Video: How Snackbar's Vishwesh Bhatt Learned to "Cook With Passion"

Holly Springs photographer Megan Wolfe uses still pictures and audio to tell the story of one of Oxford’s premiere chefs – the incomparable Vishwesh Bhatt of Snackbar – in this film created last month for Mississippi’s bicentennial.
Born in India, Bhatt has lived in Oxford for the past 25 years. “I’m a southern chef,” he said. “I don’t know if I have one particular style. My job is to make sure my background, my heritage, my story is translated into the food. Indian food, Indian spices show up [in my recipes], not necessarily by design. That’s just how I grew up.”
Wolfe, in her text introduction to the film hosted on Vimeo, said she believes in giving back to the community – and so does Bhatt.
“Vish is an awesome example of that in that he has discovered a real purpose in his kitchen: fostering the ambitions, skills, and dreams of the young chefs that will ideally succeed him,” Wolfe wrote. “His love for the Oxford community has only grown from the gratitude he feels for having been on the other side of that equation.”
“By telling his story,” Wolfe added, “I’m doing something very similar.  I’m sharing the story of someone in my community who is doing what someone once did for me. In the spirit of this project, I invite other community members to look at what they are passionate about and use their talents to give back.”

Compiled by Rick Hynum, editor-in-chief of HottyToddy.com. Email him at rick.hynum@hottytoddy.com.