The Times of India profiles psychologist-turned-restauranteur Shuba Rao
14/10/2007 13:15 Filed in: The Tiffin Room
R Edwin Sudhir of The Times of India published the following profile of Shuba:
R Edwin Sudhir profiles a psychologist-turnedrestaurateur Shuba Rao who owns a much-praised charming hotel in the Isle of Wight
Where were you born? Where did you study?
I was born in Bangalore, studied in Mount Carmel College and did my Master’s from Bangalore University in Organisational Psychology and followed that up with an MSc from the London School of Economics.
How did you come to be doing what you do today?
Chance, children and a need to be creative. Having two wonderful daughters and working in a business environment was not a happy balance for me. So, a move from London to the Isle of Wight (a small island south of England) where we bought a hotel that allowed me to work and be with my children most of the time. Being a psychologist meant long drawnout processes with no immediate reward in sight. Creating food in the restaurant is exactly the opposite — the feedback is immediate.
What are the major influences in your life?
Every influence — social, environmental, personal, psychological, economic — was important; maybe not straightaway but some time in life. However, like with most human beings, my parents had a longer and more consistent influence on me, as does my immediate family.
You take immense pride in the cuisine of Karnataka. Why?
Karnataka food is simple yet powerful, diverse, highly nutritious, balanced and so steeped in indigenous culture. It has had very little influence from other regions or indeed communities, unlike northern Indian food that has Mughal, Turkish, Portuguese and British influence. Where in the world would you find the most ingenious and diverse ways of using ingredients in food as we do — hing, tamarind, lentils and ordinary vegetables — resulting in tongue tingling cuisine? Karnataka food is lesser known and it tires me to see people rushing to eat French, Italian or Spanish food when our food should sit there on a world platform for its excellence and purity.
How do you relate to your roots? Do NRIs enable their children to appreciate Indian culture? Is food a good medium for this?
I am a migrant — my roots are everywhere and nowhere. The last visit to Bangalore was a shocking experience. There were malls and fast food. Where were the Iyengar bakeries and Udupi restaurants? Possibly marginalised by larger multinational restaurants and supermarkets... These are not my roots. My roots are my memories and the people I know who still carry the Kannada culture. I cannot speak for other NRIs but I know that because I don’t live in India anymore, I take more time and pay more attention in explaining my culture to my children. They appreciate the culture from a distance, intellectually. Food is definitely one of the easier mediums through which one can understand culture and there are many more.
How do foreigners relate to Karnataka cuisine? What is the best compliment you’ve ever got about it?
The British public are just now beginning to understand that Indian food is not all korma and tikka masala and I am doing my best to break this stereotype as you can read in my blog. Those who eat in my restaurant are shocked and I hope enlightened. I got two memorable compliments. The editor of ‘Country Life’ magazine who wrote a review in ‘The Times’ said that we should be in the Michelin Guide. Also, an old Italian couple who travelled from Florence to eat in my restaurant said, “I have never eaten food like this before; this is food from the soul”.
Are we marketing Karnataka abroad as well as we ought to?
Not at all. I have some creative and marketable ideas which I’ll be glad to share with the authorities.
If you got an opportunity to set up a restaurant in Bangalore, would you do it?
I’m unsure. There are brilliant restaurants serving Kannada cuisine and hundreds of wonderful chefs so... hmmm, maybe an English restaurant. But chefs are not respected in India, so I’m not sure.
How would you perceive the Kannadiga identity?
Saadhu jana, but learned and philosophical. Very flexible and I think sometimes a pushover. It took me years to learn to be assertive and fight my corner.
What is your favourite food? Why?
Simple slow food where the flavours are few but distinct, strong yet subtle enough to bombard the taste buds. An example is huggi with onion pachadi, vangibath, Mangalore grilled pomfret, tuna sashimi with a soya chilli , a small cube of perfectly cooked lamb in a Moroccan dried fruit sauce, the simplest Thai food — heavenly — or fresh Italian Linguine with fresh basil and parmesan sauce and so on. There are far too many to name.
What does your family make of your career switch?
My family and friends in the UK are incredibly proud of me. To run a hotel and restaurant singlehandedly with no previous experience or training, I think, takes courage. However, they are a bit dismayed. A double postgraduate from the LSE running a hotel — what a waste of education!
R Edwin Sudhir profiles a psychologist-turnedrestaurateur Shuba Rao who owns a much-praised charming hotel in the Isle of Wight
Where were you born? Where did you study?
I was born in Bangalore, studied in Mount Carmel College and did my Master’s from Bangalore University in Organisational Psychology and followed that up with an MSc from the London School of Economics.
How did you come to be doing what you do today?
Chance, children and a need to be creative. Having two wonderful daughters and working in a business environment was not a happy balance for me. So, a move from London to the Isle of Wight (a small island south of England) where we bought a hotel that allowed me to work and be with my children most of the time. Being a psychologist meant long drawnout processes with no immediate reward in sight. Creating food in the restaurant is exactly the opposite — the feedback is immediate.
What are the major influences in your life?
Every influence — social, environmental, personal, psychological, economic — was important; maybe not straightaway but some time in life. However, like with most human beings, my parents had a longer and more consistent influence on me, as does my immediate family.
You take immense pride in the cuisine of Karnataka. Why?
Karnataka food is simple yet powerful, diverse, highly nutritious, balanced and so steeped in indigenous culture. It has had very little influence from other regions or indeed communities, unlike northern Indian food that has Mughal, Turkish, Portuguese and British influence. Where in the world would you find the most ingenious and diverse ways of using ingredients in food as we do — hing, tamarind, lentils and ordinary vegetables — resulting in tongue tingling cuisine? Karnataka food is lesser known and it tires me to see people rushing to eat French, Italian or Spanish food when our food should sit there on a world platform for its excellence and purity.
How do you relate to your roots? Do NRIs enable their children to appreciate Indian culture? Is food a good medium for this?
I am a migrant — my roots are everywhere and nowhere. The last visit to Bangalore was a shocking experience. There were malls and fast food. Where were the Iyengar bakeries and Udupi restaurants? Possibly marginalised by larger multinational restaurants and supermarkets... These are not my roots. My roots are my memories and the people I know who still carry the Kannada culture. I cannot speak for other NRIs but I know that because I don’t live in India anymore, I take more time and pay more attention in explaining my culture to my children. They appreciate the culture from a distance, intellectually. Food is definitely one of the easier mediums through which one can understand culture and there are many more.
How do foreigners relate to Karnataka cuisine? What is the best compliment you’ve ever got about it?
The British public are just now beginning to understand that Indian food is not all korma and tikka masala and I am doing my best to break this stereotype as you can read in my blog. Those who eat in my restaurant are shocked and I hope enlightened. I got two memorable compliments. The editor of ‘Country Life’ magazine who wrote a review in ‘The Times’ said that we should be in the Michelin Guide. Also, an old Italian couple who travelled from Florence to eat in my restaurant said, “I have never eaten food like this before; this is food from the soul”.
Are we marketing Karnataka abroad as well as we ought to?
Not at all. I have some creative and marketable ideas which I’ll be glad to share with the authorities.
If you got an opportunity to set up a restaurant in Bangalore, would you do it?
I’m unsure. There are brilliant restaurants serving Kannada cuisine and hundreds of wonderful chefs so... hmmm, maybe an English restaurant. But chefs are not respected in India, so I’m not sure.
How would you perceive the Kannadiga identity?
Saadhu jana, but learned and philosophical. Very flexible and I think sometimes a pushover. It took me years to learn to be assertive and fight my corner.
What is your favourite food? Why?
Simple slow food where the flavours are few but distinct, strong yet subtle enough to bombard the taste buds. An example is huggi with onion pachadi, vangibath, Mangalore grilled pomfret, tuna sashimi with a soya chilli , a small cube of perfectly cooked lamb in a Moroccan dried fruit sauce, the simplest Thai food — heavenly — or fresh Italian Linguine with fresh basil and parmesan sauce and so on. There are far too many to name.
What does your family make of your career switch?
My family and friends in the UK are incredibly proud of me. To run a hotel and restaurant singlehandedly with no previous experience or training, I think, takes courage. However, they are a bit dismayed. A double postgraduate from the LSE running a hotel — what a waste of education!