Part I: Simona Terron The Heart Chef of Mumbai

Michael Dugan: 1:22

I'm Michael Duqan, your culinary host, guiding you through the chef's journey. Join me at the chef's table where you'll experience stories secret sauces, signature dishes and kitchen disasters Tonight, today, wherever you are, this is a really special episode because we are crossing countries we're crossing rivers we're crossing oceans from Seattle all the way to Bombay, India. This is a very special guest, and Simona Taryn is a food blogger. She is a diehard foodie home chef, very passionate about sharing her knowledge on clubhouse. She runs spicy advice. A clubhouse room, and food is religion. And I'm just really excited to have you here today, Simona.

Simona Terron: 2:32

I'm delighted to be here. Thank you for having me, MichaeI

Michael Dugan: 2:37

I to you. I was listening to Josh and it's so creative. Can you tell us a little bit about it's Metro Food Hoppers. Right?

Simona Terron: 8:28

That was the second one. So two podcasts. The first one was called THC Heart Bites. THC stands for The Heart Chef. That's the food I created a few years ago when I started microblogging on Instagram and Facebook etc. I was very late to the party, because I never considered myself a food blogger and I'm going to say something terrible right now. I know it's gonna get me a lot of hate but I'm okay with that. I don't want to be known as a food blogger because the word I think has become extremely loaded now. And at least in India, every single person with a smartphone and a mouth, mouths to eat and to talk who wants free food is a food blogger. I see. Okay, and it's not just the people who want free food this I'm sure there are plenty of them will pay first and then review. I'm sorry, but I come from a world where I did the work. We used to have to research. We have to do our homework before doing interviews. It was a lot of hard work before you ended up finally you know having your article published and even back then yes of course working for like I said one of the most powerful media houses like the Times of India means restaurants and in five star hotels are going to bend over backwards to invite you for free food. So that was not the intention right again to eat for free. It was more the education your many chefs from around the world are flying in for food festivals. You're meeting people who talk about how they've curated certain things up meeting civilians who are talking about wine, which all of these things seem very normal now because the public has access to it and social media, of course, you know, blows up in your face just all the time. But back then, even food cooking shows were not as sophisticated as they are today. So that world was extremely elite, very exclusive and relatively inaccessible. As a food writer. You have to earn your place there and you had to really learn on the go. You can't publish something in a printed publication and mess up three. If you make a mistake in a blog, you can go and edit it out. Once it's in print, if you send something wrong or factually incorrect your editors gonna have to print a retraction if it's serious enough, which hopefully you don't ever want to happen because you know, you get called into the edit meeting and everyone knows about the booboo you've made or it's so small and it's so stupid that it doesn't warrant any change or attention. Everybody's already read it. And they think oh wow, she didn't know that. It's like when you come from that caliber that background. You look at the world today where anyone and everyone is a food blogger. I mean everyone throws around food reviews, having done zero research, zero accountability and that this is the off because for creators, restaurants, businesses, home chefs, everyone, it doesn't matter what capacity or you know to what degree they're doing their stuff, but they're putting their lives on the line their life savings, often, there is their work right? And for a random person to just walk in and say some something flippantly is very disrespectful. So I'm very, very conscious of the fact that food blogger is a title that I take very seriously. And there are many people who call themselves food bloggers, but I'm not doing justice to that to that label. And that's definitely where I wish that more people would take the trouble to do their research. You do so much homework before this right so for me, I have no idea. That's because you respect what it is. You do and what it is that the people who you're interviewing, do.

Michael Dugan: 12:19

I respect what you do as well.

Simona Terron: 12:22

Thank you because that's that's what makes an equal energy exchange. Absolutely. So when I started my podcast, I wanted to bring all of that journalism skills and background and you know, seriousness, but add fun to it. And also engagement because what a podcast can do. A printing article or even a digital article just cannot write because you're talking to people. You've got music, you're taking them on a journey.

Michael Dugan: 12:51

Simona come on which do you enjoy more being a food writer or being a podcaster?

Simona Terron: 12:55

I'm a podcaster im all about the energy.

Michael Dugan: 12:59

Me too you're awesome.

Simona Terron: 13:00

Honestly, if you'd asked me this question five years ago, yeah, I would not have had the same answer simply because I think I grew up being this introverted. Lots of very noisy in my head talking to people no problem with that I didn't have any social awkwardness ever. At that stage of my life. I was more introverted, happier on my own, more willing to express myself through words written down.

Michael Dugan: 13:25

There is so much power though. Simona there is so much power in being an introvert.

Simona Terron: 13:32

Yeah, absolutely. I think that that is the best thing because who I am as an introvert is what makes me feel and apear like very confident superstar when I'm when I'm playing the extrovert. Yes, you know, I am an introvert. I'm not an extra and most people would laugh thinking about this if they've met me. I honestly believe that you worked at it. I can. Exactly exactly. I know this and being being well read being somebody who had arguments in my head with imaginary people and debates and fleshed out conversations means that when these things happen in real life, I'm already rehearsed, dude, I've done this already. That was the practice and this is just like, okay, cool. I'm doing it again. And I think that's what helped me become a better podcaster it's not that I wish I had started with podcasting. I probably would have been rubbish at it. I think it's the years of honing your craft, as a writer, be able to construct and, you know, create and have flow and understand structure all of that discipline. Oh, that's my favorite D word discipline is what helps me today to be able to pick up on my become camera, just open classroom and speak. It did not come easy. It did not come naturally. And it is definitely not something that someone taught me. I had to teach myself. So podcasting for me was a joy and THC Heart Bites simply my first foray with zero knowledge, no technical training, and just being giddy with excitement and listening to all the possibilities from the different podcasts I had heard and I think the first one that really did the opposite of the kidney where it hurts it may be explored with joy, where one can possibly explored the most with joy is the Splendid Table. And that is a beautiful podcast, and it was initially hosted by a woman with a voice that is like whiskey mixed with honey.

Michael Dugan: 15:31

Oh, yeah. I've listened to it. I liked it.

Simona Terron: 15:34

You know, pour it onto Oh, it's it's just beautiful. She was the hosting was taken over by a gentleman I think Steven Phillip, but a very cool guy much younger, but still kept the the joy of the show alive. And for me, I said you know what, I need to be able to do this. I need to be able to take people on this journey with just my voice. And the good thing is just like the years and years of discipline, with writing, right, as a craft with skill. Being a voiceover artist made that easier to use so I stumbled into voicing because of a random cousin. In fact, wilted studio, one of the most hip recording studios slash nightclubs in Bombay is called the Blue Frog. Wow. Oh, I love it. It was the first of its kind because they had something called sound design and soundscaping in a nightclub, which had never been even heard of before, right? You just go in and speakers are banging out music and everybody's dancing and sweating and getting drunk. But no here the performance space they would invite bands from across the world come and perform. It was a restaurant come nightclubs. Very posh, very high end.

Michael Dugan: 16:48

But oh my gosh.

Simona Terron: 16:49

Because I was a journalist. I knew that the press kit that came to me said that very walls had been acoustically enhanced so that the performances were the focus and not the food in the restaurant. The food was just something to eat while paying attention performances right so this is the caliber of club we're talking about. As you can imagine their adjacent business which was a recording studio, because they would get bands from across the world coming and performing. So of course they also had a recording studio. That was where my cousin worked. So he invited me once and said randomly Hey you seem to have a good voice... a skill for this. When I talk I'm very and this is the perfect word. I'm very animated. Okay, I know. Some people will say cartoon like but I'm like, hey, that's animation. He was once like, why don't you just come in and film some tracks and see if you can put down something because we're willing voicebank or voice artists. What is that? I love it. It sounds like the kind of job would get he's like, Yeah, calm down. You're not gonna get paid, but you can have fun with it. I said, that sounds good to me. And I went in.

Michael Dugan: 17:53

It's a gift, Simona. It's really a gift.

Simona Terron: 17:56

And I didn't know it had it until I went in there put on those headphones. Oh, yeah. Panic. Why can you hear anything and then he you spoken to the mic and he's like, just calm down. You have to put on your headphones and you have to put on the mic and now we're going to do a soundcheck and oh okay. Because when you go into a soundless space for the first time, yeah, it's very disorienting, right because I live in Bombay, one of the noises places on the planet, I think.

Michael Dugan: 18:24

Let's go into Bombay next. Oh, yeah, absolutely. I really want our listeners to know about Bombay and maybe you can help paint a picture of the food, the culture.

Simona Terron: 18:35

I just have to finish the story because this is the part that pivots to how insane it is that I now have a 14 year career of being a voice artist and that that is such a big huge part of my podcasting. So I went in I recorded those tracks. We had fun and I forgot all about it until I got a call from them saying we're doing a partnership with Z Cafe, which is the first all English channel on television in India. They are doing a live contest nationwide for voiceover artists. And it was the first time anyone had even recognized this industry because voiceover artists are always in the background, right? And I said, Yeah, why are you calling me and they said, no, no, we think you should totally take part you know, you'll kick ass and you'd have a lot of fun. And I'm like, no, no, no television. No, no, no. And somehow he convinced me I went in did not realize that people from around the country had traveled to Bombay to audition for this, and only a select few gotten. I came to know that after the fact which is a good thing because I would have run away. I thought it was just fun and games. It was three days of crazy tasks, very competitive, lots of fun, all of it being recorded. Of course the television was quite weird and uncomfortable but also I kept forgetting that it was like that because I was having so much fun and I won oh my gosh, zero realize experience I had just done maybe one or two little gigs you know small gigs that I got called in and I felt so excited that I'm getting paid to have fun winning that contest knocked my socks off because I'm like, Wait, what just happened? That's so awesome. I was so busy having fun that I forgot about competition and I think that was a good thing because I really just threw myself into it. And I won I won this beautiful crystal trophy that I still have and you have to understand right for someone for whom this was a fun side hustle not even a hustle. Yet it was just a fun side thing. And to be competing against. Many of those people were established voiceover artists across the country who've been working as voiceover artists for a really long time, including people from rock bands, amazing powerful vocalists, what used to be in front of audiences and then there's me the little monkey. And I want you can imagine what that did for my self confidence for my ego, and for my portfolio. Beautiful. That's why I had to finish that story. So So with something like that happening to you. You can't ignore it's not just a skill or a fun thing to do anymore. It's like okay, this is legit. I got it. I got what it takes.

Michael Dugan: 21:05

I am so honored to have you on the show. As a voiceover artists, can you walk us through Bombay, you are so great at painting pictures in words. I would love for you to share that experience with our listeners.

Simona Terron: 21:21

Okay, so, Metro food hoppers is the second podcast that I was commissioned to do by one of the media houses that does have a lot of integrity, and which I respect immensely called The Indian Express. They opened up their podcast division in 2018 19. And sorry, 2018. And they discovered that, hey, we've got we've got political shows. We've got documentary shows, we've got news shows, we've got lots of things. We don't have a food show someone was working with them. So I know somebody who can do this because she has a little podcast called THC heart bites, and I think she'd be perfect. So I had complete creative liberty to design the show to decide the topics. The only thing I couldn't control was that I remember name, so Metro food hoppers, terrible name, but let's not get started. So what was the beauty of the show is that it was an audio journey, where with the help of my fabulous, talented and very, very skilled producer, because everything as in the earlier podcast was completely Indy done in my bedroom with a blanket over my head hoping that my cat would not interrupt and it said here is like a proper, proper professional produced thing where he did soundscape. And so it's like you're with me traveling in the auto Rickshaws. You can hear the meter going down, you can hear the auto Rickshaw starting. And you're like alright, let's go and you get your trade announcements. You can hear traffic noises.

Michael Dugan: 22:46

Simona. I was listening to that. And I just cannot believe how creative you were really interesting.

Simona Terron: 22:52

It wasn't even me. It was all Joshua and Joshua Thomas. Shout out to Joshua Thomas. Definitely a talented musician, very talented sound designer. I love that he basically made that whole podcast come alive. The rest of this was interviews with regional chefs with home chefs with restaurants with food industry leaders. It was just amazing, including my favorite topic, seafood and sustainability. So I got to do a lot of things that are passionate about via this podcast, and as completely supported by Joshua through it because he was with me during the interviews. He was with me eating his first 12 hour cooked kakuni which is the pork belly cooked Japanese style.

Michael Dugan: 23:35

Oh my God. I want that pork belly. Okay, I really want that pork belly. That was a Japanese restaurant, right? Japanese. Okay, see, I do my research,

Simona Terron: 23:45

You definitely do your homework. Yes, it was and we were sitting with the chef himself and he was explaining and Joshua had never eaten Japanese food in his life.

Michael Dugan: 23:55

I think I heard that too. Yeah. That's amazing.

Simona Terron: 23:58

Anyways, for me, the best gift was just watching him, close his eyes and go straight to heaven and like I could see him taking the escalator to heaven and he was like, What is this? That's Japanese food for you.

Michael Dugan: 24:12

Alright, so this made me think of a question that I really wanted to ask you and I want to share with our listeners. What food would make you go to heaven.

Simona Terron: 24:21

For me. I think food is such an easy, immediate express right to heaven no matter how simple it is. And it doesn't have to be exotic, but I do have to admit I am partial to Japanese food. Asian food in general. I mean, something about seafood because it's so such a core part of me. And my upbringing and my background and my passion and even I'm hoping my future sashimi is just like I can eat sushi everyday all day for every meal for the rest of my life. Like if people ask me this silly questions like... If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be? So I would cheat initially and say Asian food because then that covers so much. But then if they get specific, I'm like sashimi literally, I can eat sashimi every single day,

Michael Dugan: 25:14

Which fish? Yeah, of course.

Simona Terron: 25:21

So I did this Ottoro for the first time actually once I was in when I was visiting Thailand and my my friend and I decided that we would indulge ourselves in Thailand but with a full Japanese meal at a very upscale, a relatively upscale restaurant. It was in a Marriott and oh my god, that meat was like a big chunk of my monthly salary And worth every single bite we ate Hokkaido oysters we ate to Ottoro for the first time we bought bowls, not spoons, or bowls of ikura which is the salmon row and tobiko which is flying fish row. I pretended I was a billionaire and thats how I feel when I eat good good food you know because I think come back to it after saying this entire thing. I still maintain that is simple bowl of Kitchari which is just lentils and rice cooked together with some spices can send me to heaven. You know because food is such a beautiful thing. It brings people together. It carries our memories, our history, our heritage, and I think it's a very powerful thing because we literally put it into our bodies. And it nourishes us and it can it can either make us very very sick or very, very strong experience with all our senses. It's tactile, it's it's fragrant, temperature wise, texture wise, it's so visual. I think it's really a gift to be celebrated the day that I will have to have food restrictions will be the saddest day of my life and I hope it never comes. My heart goes out to people who cannot eat certain things for whatever reason, physical, medical, spiritual, religious, cannot. It sounds to me like a punishment. You know, because food is just such a celebration and there's so much to explored. The world has so many gifts our planet gives us so many gifts, you know, and every culture comes with such beautiful traditions and rituals and all of this related to food that I just feel very privileged. That I have access to so much of it. Yeah, that's amazing. Coming back to Bombay. Yeah, you know, I think that's what you asked me to come back to Bombay. Bombay is one of the best places for somebody who's obsessed with food. Why? Because India when people say Indian food and they think Indian food is Butter, Chicken.

Michael Dugan: 56:49

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