Hyderabad: Along with actors and the technical crew who are currently in Leh for the shooting of the Mahesh Babu starrer Aagudu, is chef Inam, owner of the popular Steak House in the city. And no, the ace chef is not making his acting debut, he is in Leh on a much more important assignment looking after Mahesh Babu’s diet. Given the low temperatures in Leh, Inam has to make sure that Mahesh Babu gets the right amount of proteins.
But this isn’t the first time he’s working with Mahesh. “I’ve been associated with him for over one and a half years now. Namrata (Mahesh’s wife) had got in touch with me. She personally looks after his diet and when she found that I prepare healthy food, she asked if I could do the same for Mahesh.”
Apart from Mahesh Babu, Inam has looked after the diets of other celebrities like Jr NTR, Rana, Samantha and others.
T-town connection
“Back in 2010, Malavika Daggubati, (actor Rana’s sister) visited the restaurant with her friends. Though she was a vegetarian, she saw that her friends loved the food. After that, I was asked to cater a barbeque party at their place; that was where I met other stars. They loved my food,” says Inam.
Slowly, his Tollywood clientele grew. “One fine day, actor Venkatesh asked me to cater for another party, there I met Salman Khan and mingled with many other Tollywood stars,” he says.
“Since the Steak House is probably the only place where one can get authentic steaks in Hyderabad, people from abroad would frequent the restaurant,” says Inam.
It was during one such visit that he met John and Amber, the trainer couple responsible for Jr NTR’s fit body. “They had eaten at my place and they realised that the food was healthy. So they asked me if I could cook according to their diet plans. I did and before I knew it, I was supplying food to Jr NTR for 6 months,” he says.
From there Inam went on to celeb clients like Samantha, Rana and Mahesh Babu. Hrithik Roshan’s trainer for Krish and John Abraham’s trainer, Neil Hill, also got in touch with him.
“The misconception that steak is unhealthy needs to be done away with. The part of meat that I use, tenderloin, is very lean. I also use only healthy ingredients, so that’s a plus I guess,” explains the chef.
Only for Mahesh Babu’
“I decided against going on outdoor shoots. My main concern was my restaurant. But when Namrata called me and asked if I could help with Mahesh’s diet, I couldn’t say no,” says Inam.
“Namrata is very concerned about Mahesh. She personally looks into his diet, calls me to check if the food has been prepared etc. Her passion is what made me say yes to go on outdoor shoots with him” he adds.
Inam had earlier accompanied Mahesh during a Bellary shoot for seven-eight days and is now in Leh for 10-12 days.
Cooking out of a box
So how does he manage to get ingredients in a place like Leh, where things are not easily available? “I usually carry basic ingredients like brown rice, lentils, sun-dried herbs, canola spray etc. For the meat, I personally go down to the shops and buy them. But in case I don’t find an ingredient, I substitute it with the closest ingredient available.”
So how are the meals planned? Does he receive a set menu? “The trainers give me the amount of proteins and calories that Mahesh can take, based on that I prepare the menu,” he says.
City clients
“I’ve also cooked for other clients in the city. From diabetic patients to people who want to jump on the health wagon, I cater to them all,” says Inam.
And he does not stick to only non-vegetarian food. “I also prepare healthy vegetarian food. Samantha was on a strict vegetarian diet for a few months. So I came up with a healthy menu for her. From tofu steaks to brown rice biryani, everything was set,” adds Inam.
