparatively recent in America but they have always existed in other places.
As a plant-chef and a wellness expert, I have approached Ayurveda as a holistic lifestyle. During my culinary school days, I learnt about cooking based on Ayurveda and Chinese Traditional Medicine. Even as I was growing up, my parents introduced me to diverse cuisines including Indian food. But a stark revelation for me when I went to culinary school was that most Americans wouldn’t be aware of the fact that Indian cuisine is not homogenous at all. It varies from the North to South and from East to West.
When I started preparing plant-based food, I became more confident that Indian food can easily be made vegan, while retaining the tastes and the use of aromatics and spices.
Creating History at the White House
I was the first external chef chosen to curate a state dinner at the White House in US presidential history. It was the pinnacle of my career wherein I got a chance to work with the first female executive chef Cristeta Commerford and Susan Morrison, the first female executive pastry chef in the history of White House pastry chefs. It was a power moment of female chefs, all making history at a very high echelon presenting a three-course meal for the Indian PM Narendra Modi.
This was a creative opportunity and the artist inside me wanted to bring out elements of seasonal, global, American and Indian cuisine, all together in one meal. The preparations started a month back with three dishes eventually being finalized out of twelve. While I wanted to highlight and showcase the best of American cuisine to the Indian delegation, I also wanted to strike subtle nostalgia by using local Indian flavours. The larger idea was to bring people and diverse cultures together in a symbolic act of “breaking bread” so that there is a deeper understanding of the differences and similarities by the end of the meal.
Gastrodiplomacy in Action
State dinners are curated to showcase the best cuisine of the hosting country. So while my focus was to present the best of American food, I also weaved in what I knew about Indian cuisine. 2023 was the Year of Millets and PM Modi was personally promoting millets, and so were many other global organizations. Keeping with that trend and as a mark of respect to India’s millet culture, my first course was a marinated millet salad with watermelon.
Seasonality also played an integral role in curating the meal. Since the visit happened in June, summer fruits such as watermelons and strawberries were incorporated. My favourite was the dessert, a strawberry shortcake, which reminded me of my childhood and my mother’s baking. So I made a strawberry rose cardamom shortcake with coconut whipped cream. Cardamom was in the biscuit, and I marinated the strawberries in rose syrup. So that's how I weaved the infusion and the recognition of Indian flavors and aromatics subtly so that it created a sense of familiarity and surprise at the same time.
The “cherry on the top” were candies prepared by chef Susie Morrison in the flag colours of USA and India. The entire meal was very symbolic–visually and taste-wise–representing the bond between the two nations.’
Impact of Gastrodiplomacy
We had 400 guests for the state dinner including political dignitaries and celebrities. My intention was to fill the energy in the room with food that would not only leave a lasting memory but also bring the dignitaries closer.
The intention setting makes a big difference. For me, I wanted to make an impact by ensuring that the Indian PM and his delegation as well as the White House ministerial staff were satisfied with the dinner. My objective was that they should rest well on the night of the dinner and wake up energised to greet 9000 people the next morning.
And I think for me this was a big success. Not just that, while it's almost a year and people are still reaching out and inquiring about the state dinner, it is a huge gastro-diplomacy indicator. In my experience and practice, this was possible because the intention was set in place right.
Spreading Food Cultures in the Digital Age
The International Year of Millet has led to awareness about these health foods. This food trend can be compared to the popularity of Quinoa. Quinoa was unknown a decade ago but is a rage in the world today. So someone would have called millet a humble grain, but it is not humble at all. These are ‘crown grains’ that can feed millions especially when the world is faced with challenges such as malnourishment and starvation across the world.
Besides the commercial aspects managed by governments and agricultural houses, a lot can be credited to smart marketing and promoting local food cultures. In the digital world, we have the advantage of not waiting for traditional media outlets to tell us what is trending, what is good or not etc. The digital community, be it on Instagram or YouTube or anywhere, can make a product popular together. This gives the onus and the power to the community. Marketing can play a massive role if done with the right intention and connections.
Chefs, especially us who are a part of The Culinary Corpse, are mandated to bring out the versatility of food that even marketers might not understand. So it is also important for marketers and chefs to work as a team. Marketers presenting food to customers need to understand what is going on in the chef’s mind.
Indian Cuisine in America
Some of my favorite Indian restaurants back then were in London, owing to the country’s colonial history. Indian food was being customised for the British palate with more and more Indian restaurants sprouting up in London. It is only now that a similar story for Indian cuisine is being developed in North America,
The average American is exploring more cultural and traditional dishes today. Like in the case of the coming of Mexicans to the US and consequently popularising Mexican food across the country, I believe that Indians in the US can be the greatest carriers of their culinary practices.
I also feel there is an increasing respect and understanding for Indian cuisine. This is also confirmed by a Grubhub study, that mentions Indian cuisine being the 9th most popular global cuisine in America. To adjust to local preferences, some Indian restaurants are customising the spice level based on their customers’ palate, thus breaking the common perception of Indian food being too spicy or too greasy. ‘ Who is going to say no to Samosas after all!’
Opportunities for Indian Chefs
Be it easy foods, summer foods or winter specialties, Indian food can cater to all seasons, moods and contexts. It is also very healthy and sustainable. The onus is on the people to realise this and with the emphasis on eating more healthily, Indian food fits right in.
We need to realise that American people want to eat Indian food, but Indian chefs should bring together authenticity and fusion such that Indian food becomes identifiable to American audiences. For instance, one of my favourite Indian food chains is the “Curry Pizza House,” where one finds Pizza with Indian toppings and spices.
Besides, Tandoori Chicken is already a favourite in America. However, I also think putting more plant-based dishes on the menu will attract more audiences who are explorative and conscious.
Photo Credits: Nina Curtis.
