Chefs all over the country cite legend Julia Child as an influence, but few can rival the kind of chance meeting Dallas chef Samir Dhurandhar had with her as a 21-year-old visiting the US from Mumbai. He writes about that touching, life-altering experience in a new memoir Raising the Steaks (Favorite Recipes Press). “As I reflect, it was a seminal moment in my life,” writes the chef. “After that, everything started coming together.”
A culinary school education and subsequent decade at some of New York City’s top restaurants landed him the executive chef position at Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse in Dallas in 1999. In the years since, he’s transformed the local hit, playing host to celebrities like George Clooney, Shaquille O’Neal, and the Black Eyed Peas, and garnering raves from local publications.
But before all that, he was just a kid from halfway around the world with a big dream—that Julia Child helped make a reality. Dhurandhar documents his journey in Raising the Steaks, out now. Read on for an excerpt of all the heartwarming details of Dhurandhar’s first meeting with Child. —Tanay Warerkar
After years of hearing his enthusiastic tales about the wonders of the USA, my father finally brought our entire family over to the states for a coast-to-coast trip. We traveled first to Disney World in Orlando and finished in Santa Barbara, California, not far from his old UCLA stomping grounds.
While in Santa Barbara, we stayed with one of dad’s dearest and longest-term friends, Robert Huttenback, or “Uncle Bob” as we called him in the endearing Indian tradition of addressing elder family friends as “uncle” and “aunty.” Uncle Bob had a lovely backyard swimming pool, which I was floating in one morning, daydreaming deeply, of course, when Bob suddenly appeared poolside. “Can you come to the kitchen real quick, Samir?” he asked. “I want you to meet someone.”
I dried off hastily and headed inside. “What is this?” I wondered. As I walked in the kitchen, I sensed a commanding presence. There, standing next to Uncle Bob was a distinguished-looking middle-aged woman. Smartly dressed and statuesque, she had to have stood more than six feet tall.
“Samir, do you know who this is?” Bob asked. With curious eyes, I stared up at the woman, but I just couldn’t place her. I sheepishly responded, “I apologize, I don’t.” Bob said, “Samir, this is Julia Child.” As in the Julia Child, the famous chef, cooking educator, television personality, and author of the world-renowned cooking bible Mastering the Art of French Cooking, among other magnificent cooking books. Of course, I didn’t realize any of this at the time. I was simply told that she lived in nearby Pasadena, was a friend of Uncle Bob’s family, and was very influential, but that’s it.
Julia and I sat and talked for the longest time. That “real quick” meeting that Uncle Bob had summoned me for had turned into an hour-and-a-half heart-to-heart talk. We discussed family and life in general in addition to cooking, of course. Julia was very easy to speak with and came off as unpretentious, smart, and perceptive. I found out later that she’d been a top-secret researcher in World War II for America’s Office of Strategic Services. Wow!
I don’t recall many specifics of our conversation, but I remember her asking me to share my passion for food with her. And that I did, in my own awkward way. I remember feeling a little embarrassed about the mumbo-jumbo that I was spouting. But Julia gracefully indulged my youthful spirit.
Although I had prepared meals for my family as a kid and worked for a while as a junior sous chef at the Sheraton Hotel in Mumbai, I had very little professional experience. But as we spoke, I think Julia recognized that my passion for cooking was not only genuine, but also it ran deep, especially as I recollected my mother’s guiding influence and inherited passion for distinctive foods. I’m sure she saw my face light up as we discussed the art and craft of preparing creative and nutritious meals.
As I reflect, it was a seminal moment in my life. After that, everything started coming together. The one big thing holding me back in my formative schooling had been my lack of direction. But here I was, starting to see a much clearer purpose for my life—happily one that dovetailed with my passion for cooking.
Julia told me, “Samir, if you are interested in this as a career, you should go to the Culinary Institute of America.” She seemed sure I would get in, so I followed her advice. On my return to Mumbai, my desire to be a great chef had not faded in the least; it was hitting a fever pitch. The thought of doing something that I love as a vocation really elevated my spirit. So, I applied to the Culinary Institute of Hyde Park, New York, USA, with the blessing of both of my parents and was soon delighted to learn that I had gained acceptance for the very next school year, starting in fall 1990.
Excerpted from Raising the Steaks: My Journey to Creating the Best Steakhouse in the World: Nick and Sam’s, by Samir Dhurandhar and Steve McLinden. Copyright 2023. Used with permission of Favorite Recipes Press, an Imprint of Southwestern Publishing House. All Rights Reserved.
Tanay Warerkar is a content marketing manager at OpenTable.
