Culinary Conversations is a series of monthly online sessions hosted by V. M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE) with popular personalities where we converse about experiences related to food.

The first episode of the Culinary Conversations series saw students from VMSIIHE interact with premier Indian Super League Club, FC Goa’s football superstars Ivan Gonzalez and Lenny Rodrigues. Prof. Irfan Mirza Director/Principal of the institute and Chef Sebastian Breitinger, Professor of Culinary Arts joined in on the light-hearted conversation.

Students of VMSIIHE who participated included Kritik Nagpal, Nikhil Godinho, Omkar Parab, Rowan Gonsalves, Rajas Sathe, Kumar Magavi, Elston Pinto, Kimberly Mendes, Vynden Vincents, Tanya D’Souza, and David Cardozo.

Excerpts from the Q&A:

Student Kritik Nagpal: Besides your love for football do you like cooking? What are you good at making?
Lenny: Besides football, I’m really not that much into cooking, but I can make a really good omelette and a cup of tea for you.

Student Nikhil Godinho: Did you experiment with any recipes during the lockdown?
Ivan: Yes I did. I was in Spain with my wife at the time and I tried to make some different healthy desserts.

Student Omkar Parab: What’s your favorite childhood memory around food?
Ivan: I think Roscon De Reyes. Whenever I was feeling down while I was a child I remember my mother and my uncles, they would give me a Roscon De Reyes to cheer me up. I also love the Spanish omelette made by my grandmother. It’s the very best!

Student Rowan Gonsalves: What’s a traditional Christmas lunch like back in Spain?
Ivan: I think it’s different from house to house according to traditions followed. But some of the foods that you’ll see at my home is a really nice chicken grill, a meal which includes rice and different desserts, it could be cheesecakes or a chocolate dessert. Again, as I said, it’s different in different houses, but you can always expect a dish which includes rice.

Student Rajas Sathe: If I were to go to Spain, what are the three Spanish dishes that you recommend I must try and why?
Ivan: I think Paella for sure. It’s a must-try if you visit Spain. Paella is a rice dish, but we cook it in a different way, with vegetables, chicken, and shellfish. The Paella in Valencia is really good. The second is an octopus with potatoes and paprika, which is much loved in Galicia. And the third is a breakfast dish from my small city Extremadura which is eggs with French-fries and served with jam on the side.

Student Kumar Magavi: Lenny, if you could take Ivan for lunch in Goa, what kind of food would you like to take him for? Why?
Lenny: I would like to take him to Anoushka restaurant in Loutolim to have the traditional Goan fish curry rice. It’s a staple Goan dish and I’d like him to try it.

Student Elston Pinto: Ivan have you tried Goan cuisine? What have you tried? What was the experience like?
Ivan: The cuisine here is really good. But the food here is really spicy for me. Both for me and my belly. I love spicy food but as compared to Spain the spice level of Goa is very high. But I love the fish here in Goa especially the red rechado sauce. It is really good.

Student Kimberly Mendes: If you were to cook a romantic meal for your wife what would you make?
Lenny: As I mentioned before, I can only make a really good omelette. So my romantic meal would be an omelette for my wife.
Ivan: My wife loves pizza. And I can make the best homemade pizza ever for her.

Student Vynden Vincents: When you go back to Spain what’s the first thing you would like to eat?
Ivan: I’ll tell my grandmother to prepare a big Spanish Omelette for me as soon as I get home. That’s the first thing I would eat. If I go to a restaurant, I’ll have octopus with potatoes and paprika.

Student David Cardozo: Messi has a pizza de queso as a cheat meal after his game while Gerard Piqué has a Nutella sandwich, so I would like to ask you, do you have any cheat meal after a game?
Lenny: After the match, I used to have chocolates and some chocolate cakes.
Ivan: I don’t like to eat anything before the game, but when we win a match, I’d eat chocolates or pizza.

Student Tanya D’Souza: What do your pre-workout and post-workout snacks comprise of?
Lenny: Our physiotherapist and doctors suggest that we have our pre-workout drinks before we go on the pitch. And after the training, we have a protein shake or fruits.

Student Tanya D’Souza: We would like to invite you to our campus for lunch one day whenever it’s possible. Anything in particular that you would like us to cook for you?
Ivan: I would like to have Cheese Naan, Butter chicken, and Chicken Tikka masala and meatballs
Lenny: For me it’s Goan Chorizo and meatballs

Chef Sebastian Breitinger: Ivan, maybe you can tell our students about the places to visit in Madrid, what is the best thing to do?
Ivan: In Madrid, there’s a lot of places that you can visit, with a lot of history. For me the best thing in Madrid, if you like sports, you can go to Chamartín, to see the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The Ramadi game is really very good. And then you can go to the center of Madrid, which has a lot of smaller streets with bars, restaurants and clubs. So, if you want to have fun, you can go there. Especially on a Sunday.

Chef Sebastian: Lenny what are your hidden talents? What are you good at other than football?
Lenny: My wife is a singer and she loves to sing and I love to sing karaoke with her. Sometimes I sing along with her.