Saransh Goila, who is widely known as the youngest TV chef from India, has set out on a journey to explore the land Down Under in an unconventional way. Saransh, who loves to call himself the Sadak Chef, recently explored Queensland and South Australia and is showcasing the country’s adventure destinations and food along with running across the scenic landscape.
His second web series #RuntoEat Australia, after the famous Singapore series, will see him visiting beaches, vineyards, nature and wildlife along with showcasing Australian food and wine culture. The eight episode series will be airing every Wednesday at 7 pm on his YouTube and Facebook channels. The promo of the series was launched on March 9, and the first episode will be uploaded on March 14.
Chef, TV host, founder of Goila Butter Chicken and author of India On My Platter, Saransh wears many hats, but this time in the web series he will combine his two passions — food and running.
Running and food
Giving us a glimpse into the show Saransh, who won Food Food Maha Challenge hosted by celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit, says, “RunToEat is about a chef travelling to explore the country (Australia) through running destinations and by tasting its food while running. It is a travel show that has a different perspective of looking at a country — through those scenic spots, architecture, popular places — while running.
When a person who loves food, s/he mostly travels to eat, but if you love both running and food, then this juxtaposition is a perfect combination. Also, for a runner, running at a new destination is always exciting. Here, I would like to draw the similarity between running and food — just like how we get bored of eating the same kind of food and always look forward to trying something new, similarly, in running too, running on the same track and road gets monotonous after a while, hence a new destination always gives a kick.”
According to Saransh, if you run 3 km, 5 km or 10 km in a new city, you get to meet a new community there and discover prominent running spots, and for him that is the fun part.
“While I was Down Under for a span of 10 days, we ran in 10 different places which were remarkable as each of them were prominent running destinations and equally mesmerising, which also included the beaches,” he says.
About the growing trend and awareness of running in India, he says, “I think running has a fairly large community in India and it is growing at a fast pace, which is absolutely fantastic.
Considering that India is the ‘diabetes capital’ of the world and the alarming rate at which obesity is growing in our country, running can be a great exercise. It not only keeps you fit but also mentally agile. Running in India is definitely taking a leap and it is amazing to see the growing number of people turning into runners and believe in running.”
Local produce in cooking
Saransh feels that Australia is blessed with nature and a beautiful landscape and is a paradise for runners. When asked about the food that he is going to present in the web series, he says, “The show is ideally divided into parts — the locals who eat the kind of food that defines the local culture of a place, and fine dining which can be anything from organic food to food cooked by a Michelin star chef or dining at a scenic location where you can enjoy your meal. The show also explores the drinking culture of Australia because they have some amazing wines and desserts. Another alluring fact is that its vegetables are extremely out of this world, even their tomatoes and potatoes taste different. In Australia, I have had the most flavoursome vegetables. They use a lot of locally produced ingredients in their food and do not just outsource. The region has ingredients that really take you by surprise.”
Saransh has been invited by celebrity MasterChef George Calombaris to put up his pop-up restaurant Goila Butter Chicken during the upcoming Melbourne Food Festival between March 16 and 25, and Saransh is really kicked about it. The good news for Puneites is that Saransh will be launching Goila Butter Chicken in the city this year.
Talking about upcoming food trends, he says that vegan is becoming a huge global trend apart from Indian and regional cuisines also getting widely popular.
Everyday is a new day of learning, especially for a chef. You cannot say you know everything. I travel with that perspective in mind. Travelling has taught me the biggest lessons in cooking — all that I know about Indian food is from my travelling experiences across the country. Now that I am getting an opportunity to travel across the globe, the idea is to see as much as I can and after attaining knowledge, incorporate it into my own cooking.
— Saransh Goila
