This week on Food Network Obsessed, world-renowned chef and Food Network star Maneet Chauhan talks about her recent Tournament of Champions win. Maneet shares what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated profession and what really makes a chef, a chef. Maneet also talks about her spice cabinet must-haves and the comfort dishes that take her back to her childhood in India. Then, she shares what it’s like to go into business with your husband, and being a restaurateur in Nashville. And finally, Maneet talks about her beginnings on Food Network, being a regular judge on Chopped and her favorite parts of filming on set.
This week on Food Network Obsessed, world-renowned chef and Food Network star Maneet Chauhan talks about her recent Tournament of Champions win. Maneet shares what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated profession and what really makes a chef, a chef. Maneet also talks about her spice cabinet must-haves and the comfort dishes that take her back to her childhood in India. Then, she shares what it’s like to go into business with your husband, and being a restaurateur in Nashville. And finally, Maneet talks about her beginnings on Food Network, being a regular judge on Chopped and her favorite parts of filming on set.
Find episode transcript here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/maneet-chauhan-on-her-tournament-of-champions-win-chopped-chaat
[MUSIC PLAYING] JAYMEE SIRE: Hello, and happy Friday. Welcome back to another episode of Food Network Obsessed. Of course, this is the podcast where we dish on all things Food Network with your favorite Food Network stars. I'm your host, Jaymee Sire, and I am so excited to be back. I really missed you guys. I missed getting all of your messages about our great guests.
Actually, I still got messages from you because I got a few every Friday since we took this little break asking me where the new episodes are. So we are here now with new episodes, and we have so many awesome guests lined up that we've been working on in the last couple of weeks. I am so pumped to share them all with you, especially today's guest, because I know you guys were all watching Tournament of Champions the last few weeks just as much as I was on the edge of my seat.
And I have to tell you, my boyfriend, Justin and I, we loved watching Maneet compete throughout this competition, and she was kind of our fan favorite in our household. I don't know who you guys had in your brackets going all the way but loved watching her compete, loved all of her colorful chef jackets, her earrings, her energy, and of course, the amazing food that she put out there on a regular basis.
So it is no surprise that she was crowned champion this past Sunday. Of course, you know her as a passionate chef and restaurateur, of course, a Food Network judge on a variety of shows, and as we saw, just a fierce competitor on Tournament of Champions. And she is now the season two winner. Maneet Chauhan is our guest today.
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Maneet, welcome to the pod. And more importantly, a massive congratulations on your huge Tournament of Champions win. We saw it this week. Congratulations, how are you feeling?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, my God, thank you so much. How am I feeling? I'm feeling at the top of the world. I think this is the first time that I've actually sat down because I've been dancing constantly, still pinching myself that, oh, my God, did this really happen? And just trying to catch up with all the congratulations through social media and text and just so grateful.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, it is well-deserved. I'm a little disappointed you're not wearing the belt for our interview. Where is it though right now?
MANEET CHAUHAN: It's safe.
JAYMEE SIRE: It's safe?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Yes, absolutely.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK, is it going to be displayed anywhere in the house or are you just keeping that under lock and key?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, no. It will be framed and it will be displayed. It will rotate through all the restaurants. I'll be as obnoxious about it as possible, come on.
JAYMEE SIRE: I love it, it'll be like the Stanley Cup, it can just travel with you wherever you go. How sweet was this victory for you?
MANEET CHAUHAN: It was surreal. The timing was really interesting. I remember seeing the semi-finals last year, and we were sitting with the kids. Vivek and I, we see all of these tournaments with the kids. And last year, I remember when I lost, my daughter, she was just holding, she was crying away, I wanted you to win. I'm like, I wanted to win also. But I said, but this is a life lesson. You win some you lose some.
So I think it was a lot sweeter this time because they were watching it with us and just that excitement of them-- I was excited, Vivek was excited, but just the kids like, just jumping around, it made everything worth it.
JAYMEE SIRE: Did the kids know that-- obviously, you had taped this a while ago. So that they know that you won or did you let them find out in real-time?
MANEET CHAUHAN: You know, I mean, the kids are young like six and nine. And the fact that anything will stay in their stomach is minuscule, so that's why Vivek and I decided that we were not going to let the kids know, which was incredible because when I won, they were like, oh, my God. Like, literally, when they were giving the feedback, when Darnell and I were doing the semis, and my son thought I was going to lost and he started crying. He's like, "I don't want you to lose." I'm like, "Hold, your horses buddy." Like, just hold your horses.
JAYMEE SIRE: I mean, overall, how would you describe your experience on TOC? Is this the hardest competition show of all time? Because you've competed in some other ones as well.
MANEET CHAUHAN: It definitely is the hardest. It's the hardest, it's the wackiest, the stress level is so high. And it is-- that randomizer man, that evil, evil randomizer. Usually with a lot of these other competitions, there is always a code that can be cracked, right? There are things like puzzles that you can put in place, but this randomizer, literally, the first competition we got, use a steamer and it has to be fried. Come on, it doesn't make sense. So this is absolutely the toughest competition that I've ever competed in.
JAYMEE SIRE: Is there a randomizer category or ingredient or a challenger that you would consider the most difficult in your time on TOC?
MANEET CHAUHAN: I think everybody. I mean, there wasn't one chef that-- when we were standing, the 16, the first time that Guy introduced all of us, and we are standing over there, and we are sizing each other up because that's pretty much what we were doing. There wasn't one chef that I saw that I was like, if I go up against him, I'm taking him down. No, it's such a testament to how you are at that moment, how you crack that-- how that crazy randomizer makes sense in your mind. And I think that's what it is.
So each and every competitor was somebody that I was afraid of, each and every randomizer ingredient was something that I was afraid of.
JAYMEE SIRE: Is there somebody that you have not faced yet that you would like a chance to compete against?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, no, there's a lot of people who I haven't faced yet, and I'm very happy with that because I know that they would kick my butt. Like, when they were asking me who are you afraid of? I'm like, oh, my God, if I go up against Antonio-- like Brooke, definitely I was afraid of. But Antonio and then Tiffany, I'm glad who I didn't face. And I'm afraid of next season.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, speaking of next season, I'm curious how you approach your preparation for this competition. Because as we've kind of covered it, it's unlike anything else. There are just elements to it that you really can't prepare for. But do you have anything that you do that kind of helps you get ready for competition? Like, any superstitions or anything that you do every time before you go out on stage there for that?
MANEET CHAUHAN: It's so funny, I had a lot of superstitions when I walked into the arena this time. To me, I was like, the only time I won is when I was on the left side, right? If I go on the right side, I'm not going to win. The only time I won is when Simon was doing my-- when he was doing my commentary. When I lost, it was Justin who was doing. So I walked him with all of that. And that's the mindset that I walked into the finale with. Because for the finale. I was on the right side and Justin was talking about my food. I'm like, I'm gone. This is it. Game over, right?
So that was a lot of fun. But I always say that Tournament of Champions is that one competition that you cannot-- it's not one of those exams or tests that you cram for the night before, this is a culmination of your entire life's training and work. So the fact that I have all of these restaurants, the fact that I can walk into a Chinese restaurant or into an Indian restaurant, into an American restaurant and literally roll up my sleeves and start working, that I think is the biggest training.
And to me, I love to be hands-on. So whenever I have the opportunity, each and every weekend, I am in the kitchens. Be it working on the line or expoing or meeting people. So to me, being hands-on is very critical and constantly studying. I'm constantly studying, be it not books, it is like seeing new television series, where you get these crazy ideas, learning about global cuisines. So yeah, I mean, my homework has already started.
JAYMEE SIRE: So everybody should be on notice, you're already starting to work towards TOC season three. So everybody should be shaking in their boots as they say. But I'm curious also about your chef's jackets because they are all so-- I mean, they're unique, they're colorful, they're fun. I feel like it is a reflection of your personality. How many do you have, and do you have a favorite?
MANEET CHAUHAN: I have 18 right now, I just placed the order for next season's TOC, which is going to be a completely different line. You know what? To me, these jackets are very important because they constantly remind me of where I am from, which I'm very proud of, where I have reached, which I'm very proud of. And in a way, I show that off with pride. And that's why it's very important. Like, these are textiles and these are handicrafts which the Indian artists, they work on. So that's why I'm very proud of those.
At the present moment, my favorite one is the black one which I won the finale with. Maybe I should go ahead and frame that along with a belt. And you know what? I am quite that style-free that I am. Because when I was wearing that jacket, I kept that jacket aside because every time Brooke would walk by with that belt and I'm like, which jacket would look good with the-- I'm like, I'm going to keep this jacket aside, and that's what I'm going to wear. So yeah, that's what it was.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well it looked fabulous with your winning belt. So that was a good move on your part. I'm curious if you are naturally a competitive person, because I feel like your competitive spirit really came out watching you, especially this season on TOC. I felt like you look at you and you're so sweet and nice, and then you got really fiery and trash-talking, and it was awesome to watch. Is that something that you've always experienced or does TOC kind of bring it out of you?
MANEET CHAUHAN: You know what? I think a lot of it, I do attribute to growing up in India because it starts off very young over there. Everything is a competition, it's a struggle. Even undergrad when we had to apply for undergrad schools, we had to study, it was a competition. And I think a lot of it stems from the fact that you've got to stand out, the fact that you've got to succeed.
And one of the things that I never let go is the sense of gratitude that I have of all the opportunities that have come my way. You get opportunities, but you have to be smart enough to grab it. You take life by the horns, and that's what I did with TOC. So yes, I am a very competitive person, but I don't let that competition dampen my fun or zest for life. You win some, you lose some, and that's what life is all about. And I hope that I can teach my kids that every day.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, I think you already have. You said it's been a very good lesson for them to watch you in defeat but also watch you in victory as well. And I do want to point out that you are the second woman to win TOC, another finale where we actually had two women competing for the grand prize. Of course, we had you and Brooke this season. Last season, it was Brooke and Amanda in the finale.
I mean, as a woman in a very male-dominated field, what does that win mean to you in terms of just being kind of a role model for other women out there?
MANEET CHAUHAN: You know, it was so interesting, Brooke and I, we were talking about that. And I was just telling her that I can't even express how grateful I am that that belt was handed from Brooke to me, right? And I think this means so much to us because-- I mean, I have a daughter, right? And young girls who reach out to me, they're like, if you can do it, we can do it.
So the fact that we have shown that it can be done, the fact that we've been told-- like, we were at that generation where we weren't taken seriously, right? The fact that we've broken that mold, that-- earlier on in my career, people would come to the restaurant, they would be like, the chef, can we talk to him? And then a her would walk out. And I'm like, in the end of the day, a chef is a chef. You don't walk into the kitchen and say hi, he chef, hi, she chef, that's not what it is.
So the fact that we are finally getting a nod that gender doesn't make a difference because the plate in front of you, the food in front of you, the taste in front of you is all that defines a chef. A gender doesn't. And that I think is very powerful.
JAYMEE SIRE: It is extremely powerful and very well said. And I think you can be very proud and that you have a lot of people looking up to you, including your own kids, which I think is obviously the most important. And we got to see just how much of a beast you are in the kitchen, I think a lot of people already knew that. But we saw it in a variety of ways. I mean, you handled every cuisine, everything that the randomizer threw at you just effortlessly, I would say.
How would you describe your overall cooking style? Because it seems like there's essentially nothing you can't do.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, my God, there are so many things I can't do. But I think my cooking style is global. I grew up in India, and it was really interesting. I think as you grow older, you start becoming more comfortable with things that you know, and you start showcasing them a lot more. And I think that is it. In the end of the day, my style of cooking is to cook delicious food, and I don't care from which part of the world it is.
I love food, both in terms of eating and cooking. So wherever I can find inspiration, I find it and I show it off. But yeah, I do. My comfort factor is Indian food because that's what I grew up on, and that gets me comfort. So I do at times tend to rely a lot on that.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, I mean, you mentioned it that you grew up in a small town in India. What are some of those early memories of food, that kind of just brings you back to childhood whenever you smell or eat or cook them?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, my God. So I grew up in this small town in India where it was a professional town, and all our neighbors were from all over India. And each and every region in India has a very distinct cuisine of its own. So what was cooked at our house was completely different from what our neighbors were doing. So I literally would finish dinner at home, go to my neighbor's houses, tell them that my parents hadn't fed me, so can we eat with you?
So it was incredible because I got to not only eat the food, to me, what was more interesting was to see the aunties cooking in the kitchen. The ingredients they were using were so different from the ingredients which were in our kitchen, and that's what made it so amazing. But they are dishes like simple khichdi, which actually I made in the semifinals, which is a rice and a lentil. Like, a savory porridge, which every time that we were sick, mom would make it because it was easy for digestion. And that is the most comforting thing. So whenever I make khichdi, it just transforms me back to home.
Or mango pickle. We used to have to mango trees in our backyard, which I wasn't allowed to climb. And my grandma would make me climb and that she would make mango pickle. So yeah.
JAYMEE SIRE: I mean, I know you must have a massive spice cabinet. But what are some must-haves in your spice cabinet, kind of your go-to recipes?
MANEET CHAUHAN: So in each and every Indian household, there is a masala dabba, which is a spice box. It's round, big container with seven small containers in it. And that usually is what we use for everyday cooking. And mine has the three C's, which is cumin powder, there is a coriander powder, and chili powder. And then I have garam masala, which is an Indian blend of spices. I make my own.
There is chaat masala, which is a blend of spices which has predominantly dried raw mango powder, so it's very tart. And chaat means to lick in Hindi. There is fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi, which I always have. Turmeric, which is like one of the OG spices. And the last spice, I don't know if it qualifies to be a spice, but I always have rock salt. So rock salt has this very funky, almost that sulfur smell to it, and it just adds to me, umami to any dish. So yeah, those are the seven, eight dish. I mean, yeah.
JAYMEE SIRE: Spices.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Which are in that box.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yes, and they are also an integral role in your cookbook that was released last fall, which is also called Chaat, Recipes from the Kitchens Markets and Railways of India. And you kind of touched that a little bit about what exactly is chaat, and you said it means to lick in Indian. But what else does it mean to you in terms of that cookbook and what that embodies for you?
MANEET CHAUHAN: So chaat, as I was saying, it means to lick. And Indian street foods are called chaat, just because the flavors, the textures are so likable. As a kid, we used to travel by trains, and the trains in India are unlike the trains here. The windows are open, doors are open. Three-days, three-night journeys. Each and every small station that the train would stop at, the local vendors would come to sell their wares.
So because Indian cuisine is so vast, I would get to taste the cuisines of India through the train. And my parents knew how obsessed I was with food. So in each and every train station like chennai, the yogurt rice, or the curd rice, or in Warangal, we would have varas. So there are all of these memories that I remember.
So the idea of the book was to pay homage to all of these vendors who made our train journeys so delicious. And it's a great way to get an insight into Indian cuisine on a very superficial level, because I can spend my entire life talking about Indian food and I wouldn't even scratch the surface. So I think that's what this book is about. It's not Southeast, West covers, just the diversity of Indian cuisine.
JAYMEE SIRE: I mean, it is gorgeous, it is full of color, it's full of stories. Not just pictures of food, it's pictures of all these things that you were describing. The railways, the people that are preparing these foods and not just like a stylized, like, here's a pretty picture of this dish, I'm putting it into this cookbook. I feel like it's really kind of telling those stories, which I think makes it very unique.
And then, there are the recipes as well. Obviously, that's why people are picking it up as hoping to kind of try their hand at some of these different snacks that you mentioned. If somebody is maybe trying out cooking Indian food for the very first time, are there a couple of recipes in the book that you would recommend them starting with?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Absolutely. I think there is this amazing recipe for a pineapple shot, which is really simple because you do a lot of seasonal shots. And it also reminds you of in Mexico when they sell the pineapples and mangoes with a little bit of that tajin right on top of it, which is incredible, so that is what it reminds people of. There is a star fruit and a sweet potato chaat, which is incredible. And so they are starter recipes, which are simple, few ingredients.
And then if they want to go ahead and get into more complicated recipes, that is also there. I mean, there are fermented idlis, and you can go as in-depth as you want or you can just keep it as simple. And that's what I wanted the book to be, to cater not only to the people who are beginners in Indian cuisine but also people who want to experiment into getting something to do more complicated like biryani.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, I loved it. I mean, I've cooked Indian food a couple of times for my blog. I have a very good friend, Sachi. And every time I'd have questions, I'd text her and she would ask her mom, and she would kind of get back to me on different ways to do it. So I'm glad I have a bigger guide to help me through some of those recipes.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Now, you can text me.
JAYMEE SIRE: I will. I'll be annoying too. Be careful what you offer.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, please, I am like, once I get started, it would be like, OK, now you can do this. Push yourself. So you also be careful because I'll be like, OK, come on, now let's do a more complicated recipe.
JAYMEE SIRE: I love it. I'm going to take you up on that. But I think it's so cool just to hear you talk about-- obviously, this is something you are so passionate about and especially spotlighting you know Indian food and your culture, both through your platform on Food Network also just a leader in the food and industry. Why is that so important to you to share that with the world, really?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Personally to me, the reason why I got drawn to food other than the taste was that it is one of the best connectors in this entire world. I could walk into a room and have a conversation because I was armed with food, right? Like be it going to my sister's school or-- like recently, we went to Peru, and we went to the small town called Urubamba, and I just wandered into the Mercado. And I can't speak Spanish or let's say my Spanish is not fit for polite company. And the people over there, they couldn't speak English.
So like literally half an hour later, Vivek was looking for me, and he found me selling potatoes with this old grandma, and we were making potato cake. We couldn't speak the same language, but we connected over food, and that to me was such an incredible experience that I always think that if we have all conversations over food, around food, wine also helps, there would be no discord in this world. I mean, it would be just a happy, peaceful, well-fed world.
JAYMEE SIRE: I could not agree more. I say that almost the exact same thing all the time, that it is such a conductor, it is the one thing we all have in common. And I think there's nothing better than being able to sit down with somebody and break bread and learn about their culture and vise versa. So I think that's a really beautiful way to approach food and sharing it with the world. We are talking Nashville, chopped, plus rapid fire questions with Maneet coming up next.
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Your culinary education did start in India and then you were finest hotels, kitchens, you name it. And then you came to the US, also dominated the food scene over here. You're talking New York, Chicago, but now you're in Nashville, where you and your husband have opened four restaurants. So I'm curious what drew you from Manhattan to the Music City.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Well, there are two aspects to this. The one-word answer is karma. So literally, I think jobs had taken off and we were getting calls from the obvious cities, right? Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, would you like to open something over here? And in between, we get a call from Nashville. Like, we'd never visited Nashville and both of us looked at each other, I mean, we're business partners and we're like, who the beep goes to Nashville?
But we are also the kind of people who explore each and every opportunity that is presented in front of us. So we came here and we just fell in love with the city. There wasn't anything like Chauhan when we opened it. Also the fact was that in all fairness, the costs over here are so much better. Celebrity goes such a long, long way over here. So we were like, OK, this is fantastic.
The plan was still to be based out of New York because we thought we were in the food maker of the world and commute over here. Well, this is the South, the six-month project did take a year and a half. Along the way, we found out we were expecting baby number two. Well, the day we opened the restaurant, November 18th 2014, our son decided to be born three months early.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, my gosh.
MANEET CHAUHAN: So Vivek and I, we weren't at the opening of our restaurant, kind of have to be at the hospital after a major surgery. And both of us looked at each other and we're like, well, if he's so adamant and being a Nashvillian, who are we to stop it? So we went back to New York, wrapped up our house, moved over here, and decided we are going to make the best of this move. We named our son Karma, so that's why we say that karma is the reason why we're over here.
But Karma made us make a decision that has been so valuable and so good for us. Because in four years, we opened four restaurants, we had three breweries. So it's been really good to us.
JAYMEE SIRE: And I mean, what's the reception been like? I can't imagine there was an abundance of these global cuisines down there. There's obviously a great food scene in Nashville, but I feel like this probably brought something to a community that they had not experienced before.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Absolutely, I think what was-- it's really interesting because Nashville is very Metropolitan. People have traveled the entire world, and they are craving for good food, they're craving for global food. So when we opened Chauhan, it was just an instant success because there was flavor. And the way we planned the entire menu was we had the traditional Indian section absolutely, but we played along with-- Nashville is known for meat and trees, so we had Chauhan or two meat and three or hot chicken, which is a religion over here, right? So we are like, hot chicken piccata.
And so we played to what is locally available over here, but put our own twist on it. And we were like, OK, what is missing in the tapestry? Oh, Chinese, upscale Chinese. Great, we'll open third so. We've got these incredible people who make delicious food. OK, let's open a restaurant with them. Oh, we found this beautiful space. So we constantly-- the opportunities are out there, it's for us to grab it and just celebrate it.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, you guys certainly are doing exactly that. And as you mentioned, you are in business with your husband. What is that like as far as advantages and disadvantages to being in business with your significant other?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, it's a really stupid idea. I think it's cray cray. You know what? For me personally, and I mean, of course, we can only talk about personal experience, I think it's very valuable because the reason why we connected was because of our love for this industry. We did our undergrad together, barely knew each other at that time, we reconnected because of our love for this industry.
So to me, I think it's very valuable because I know that he's one person who's not going to mince around his feedback. If I make something and if I have my team taste it, they would be like, yeah, chef, great. Vivek will look at it and he's like, this is crap. I know you can do so much better than this. So to have somebody honest in your corner is incredible.
And the fact that I love this industry, I am obsessed with this industry, and we have kids, we have businesses together, and the fact that we can have a true partnership of supporting each other. Like, when I'm traveling, he's got the kids. When he's traveling, he's got all of these businesses in Canada. So when he's traveling, I've got the kids. It's that true sense of partnership, which I am very grateful about.
But even with TOC, I mean, it's so stressful when I was-- every time I would ready to go and compete, he was the last person I would call. And I'm like, will I be able to do it? He's like, you got this. And because he said that you got this, I knew I got it. And that was it. It was as simple as that. So yeah, it might sound something mushy.
But on the other hand, both of us are scorpions. And there have been times, like especially when we opened up right, we're crazy busy and everything is going wrong. And Vivek would walk into the kitchen and he's like, where is that bleeping nun? And I would turn, I'm like, get out of the bleeping kitchen. And the whole team would be like, oh, my God, mommy and daddy are fighting. What's going to happen? And then in two minutes, he would come, he's like, so are you ready to go? I'm like, yeah, I am done. And we would walk out. Like the whole what just happened here? So it's fun.
JAYMEE SIRE: It's fun. I mean, you guys seem like you have it down. And I mean, we got the very first-hand look of that through Guy's documentary, Restaurant Hustle 2020, All on the Line. I mean, obviously, it's such a raw and emotional look at what restaurant owners like yourselves were facing during this global pandemic that the entire world was dealing with at the same time. When you were approached about the project, what were your gut instinct? Did you want to do it or did it take some convincing?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, no. I mean, listen, when Guy asks something, your answer should be yes and needs to be yes, and that's basically what it was. It was a decision that when he called, and I mean, it was a fantastic idea. Like, that was the last thing we were thinking at that time. All we wanted to do was just save what we had.
And he called us and he's like, hey, listen, we've got this idea, going to send cameras. Just record everything that is happening. And he just finished it by. He's like, even if this comes to nothing, you will have a record to show your kids what you guys went through. And that I think was profound to me. I'm like, OK, that's what we are going to do.
So it was really interesting that we were just sending things as we were recording. We weren't reviewing it, which I think was a boom because in hindsight, there's a lot that I send across, which made it in the documentary, which I probably wouldn't have.
I was looking at the documentary I'm like, why did I send a video of me crying in the closet with my bottle of wine in my pajamas? Why did I do that? But that was the moment that resonated most with people because the number of people who reached out and said that, the fact that you were brave enough to show how vulnerable you all were, it gave us the courage to just plow through this whole thing, get it done.
And yeah, that documentary is something I'm so proud of because I think it gave hope to so many people who were looking for hope, and I think that's why-- just so again, grateful to be a part of that.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, you're making me tear up again just thinking about it, especially the line you just mentioned about crying in the closet with a bottle of wine. I think we all had at least one of those moments during the past year. So I think it was so relatable for people because we all had our crying in the closet with a bottle of wine moment.
And like so many parents last year, you also found yourself playing the role of teacher during all of this. And that was also featured in the documentary. How much more do you appreciate the job that the teachers do after having to do it yourself?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, my God, teachers, they are like-- I mean, literally when the kids went back to school, I just wanted to go and hug each and every teacher and just say that you guys are just incredible. I think it is a job which needs to be valued so much more. Not only about the knowledge that they impart, but the incredible patience and the way they mold futures is just incredible. Just incredible. It gives me goosebumps.
JAYMEE SIRE: It was good to see that realness from all of the chefs that were featured. But we've watched you on Food Network for years, and I always like to ask people just to take us back to the very beginning because a lot of times, we see what everyone has become, but we forget where they came from. As it relates to Food Network, take us back to when you found out that you were going to be on Iron Chef America and competing against Chef Morimoto.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, my God. It seems like full circle especially with winning TOC. I mean, it was incredible. I remember when I was at the CIA, the Iron Chef had just started and Morimoto was one of the chefs that I would see all the time. And I would always tell myself, I'm like, one day, I'm going to compete on Iron Chef. So when I was invited to compete, it was just surreal. I've done something right, I've got to pinch myself.
It Was really interesting, again, it started off with competition, competing. And I still till date try to recall that competition. It was leaks. Leaks is not my favorite anymore because as I tell the whole world, I came a respectable second among two people. Just sounds better than saying I lost. But it was just--
JAYMEE SIRE: I like that.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Yeah, it was just so incredible, and that opened so many doors. I was invited to be a guest judge on Chopped. No, actually, I was invited to be on the next Iron Chef, then a guest judge on Chopped and then a permanent judge in Chopped. And it just started from there, like just rolled and morphed into what it is today. But yeah, just incredible.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, and as you mentioned, you are now a fixture on Chopped as one of the regular rotating judges. What is your favorite part about that show?
MANEET CHAUHAN: My favorite part about Chopped is that it's a very odd combination of it being consistent in terms of the format. But because the characters, be it the chefs, be the judges, be the ingredients are so different that it seems like a different show every time. And I think that is the most exciting part.
And personally to me, the amount that I have learned on Chopped is incredible. Be it crazy ingredients that I've have never seen. And then I'm like, then I start doing research on it, then I get it, then I start working on it. So it's been an amazing learning experience for me.
JAYMEE SIRE: Do you think being a judge on Chopped and like you said, kind of like being introduced to some of these new ingredients or maybe new preparations of things, how much did that help you, do you think, during Tournament of Champions?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Tremendously. I think all the experience that I got on Chopped has tremendously helped me on not only being a judge but being a competitor also. And the fact is that every time, even when you're a judge, every time they open the basket and you see the ingredients in front of you, your mind starts working as to how you would put it together given the time that there is. So absolutely, it's just been incredible.
JAYMEE SIRE: What would cripple you if you opened a Chopped basket and saw it sitting there staring back at you?
MANEET CHAUHAN: I don't think anything would. I don't, yeah. Because to me, what I pride myself is finding solutions to problems. And the biggest-- it's really funny, every day that I dropped my daughter off at school and when she's walking out, I give her some sage advice. And recently, all I have been telling her is there are no problems. And she turns to me and she's like, only solutions. And that is something that I strongly believe in.
So I don't think that there's anything that will phase me out. I think the only thing which will trip me is me, myself, when I think that I can do much more than what that time allocated will let me. And I've done that. I have faltered. I have been chopped in the past because I'm like, oh, I have two minutes, let's make a cocktail. And it's like, the dish is great but the cocktail was awf Bye Monito. So that's what it is.
JAYMEE SIRE: What's the best bite you've ever had on Chopped and the worst bite?
MANEET CHAUHAN: There's been a lot of really good food on Chopped, especially now that it's been going on for so long that the chefs who come, they do their homework, which is amazing. I think one of the best bites was recently I tried a Middle Eastern dessert called malabi, which was incredible. And the chef who made it, she cut them in the shape. So it's a dessert, which has rosewater in it, just very delicate. And it's set with cornstarch, and she cut it in long strips like udon noodles, and then put I think it was almost like a green tea broth over it, just that creativity and that flavor just blew my mind. It was incredible.
The worst bite, balut. Balut is just not my favorite ingredient, so I think just wrapping it around my head was probably the toughest. Yeah.
JAYMEE SIRE: What advice would you have for maybe a future competitor who might be listening if they are going to be going on Chopped? What should they keep in mind?
MANEET CHAUHAN: First let's keep it simple. Keep it good and simple. Too many ingredients on the plate doesn't mean that the dish is more delicious, just pay homage to the ingredients in front of you. And secondly, cook your food. Don't cook based on who are the judges in front of you or who you're competing against, cook your food because that's the reason why you're standing over here in front of everybody. And that's it, be true to who you are.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well we definitely saw that from you on Tournament of Champions. So I would like to end with a few rapid fire questions, and then we will finish it off with our question that we ask everybody. But first, rapid fire. Would you rather compete on Chopped or TOC?
MANEET CHAUHAN: TOC. Don't tell my friends on Chopped.
JAYMEE SIRE: I won't. It's our secret or maybe not. New York or Chicago pizza?
MANEET CHAUHAN: I go deep dish.
JAYMEE SIRE: Really? OK. All right. Go-to weeknight dinner.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Tacos.
JAYMEE SIRE: Tacos, OK. I like that, Taco Tuesday. Favorite family recipe.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Taco every day.
JAYMEE SIRE: There you go, I like that. I like that strategy. Favorite family recipe.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Depends on who's cooking. If Vivek is cooking, his chicken curry, oh, my God. So good. Or if I'm cooking, then probably aloo parathas, which are spiced, potato-stuffed flatbreads with fresh homemade butter and a yogurt right on the side. It's something that--
JAYMEE SIRE: That sounds delicious. All right, final rapid fire. Favorite Food Network show that you're not on.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Any of the baking showdowns, they are so incredible. Any of them. All of them.
JAYMEE SIRE: They are. And those people are super talented, and I could never cut it on any of those. So they are fun to watch in that respect of just seeing somebody very, very good at their craft doing something I could never do. This has been so much fun.
But before we let you go, we do have one last question that we ask all of our guests here on Food Network Obsessed. And that is, what would be on the menu for your perfect food day? So breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. You can travel wherever in between, spend absurd amounts of money, anybody can cook these for you, you can do it in a restaurant. There are basically no rules to this question, we just want to know what your favorite and perfect food day would entail.
MANEET CHAUHAN: I would start off with breakfast in Jakarta, because that's where I had one of my favorite breakfasts, which was a noodle, almost like a ramen, noodle for-- just incredible. I would go over to Singapore and have the Singapore chili crab.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yes.
MANEET CHAUHAN: So good, right?
JAYMEE SIRE: So good.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, so good. I would definitely head over to Japan and have anything and everything over there. Just so fresh and amazing. My God, that's a tough one. I could spend my whole life coming up with a list. Lima, oh, my God. Anything over there, everything over there. I would end it with dinner at home with my family and Vivek's chicken curry with some rice, slices of raw onions, and my mom's potato and fenugreek saute.
JAYMEE SIRE: Do you need dessert or are we skipping dessert?
MANEET CHAUHAN: Oh, there's always dessert. I mean, I'm a trained pastry chef, right? I live off that. Desserts, anything sweet which comes in front of me, I love. I love a good cake. But I probably after this entire day of gluttony and indulgence, I probably would just want a simple vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate fudge and a lot of candied pecans on it. And just, that's it.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's it. Well, that sounds perfect. And I love that you took us to different countries for every single meal and within those meals as well, because as you said at the beginning of this interview, you are a global cook, and that is your food. And it was very well represented in that last question. And it was such a joy to speak with you today.
And once again, huge congratulations on your massive TOC win, very well deserved. Thank you so much for sharing these stories with us.
MANEET CHAUHAN: Thank you. So much fun.
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JAYMEE SIRE: What a lovely chat with Maneet. So great to talk to her so quickly after her big win on Tournament of Champions. I hope you guys enjoyed that as much as I did. You can catch Maneet at the Chopped judges table on Food Network. And if you missed any of the action, get caught up on Tournament of Champions, which is streaming now on Discovery Plus.
As always, thanks so much for listening. And make sure you're following us wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss a single episode. And if you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to rate and review. We do love it when you do that. That's all for now, we'll catch you foodies next Friday.
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