A unique tribute to the nation through watermelon carvings

This independence day, Chef Jitender, of The Ashoka paid tribute to the nation by his exquisite food carvings. The chef had earlier come into highlight when he carved Wing Commander Abhinandan’s face on watermelon fruit. The chef specialises in VVIP outdoor catering, state banquets, and modern Indian cuisine.

The idea was to give this Independence Day a different look and feel and also to celebrate it in my own way. At The Ashok, New Delhi we try to give every occasion a different taste and feel and Independence Day is very special to us as The Ashoka is independent India's first five-star hotel. Also, fruits and vegetables are commonly available in the kitchen; so it is easy to showcase carving skills on them.

The idea was to pay tribute to the nation through my culinary skills. He said, “I wanted to create something unique and that’s when the idea of craving national heroes and iconic monuments came to my mind.”

“Watermelon has varied features and one of them is that in watermelon you get colour depth because of its multilayered colour rind and flesh. This makes carving easy and helps to use different natural colours in your favour,” he informs.

He has carved the Ashok Chakra, MIG, Amar Jawan Jyoti, Red Fort, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and Chandra Shekhar Azad on watermelon. Earlier, he came into highlight for carving Wing Commander Abhinandan’s face on watermelon, after his safe arrival back to India post-Pulwama attack.

According to Jitender, the normal carving takes 2-3 hours to create one design. He adds, but there are pieces that take 5-6 hours, as it also depends on number of fruits and vegetables you are working with.