All chefs talk about the ingredient of love that goes into making good food. And how it is the special ingredient of love which they put into their dishes that make it tastes so delicious. In our very own hometown, we have an amazing chef whose ingredient of love goes beyond the cooking pot.
One time at a professional catering event, a teenager really enjoyed the desserts so much that she went up to the Chef and complimented him saying how much she really enjoyed it. Next moment, she found herself taking home a carry bag full of the leftover desserts.
Then there are countless other stories of free coffees and impromptu food sampling sessions happening at this restaurant.
Meet James Ngullie, who is not only a great Chef but a person with an interesting story. James is a Chef and food entrepreneur who owns two restaurants in Dimapur “Highnoon Diners” located at Supermarket and “Highnoon Rendevous” near Delhi Public School. This Chef’s talent really came into focus when he took part in the First Season of the “Naga Master Chef” competition. He finished as one of the four finalists. “I was asked by some friends to enter the competition. Naga Master Chef really gave me a lot of experience,” he says.
James found his culinary voice in his mother’s kitchen. His grandmother was a Staff Nurse during the 1950s in Assam and this is where his mother got introduced to cooking by the wives of British officers who were posted in Assam during that time. She then trained James to cook from an early age, sharing her cookbooks and recipes. Growing up, James was taught to cook and his sister was taught to bake. His sister is Zubeni Odyuo who owns “Bake and Cake” aka Classic Blossoms located at Duncan Basti, Dimapur. James mother took cooking very seriously and taught him three principles of cooking. She has always told me “You’ll be three persons eating the food you cook- first person is your eyes, second your nose, and third your mouth”. I still use this principle whenever I cook. I focus on the presentation, the aroma and the taste.
But life hasn’t always been this way for Chef James. Long back, before his career as a professional Chef began, he started a business in Mechanism right after his education at St.Edmunds Shillong. In fact, he was one of the first to open a Maruti Workshop in Dimapur in 1986. He says, “Those days it was big money and being introduced to a lot of money, unfortunately I became a drug addict for 18 years”. But he managed to turn his life around one more time and eventually overcame his addiction. However, he says, he didn’t have the guts to go back into Mechanism and gave it up.
Cooking always being a part of his life, and his mother encouraging him to pursue it, he was inspired to open a restaurant near Delhi Public School, Dimapur called “Highnoon Rendezvous”. Word of mouth soon spread and the restaurant was a big hit! This led him to open another restaurant, “Highnoon Diners”.
Revealing what he likes to cook, Chef James enjoys cooking with prawns, colourful vegetables, and Lotha dishes. The best selling items on the menu are Rib Trip (BBQ Pork spare Ribs), Pork Meat Balls, Stuffed Chicken Breasts. A moment he cherishes is when he cooked for the Princess of Thailand on her visit to Kisama Nagaland.
On the current food scene in Dimapur, James opines that there are plenty of good restaurants in Dimapur. He is also happy that the quality of food has become better nowadays. He laughs and says that we have come a long way from our Chow-Momo days. There are lots of foodies in Nagaland and it is very encouraging to see them try new food and eating out a lot. Food business is one of the most promising. There is a lot of profit.
