RADHARAO GRACIAS
Little by little, Goans gained proficiency in cooking meats as years passed; baking, though, was a stiffer task. Tradition has it that mis sionaries set up the first ‘forn’ ( wood fired oven) in Majorda at the house of Paixao Gomes, who being the pioneer came to be known as Paixao Poder (‘pod er’, being derivative of ‘Padeiro,’ Portuguese for baker). Here, people were trained in the ba sics of leavening the dough with toddy and baking; these con temporaries of my forefathers, then travelled to other villages with their skills. Fearing a French takeover, as Napoleon subdued most of Europe and marched into the Iberian Peninsula, the British pre-emptively sent their troops into Goa from 1797-1798 and again from 1799-1813 in furtherance of The Treaty of Windsor for mutual support and assistance signed between Portugal and England in 1387. The Brits, among other things, found bakers, cooks, tailors and musicians in Goa, the types not available in British India. As they departed, they left behind the cemetery at Dona Paula as a relic of their presence and carried with them a few of the bakers, cooks, tailors and mu sicians; soon the trickle turned into a flood as Goans found a demand for their prowess in the British domains. From these stark beginnings as ‘paowallas’ in Bombay, Goans have flour ished and risen to spectacular heights, in matters of music, fashion, culinary arts et al. Let us look at the culinary arts: The Telegraph 14 December 2024 reports: “A glazed King Oyster Mush room Xacuti with cashew but ter miso, served with a mini poie. Grilled Sweet Potato and Corn Galette with khola chil li vindalho, featuring the rare chilli from the hill slopes of Canacona, South Goa. A Tender Coconut Carpaccio with sol ka dhi and aam ras. These were just three of the eight innovative plates served up by Goa’s award-winning Chef Avinash Martins at the Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant wedding on July 12, being touted as the wedding of the century…….. …….Martins, who helms the renowned Cavatina in Be naulim, Goa — a favourite among tourists and celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar — was entrusted with creating a veg etarian menu for 700 heads at the wedding held at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Cen tre (NMACC). With a team of 50, Martins operated two counters; ensuring a high-tempo turn around time for the à la carte service. The wedding hosted a brigade of elite chefs and re nowned brands from around the world. Central, the 2023 winner of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, led by Chef Virgil io Martínez, served up exquisite vegetarian dishes.” Chef Avi nash hails from Baga, Velim. DNA reports on the same wedding: “The recent luxurious wed ding of Anant Ambani-Radhi ka Merchant featured many culinary delights. Among the stars of the event were Eureka and Nikita Araujo, two talent ed sisters from the serene is land of Divar, Goa. Eureka, an award-winning pastry chef, and her sister Nikita run Sivako, an artisanal patisserie in Mahim, Mumbai. Sivako, located in a Goan-pop ulated suburb, is famous for its French pastries, and chocolates. For the Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant wedding, the Araujo sisters were tasked with cre ating desserts for 300 guests. Their goal was to reflect the wedding’s elegance in every sweet treat. The Araujo sisters curated subtle yet amazing flavours for the afternoon table and the high tea setup, which featured 20 desserts. Unique combinations like champagne and raspber ry, matcha and raspberry, and chocolate with orange delight ed guests”. The naysayers may shout hoarse but the reality is when the richest Indian in the world wished to feed and impress his guests, he had to turn to the Portuguese influenced cuisine of Goa! Hindustan Times Nov 26, 2025: “The Udaipur wedding cele brations of billionaire heiress Netra Mantena had no shortage of spectacles. But one detail kept resurfacing online – a tow ering cake built like a miniature palace. The celebration marked the marriage of billionaire heir ess Netra Mantena and tech entrepreneur Vamsi Gadiraju on November 23, and it was the cake that became one of the most circulated visuals from the event. Mantena is the daughter of Rama Raju Mantena, the Or lando-based billionaire and CEO of Ingenus Pharmaceuti cals. Gadiraju is the co-founder and CTO of Superorder, a res taurant-tech company head quartered in New York. Their ceremonies ran across several Udaipur properties, with the main function held at Jag mandir Island Palace on Lake Pichola. The cake was created by Par is-based luxury cake designer Bastien Blanc-Tailleur, known for elaborate pieces for high end clients.” The glittering wedding was attended by Donald Trump Junior, among others. Jennif er Lopez was reportedly paid nearly two million dollars to perform; the cake is said to have cost around a million dol lars! This weekend, I am potter ing around my garden when a car drives in, out step Ronnie and Fiona Rodrigues, my abid ing friends from Carmona, ac companied by Fia, their young daughter. They have brought along a slice of a cake and a whole cake. I take a bite of the slice; the taste is other worldly, like no cake I have ever tasted. I learned it is a slice of the cake served at the Udaipur wedding; never before had I sampled a million dollar cake! Fia was part of the group which made it. She informs me, “I studied pastry at École Ducasse in Paris. As part of the program (Bachelor’s In French Pastry Arts), I had to complete three internships. My first was at Ladurée Paris, a 160-year-old French pâtisserie known for its haute pastry and iconic macar ons. For my final year, I interned with Chef Bastien Blanc-Tailleur in Paris, where we focused on ‘luxury cakes;’ we made one for European royalty. The main structure for the Udaipur cake was of polysty rene covered in sugar paste flowers and sculptures made in Paris; we assembled and made the edible portion here. We made mini gateaux for the guests and the section for the bride and groom to cut”. Impressed by her work as an intern, her services were hired for the million dollar cake. Fia is currently working in Austria. Indeed, we Goans have a finger in every pie, everywhere! (Radharao F Gracias is a senior Trial Court Advocate, a former Independent MLA, a political activist, with a repu tation for oratory and interests in history and ornithology.)
