HIMANSHU SAINI
Every moment is important - There is no limit or space for creativity
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2021 ıPHOTO: TRESIND STUDIO
He single-handedly put modern Indian cuisine on the world map. His creations are a trip down the rabbit hole to an Indian Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. He was voted 2021 Chef of the Year and put his Trèsind Studio on World’s 50 Best Discoveries list within a few years of opening. Yet the stoic calm and humility behind his creative genius and drive may be the most engaging features about chef prodigy Himanshu Saini.
I have not taken a specific path in terms of being creative. I believe that there are no ordinary moments in life. You have to observe and capture everything you can.
“I have not taken a specific path in terms of being creative,” he says, thoughtfully. “I believe that there are no ordinary moments in life. You have to observe and capture everything you can.”
To Himanshu Saini, every moment is important. From sitting here talking about his life for a Danish magazine feature to shopping at the local supermarket. “Creativity can come from anywhere,” he continues his poetic line of thought, “there is no limit or space for creativity. You just have to observe.”
Childhood memories and family values
Observing is something he has done all of his life. For young Himanshu, food and culture was a blessing and a ritual. It was something that instilled in him a sense of wonder and fascination. Himanshu was born in Old Delhi. The place from whence Delhi, in a near-perfect metaphor for Chef Himanshu’s skyrocketing career, sprawled into the massive city that it is today. A place, he recalls, that was loud, full of impressions and absolutely packed.
“Imagine if you will,” he says with a nostalgic smile, “my grandparents used to live in a house with 50 family members, and that made cooking quite the task.” The kitchen, he recalls, looked exactly like a professional kitchen, and cooking was obviously a job for the women of the house. His mom and aunt, along with the other women of the family, would cook every day for 50 people, three meals a day.
“I used to watch the synchronicity of it and how arranged everything was,” he recalls vividly. “Everybody had their tasks and areas. My grandmother would always add the final seasoning. Like the head chef of the family kitchen. Everyone would learn from her and everybody would respect her,“ he smiles, “I basically grew up surrounded by food, cooking and kitchen hierarchy, that is why I get so high on it.”
Thankfully so, many would probably argue by now, but certainly also back then as cooking would quickly turn the only plausible career path for a boy from the old part of Delhi. “I loved cooking. Cooking and sports. They were the only two things I was good at,” he says bluntly and honestly. Sports was never an option for a young man out of a family set on education and success, though, and that left but one obvious choice for young Himanshu who ended up earning his education in hospitality.
After finishing school, he interviewed with a lot of restaurants and eventually was signed on for the opening of Indian Accent in New Delhi which quickly went on to become recognized as the best Indian Restaurant in Asia. Indian Accent proved an eye-opener and a turning point for young Himanshu, who cites this very place as one of his biggest influences. “I owe my love for modern Indian food to Indian Accent,” he says without a shadow of doubt in his voice, “and my dedication to my chef from back then.” In fact, he loved the place so much he stayed there for five years. Seeping in knowledge and inspiration and reaching the position of sous chef before he felt his learning grew stagnant and he moved on through a few head chef positions before ending up at his final destination, Trèsind Studio in Dubai, a place that seems made for the adventurous chef.
Our absolute core values are that we keep changing and that we are not afraid to experiment. My guests have trust in me. Even if things seem weird, they are very willing to try.
“As a person and a chef, I get bored very fast. After about three months of doing the same, I begin pushing myself. I start losing confidence in doing the same thing over and over.” Now is the time to change,” he says as if to himself, “now is the time to innovate,” he stresses. “You asked earlier about our spot on the 50 Best Discoveries list,” he is quick to add. “Indeed, I believe it is this resilience and willingness towards change that has earned us the fame and a coveted place on the list.”
As you listen to his tales about ambitions, philosophies and dreams unfold, there is no reason to doubt his words. But his values have earned him much more than fame and placings on top restaurant lists. It has earned him a trusty following and even an extended family. In his 20 seat Trèsind Studio, 90 percent of guests are returning guests, Himanshu reckons. Whenever they change the menu, he stresses, they return to see what the team has now dreamt up.
Read also: Trèsind Studio - The secret is out: Explore Dubai’s best Modern Indian restaurant
“Our absolute core values are that we keep changing and that we are not afraid to experiment. My guests have trust in me. Even if things seem weird. They are very willing to try,” he states in his wonderful mix of absolute confidence and humility, before elaborating. “We strive to create dishes with recognizable flavors and comfort food elements. But with our own twist. Our strength is that we recognize that change is the only constant in life and we keep improving.”
“We never settle for what we are doing,” he stresses on the subject. “Many restaurants stick to their values and their legacy. We constantly want to evolve. I know my next menu is going to be better. A restaurant is a journey that will at some point reach a destination. But at every step of the journey. It gets better,” he continues before cementing his morals and work ethics in two, short, perfect sentences: “If I had the strength in me, I would work seven days a week. I love spending time in this place and coming up with new flavors.”
In India, his cooking was very one dimensional, he argues. “I was cooking for Indians,” he says, matter-of-factly, in the sense that he had to cook for people with the same background, palate and preferences as himself. In Dubai, things are a little different. In Dubai you need to satisfy palates from different backgrounds, countries and ethnicities. All whilst being creative and not denying your roots. “You have to strike a balance,” he shrugs, “but that is one of the reasons I love Dubai. It is close to India, there is a large Indian population and ingredients are never a problem. Still there are so many things I have never cooked with. So many new things to learn. I see Dubai as a sort of global capital. All sorts of people. All walks of life. It inspires me and keeps me going”
Another thing that keeps Chef Himanshu going is passion for hospitality. “There is a saying in India,” he muses when asked about golden rules of his kitchen. “It translates roughly into 'the guest is God.’ As a guest, I want to treat you as if you have come to my home. I want to put a smile on your face. And genuinely care about you.”
This golden rule, a zen-like calm along with his perception of his restaurant not as a business, but more of a home seems to be what keeps Chef Himanshu and his team going. Even through stressful development phases, hours of prepping and long services. The feeling that this is more than just a job. It is a lifestyle and a safe space.
There is a saying in India. It translates roughly into 'the guest is God.’ As a guest, I want to treat you as if you have come to my home. I want to put a smile on your face. And genuinely care about you.
“So many guests come by and they stay till 11 o’clock, so we can sit and have a chat,” he smiles, “I do not so much look upon this as a business. I see it as a family. The crew, too. I have built trust with the people I work with. And they give it back equally. My team. They talk to me like I am their friend and I, in turn, talk to them as friends. It is a balance. Sometimes you have to be a little strict. But I manage,” he nods to himself, leaving no doubt that even with his amazing sense of creativity, he would be nothing without his team.
Respect, camaraderie, humility
“India is such a vast country. Even in my entire lifetime I could never see all of it. But my team, they come from all parts of the country and they all bring in their regional flavors. Maybe it’s just a chutney but it makes a world of difference. I have never had their foods or even been to their houses or regions. But they bring their recipes and I take it as a challenge to share them with the world.”
“There are so many techniques, seen all over the world, I would argue are Indian, but nobody would ever describe them as such. Why did we not stake a claim,” he ponders to himself. “It is too late now, of course,” he argues, but to Chef Himanshu his work is all about trying to make a bit of a mark. Not so much for himself, but for his beloved Indian cuisine.
To showcase both well-known and especially unknown Indian flavors and techniques in the best possible way. And his tasting menu is a great weapon for that, he reveals. “This is the sort of thing you can do with a tasting menu,” he says. “You offer up flavors and combinations people would never order a la carte, but on a tasting menu, they put trust in you to try them and they respond positively.”
“You know what,” he finishes his long trail of thought, “in the end, that is actually the essence of it all. To have people sample, understand and respect Indian culinary tradition and hospitality… Does that make sense?”
As he falls silent, his question seems almost rhetorical. To the passionate listener to his tale, there seems no doubt that his work, indeed most of his life, is more than anything about respect. Respect for the guest, for the team, for the mutual effort in the kitchen and on the floor.
But above all, respect for every aspect of Indian traditions and Indian flavors - in all their wonderfully broad glory. To Chef Himanshu, Trèsind Studio is all about showcasing his Indian heritage, culture and flavor in the most beautiful way. To his fellow Indians and to the entire culinary world alike.
