/ David Rocco Gets Spicy

by Geeta Wahab

David Rocco Gets Spicy

Apr 04, 2014

Best-selling author, executive producer and all-round superstar chef David Rocco gives us a glance into his cooking adventures in India.

Toronto-born and -raised David Rocco is known for his internationally syndicated TV series David Rocco’s Dolce Vita and David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway. Without any formal culinary training, Rocco found his way to the top of the chef game by learning through his heritage, absorbing the culture during his travels in Italy and, “My culinary school was my mother’s kitchen,” he says. Known for his rustic and effortless dishes, Rocco makes bringing a taste of Italy home easy for anyone. The lead judge on Donut Showdown and a guest judge on Top Chef Canada, Rocco is also making waves off the air with his best-selling cookbooks David Rocco’s Dolce Vita and Made in Italy. Rocco also takes part in many charitable events including Chef’s Challenge for a Cure and the OneXOne initiative that provides meals to children in Haiti.

Recently, Rocco took his taste buds on a tour of India in his new series Dolce India and we chatted with him to get the scoop on his culinary adventure.

Geeta Wahab: What inspired you to become a chef?
David Rocco: Being Italian, food is basically ingrained in my DNA. It was a natural decision for me to pursue being a chef.

GW: What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
DR: I love the power of food. I love that it’s a universal experience, that it can bring people together and that it plays such a huge role in literally every culture.

GW: Tell us a little about the new series.
DR: An Indian broadcaster [Fox Traveller] approached us about two years ago to do a series. I love Indian food, and we realized that there are a lot of similarities in India’s and Italy’s food cultures, so we thought this could be the culinary adventure of a lifetime. A year later we went on a scout, and we knew it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. It was just so amazing.

GW: What inspired you to do this series?
DR: The spirit of India; the country has such a great heart. The people there are so warm, so genuine. There’s a love of family and food that reminds me of Italy. In fact, they’re so similar, there were times when I was in India that I looked around and thought to myself, I could very well be in Italy.

GW: What are your hopes for the series?
DR: We tried to break down a lot of the stereotypes surrounding India. We wanted to get away from the whole Slum Dog Millionaire version of things and show a more progressive side of the country. We wanted to portray a sensual, sophisticated India; one that’s rich with tradition and culture.

GW: What were you most looking forward to learning on this journey?
DR: I went with an open mind, an open heart and no expectations. I wanted to explore India along with the viewer.

I think a lot of that emotion comes out on screen. If you see me try something for first time on the show, that’s not acting, that’s a genuine reaction. We wanted to capture those kinds of authentic moments on film.

The thing I looked forward to most was going into the streets and connecting with the people. I was there for 10 weeks, so it was the perfect opportunity to fully immerse myself in the culture.

GW: What Indian dishes did you enjoy learning and making?
DR: From the chutneys and dosas in the south to the street food of Bombay to the kebabs of Delhi — this was really my first foray into experiencing all of that first-hand and I loved every minute of it. I was blown away by the power of the masala — the garam masala and chaat masala — and how each of them varies from region to region. Now I use it at home on fruit or for a hit on fried chicken.

I loved experiencing all the different spices, especially mustard seed and mustard oil, which are now two of my favourite ingredients. And, of course, celebrating Holi, learning to make all the different pakoras and trying all the styles of gravies. It was eye-opening.

Going there was also an opportunity to share Italian food with Indians, to teach them Italian cooking. It was an amazing cultural exchange. We even created some great fusion dishes. I made a mutton/goat Bolognese instead of the traditional beef and pork, and I finished it off with a garam masala. The hints of Indian flavor made it even more delicious.

GW: What’s next?
DR: The show launches in Canada on TLN and in India this spring, and we’re off to India to scout all new locations for season two. We’re also exploring other countries for the Dolce series, and of course, we’ll be going back to Italy. For more information, visit www.davidrocco.com.

_{PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF KARAM PURI, TANVI MADKAIKER AND DAVID ROCCO/ROCKHEAD ENTERTAINMENT

PUBLISHED IN THE BEAUTY ISSUE, SPRING/APRIL 2014}

Geeta Wahab

Author

Cultivating a life she loves, Geeta (@geets.suites) is chasing all her passions, including her love for home décor. As a brand new home owner, her current journey has launched her further into that world - check out her Instagram @geets.suites for tidbits of her story and other decorating pieces. A...