Say Cheese!

JEHANGIR LAWYER
The Cheese Guy

JEHANGIR Lawyer prefers to let his food do the talking. The rather reticent gentleman, more popularly known as the �Cheese Guy� in the hospitability industry, can effortlessly distinguish between Grand Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano, Gouda, Bocconcini, Scamorza, Cheddar, Camembert, Brie, Edam, Mozzarella and Haloumi even in his sleep. And be right every time! The founder of Fortune Foods, Lawyer�s family had a flourishing garment business, which unfortunately did not interest him in the least. It was the foodie in him and the �never ending love for food� that tempted him to change tracks and get into importing cheese. From the supreme quality Parmigiano Reggiano to the freshest Mascarpone, Lawyer supplies it all.

�My family�s garment business never really interested me. I started by marketing Indian cheese; it was about the same time that the Indian government had opened the market for foreign goods. Today my imports are mainly from Italy. After almost a decade in this industry, I can safely say that I know enough about cheese to advise others on it. And what have I learned? The waist line increases if you�re not too careful!� says Lawyer with an embarrassed laugh.

Fortune Foods has it headquarters in Mumbai and offices in Delhi, Pune, Goa, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. The cheese you devour at the Taj, Orchid, Oberoi, ITC, Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Le Meridien, Intercontinental, Grand Intercontinental, Leela, JW Marriot, Ambassador, Renaissance, Olive Bar & Kitchen, Indigo and the Osho Ashram, all comes through Jehangir Lawyer. He has an impressive variety to offer you �37 types of Italian cheese, 19 types of French cheese and 50 types of European cheese. Besides cheese, Lawyer also imports pastas, olive oil, vinegars and cold cuts.

�I truly believe in my product. Although I, myself, would make a terrible salesman, I always try and inspire my sales staff and go out and let people know that we�re here to supply the finest quality product,� admits Lawyer. Since India isn�t exactly the cheese capital of the world, Lawyer has to travel to cheese conventions and cheese fairs, which take place all over the world, to keep himself updated on the latest discoveries in the cheese world. �I travel extensively more out of work than pleasure. Every time I tell myself that if I go to a certain place, I shall sightsee a bit but never end up doing it,� he says with a slight sigh.

�It�s imperative I attend fairs. And since I buy directly from manufacturers, it gives me more leverage. My business has always worked through word of mouth publicity. We�re quite well represented in the hotel industry; the chefs know my product and trust it, touch wood,� he says. �Right now, Goat Cheese, which was extremely popular in the seventies, is making a huge comeback. The trends start in the west and then come here a little later, almost like a delayed reaction! Indians usually follow trends. I stay in touch with international chefs; they keep me posted on which foods are making a comeback. Currently Europe and North America are going gaga over old world Spanish Cheese. Eventually that trend, too, will come here.�

Presently Lawyer has a new pet project that he�s working on. �I�m in the process of getting into seafood as well. Soon I will be importing specialized seafood from Iceland, Chile, New Zealand, Norway and Japan,� he says proudly. And although he feels it would be a great idea to start having cheese conventions in India as well, he�s not really inclined on organising one himself. �I�d love to participate in a cheese fair here, I�d definitely be a part of it but it�s too much to organise the whole thing,� says Lawyer.

A normal day is his life involves getting up early, coming to office at Lower Parel, going through the daily sales, talking to all his managers, find out about ongoing festivals, look out for new products through books, CDs and the internet, deal with documentations and orders and, of course, the best part of the job- sampling the food! �I truly enjoy what I do; I�m fascinated by food- it gives me a certain thrill that I can�t really describe. When I give the chefs, the raw materials they�ve been looking for, it�s the most satisfying experience.�

His favourite cheese keeps varying every season. �Taleggio, an Italian cheese, followed by Mahon and Manchego, which are Spanish cheese, are my current favourites. But that�s only for some time,� he swears.

QUOTE:

�Goat Cheese, which was extremely popular in the seventies, is making a huge comeback. The trends start in the west and then come here a little later, almost like a delayed reaction! Indians usually follow trends. I stay in touch with international chefs; they keep me posted on which foods are making a comeback. Currently Europe and North America are going gaga over old world Spanish Cheese. Eventually that trend, too, will come here.�