The Knife that Writes.
-the story of a Chef who is a Poet.
“In 2013, while in charge of one of Bombay’s busiest restaurant kitchens, I truly started appreciating the bustle around me. I saw the order in chaos, and how so many elements and forces came together to feed a table of 2, 4 and 6…. It was absolutely beautiful, and a sheer joy to orchestrate a perfect dinner service. THAT was poetic, that was romance, that was lust. That led me down the journaling path for a bit, which in turn fed my appetite to write more poetry” — Dev/ theknifethatwrites.
Like most poets on my Instagram Poetry Circle, Dev too had a unique style of expression and I particularly enjoyed his very “classic-rock-themed” poetry. But it was his username “the knife that writes” and bio that said “Chef” which made me curious — probably because as an Author and a Storyteller, I am drawn to interesting life stories, and get a creative high out of listening and sharing them — so I reached out to Dev with a few questions that I felt would best uncover the story of — (as in his words): ‘A professional chef and an amateur poet, who die to cook and live to eat, while the parchment holds his deepest secrets disguised as poetry.’
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“My very first urge to write, dates back to May 2003(I keep meticulous records). I distinctly remember watching the movie “Titanic” on television, and being inspired to create a piece titled “The Royal Wreck”! Then as I grew older, the urge to write, especially poetry, started dimming, causing my writing blocks to stretch months — the longest lasted for about 4 years” -
It was during October 2020 that Dev took to Instagram to share his poetry in a dedicated account — the long sabbatical from work and the lockdown triggering his writing frenzy.
“When I had just started “theknifethatwrites” (his IG Poetry Account) I was a bit skeptical about putting my work out there for everyone to read, but it was my sister who helped me get over my inhibitions. To my delight, I found the Instagram poetry community welcoming, warm, and very supportive. I didn’t feel like an outsider for a second! I’m very grateful to a lot of them who have been there for me — some have even become dear friends.
Then, last Christmas (2020) when a poetry community hosted a “Secret Santa” project where we could secretly send a personalized message to fellow community members, I too received one! It was absolutely unexpected and I was touched..
Yet in another instance, in October 2020, some random account commented on my post claiming that I had lifted lines from his work. In order to clear the misunderstanding, I sought out his profile, looked for his work, and even left several messages, but he ghosted me. The experience really left a sour taste in my mouth. Eventually, I came around to the fact that several other poets had to go through similar experiences..”
Learning about his endeavors online as a Poet, I wanted to know if there was a parallel with his offline life as a Chef -
“Wake-up calls at unearthly hours, a military grade work routine, perpetual high stress workplace, cuts and burns, meals hunched over a work table, a long walk or a drive, scotch, some more scotch, a bit of journaling or some poetry perhaps, and a good book that tucks me into bed. My days start off as a chef, the poet almost always has to play catch up.”
Although Dev believes that Chef is his inner superman who “comes out as I don my white chef’s jacket, and is always alert and mindful, whenever he is out to dine” — he says that both (being a Chef and a Poet) need love, truth, care, honesty, obsessive compulsion and an absolute level of fanaticism to come out stunning, as a finished product.
Finally, his “perfect recipe” to a good life is— “Mindful eating, long walks, nothing in excess, garnished with finding happiness in little things”
He draws from experience -
“I had started off as a trainee cook in 2009 in Bombay’s culinary underbelly, working 16 hour shifts, deprived of a social life, and unaware of the concept of weekends. But as I learnt and understood my profession, I never looked back at the lost weekends, or a non-existent social life. I love to cook, and as I sought to master the skill, it enabled me to climb up my food chain.”
Dev’s work has been featured in poetry anthologies such as — “A certain kind of freedom compiled and edited” by Beryl Belsky, the “Poetry 365 series” & “I AM A POET” by Ryan Daniel Warner -
I am what most would call “a dark poet” — as I usually write about darker themes like depression, mental illness, alcoholism, substance abuse, love lost, regrets and suicidal ideation. I cannot help myself, I am drawn toward the darker aspect of human existence and prefer to write about it as it matters to me.
