NEW DELHI: Harsh Dixit, founder of The Private Chefs Club, calls his journey of cooking for Indian cricket team players for a little over two years as a crazy and very exciting journey.
His current initiative, which started from a group of three people, has now flourished into a team of twenty chefs who travel across the globe, adapting to diverse kitchens and meeting the meticulous demands of players like India’s Test and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and batter KL Rahul.
His team previously provided chefs to Hardik and Krunal Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin and Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis. Dixit’s journey in this specialized culinary space began over a decade ago, with a vision to provide calorie-counted, diet-focused meals.
The first time he cooked for an athlete was for India’s talismanic batter Virat Kohli and his actor-producer wife Anushka Sharma when their second wedding anniversary came in 2019. “There was a lot of madness that went behind that too, because I got a call for it on a Saturday, and I shared the menu that evening. Their anniversary was on Thursday in 2019 and they wanted to bring in via a Wednesday night dinner. I only got the confirmation on a Wednesday afternoon at 12.30.”
“It was a five-course vegan dinner, an entirely private dining experience in his home. For me, the opportunity was not just a win professionally, but it also underscored the importance of providing personalized, private dining for athletes who can’t enjoy the same restaurant freedom as others, ” said Dixit to IANS.
Dixit’s team is in charge of managing the special dietary requirements and preferences of the cricketers they accompany on tours. “Our chefs bring a sense of familiarity and comfort for these players. It’s about more than just food – it’s about understanding what each athlete needs to stay at the top of their cricketing game.”
“We have seen winning the World Cup two times. We had one chef – Velton Saldanha - cooking for Marcus Stoinis, during last year’s ODI World Cup. Before we reached the finals, it was a winning moment for us to be cooking for people who are about to win the World Cup.”
“During the T20 World Cup this year, it was insane again. As Indians, we were also happy that our team was winning the trophy. Plus, we get to do this for a living – cook for athletes who become World Cup winners. We get a little glimpse of the madness from a very close perspective.”
“So, kudos and hats off to them because it really gave us a sense of understanding what it really takes and how much of dedication these guys really show. At the end of it, we are just enablers and can only fulfil their demands to bring food for them. It’s great to be a part of this partnership and see all of it from a very close proximity as well.”
Over time, Dixit has come to see that what cricketers like Rohit, Rahul and Suryakumar want is a proper structure in terms of nutrition. “It’s all about bringing a structure to someone’s everyday diet. We don’t just cook – we share our menus with the players, list ingredients, and even adapt to their changing needs and preferences.”
“Having a sense of nutrition also means that you don’t really have to chase protein in every meal. Every time anyone talks about nutrition and diets, everyone is trying to chase protein but you have to be mindful about it.”
“You don’t really have to chase protein in a single day thing. It can be covered up in a week’s or a month’s requirement and each day requires a different set of ingredients that need to be going into your body for you to perform the on-field roles.”
“It's so imperative for them to know what food works for and how their bodies function with different kinds of food groups. There are so many factors that really come into play when it comes to your everyday nutrition - be it the cultural background and the kind of food products you're being introduced to.”
He also insists on adaptability and commitment from each chef who travels with the players, especially with Rohit and Rahul going for Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, while Suryakumar leads India in the four T20Is in South Africa.
“Well, it always looks rosy from the outside. Definitely, there is a lot more that goes on and off the ground daily. Irrespective of what the match conditions are and how they have performed, diet is something that has to be constant and on throughout. Like, how gruesome it can become when you are trying to adapt to different kitchens. Since you are also travelling with these cricketers, to make sure that their nutrition is intact at a point where things like some specific ingredients are not available.”
“Of course, the perks are there that you travel with the cricketers and fly with them. But the tough part of this is that you have to be adaptable to every kitchen that you’ve been put in. So, you have to know different kinds of cuisines and you just can’t be bound to knowing that usually most of us are trained like specializing in Indian or Chinese cuisine.
“A true cook always knows how to cut vegetables, chop meats and make sauces. Now, if you can apply that to different cuisines and get that thing done, then you should not be bounded to just one style of cooking or cuisine, as at the end of the day, you’re a modern day cook. That’s what we try and inculcate in all our chefs who are a part of our team, ” he signed off.