Chai Pani's first in-house culinary documentary, Cutting Chai, originally premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival as a full-length feature film. The film has now been adapted into an online series for your viewing pleasure. Episodes 1-10 are now available to watch at the Chai Pani Channel on YouTube, or by clicking below. Find out more about the film by scrolling down the page or clicking here, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel or our email list to get notified for exciting new videos from the Chai Pani Channel.
Episodes 7-10 released Tuesday, April 11th
A visit to Chef Meherwan's hometown of Ahmednagar, cooking with mom, and a journey to a true farmer's market, India-style.
The gang takes a day trip from Dehra Dun to the beautiful "hill station" of Mussoorie: famous for it's cool climate in the foothills of the Himalayas, and host to one of our top destinations of the trip: “Kalsang," a “Desi-Chinese" restaurant. Desi-Chinese food is very popular in India, and is sort of the Tex-Mex of the country: a blend of all the most indulgently delicious aspects of Indian and Chinese cuisine and heartily enjoyed by folks all over the country.
The last destination of the trip. A city of palaces and royal cuisine. The gang experience the largest Rajasthani thali (mixed plate of food) they've ever laid eyes on, and take in the royal history.
While Meherwan hangs back for some family time in Dehra Dun, Daniel, James, and Michael make a whirlwind trip to the famous city of Amritsar - heart of the Sikh religion. They visit the most sacred site for Sikh's, the golden temple, and enjoy some of their food, which they serve 24 hours a day with a literal army of volunteers to whoever walks in their doors.
Praise for Cutting Chai
"The rich and textured food culture of India gets the close-up it deserves in this remarkable film. And it's a great reminder that the Chai Pani dudes, who operate some of the most exciting restaurants in America, walk the walk." -- Matt Rodbard, Editor-in-Chief of TASTE
“Meherwan Irani’s excursions into the universe of Indian street food with his staff from Chai Pani, his lauded restaurant in Asheville, NC, will leave you salivating and jealous. As an added bonus you will also be seeing India in a completely new and refreshing way, in the company of 3 good-humored young chefs.” -- Peter Coyote, actor/writer
"We’ve all seen chefs explore their roots on television before, but this is a dizzying new array of flavors and dishes for us food lovers weaned on whiskey and country ham. May these manic, ever-curious tour guides inspire up-and-coming chefs the way they’ve inspired my nagging desire for a perfect cup of chai." -- Jed Portman, Garden & Gun Magazine
We would love to bring Cutting Chai to your town. Let us know.
Visit www.oxfordfilmfest.org to find out more about the Oxford Film Festival.
Cutting Chai is a 59 minute documentary following the culinary journey through India of three very determined chefs and their trusty cameraman. The one-of-a-kind documentary covers one of the South's most notable Indian street food concepts as two-time James Beard-nominated chef Meherwan Irani takes his Chai Pani crew of head chefs through 10 cities in 10 days by trains, planes, and auto-rickshaws, eating everything in sight.
Intimate, funny, touching, and irreverent - Cutting Chai is an explosion of color and sound, immersing viewers in the raw beauty of India's rural countryside, the opulence of its riches, and the culinary heart and soul of the country and its people.
Have a venue in mind and think Cutting Chai would be a good fit? Work at a restaurant and want to partner up on an after party?
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