It was a fan moment for Chef Prashant Sharma to meet Kapil Dev at the New York City recently. He, along with Esteemed Chef Vikas Khanna, collaborated and executed food and beverage during a world-class event in Hudson Yards in New York City honoring Kapil Dev, and the work of his non-profit organization called Khushi in May 2022. Prashant has been gifted an autographed cricket ball by the cricketing legend himself. He talks about the experience.
“Mr. Kapil Dev has always been a role model for us for winning the 1983 World Cup. I still remember I met him for the first time when I was in school. I used to play for the school team in Devi Laal Stadium, Gurugram, and the association had organized for Mr Kapil Dev as the special during one of the final matches. That day I was not able to take personal blessings from him due to high security but I never thought that after nineteen long years in May this year I would be able to have a personal conversation with him. It has been one of the memorable experiences of my life,” he shares.
Prashant has not seen the cricketer playing live but has watched older videos or highlights from his matches. “During his commentary sessions, there were many times he shared his experiences playing from the best to worst situations and how he tackled them in different forms. Careers always have ups and downs but to gain experience from them and to come back again is the essence of life which you can always learn from legends like Mr. Kapil Dev,” he adds.
In one’s career, everyone always wishes to win or to achieve something which can always be remembered for a lifetime, according to the chef. “For Mr Kapil Dev, his record-breaking 175 runs inning in 1983 on June 18 and lifting the World Cup is special as it is for the entire nation. I absolutely admire his career path, how he left all criticism behind and proved his calibre,” says Prashant, who has worked with eminent hotel and restaurant chains and also with actor Hrithik Roshan. He is currently exploring the West and exploring new dishes, and cuisines and sourcing ingredients that can help him develop new things for his future work.
About the dishes they specially cooked for him at the event, he reveals, “Considering Mr.Kapil Dev likes and dislikes, his dietary restrictions, and many other things, our team discussed and worked on major details on the menu which we were supposed to present during this event. I had come up with a dish called ‘Erissery Squash Parmesan Gnocchi’, which had Italian and Thai flavours combined in it. I knew that Paaji loves Italian and Thai food and enjoys that subtle taste of cheese. We also made a whiskey cocktail inspired by his name — Hurricane Haryana.”
