When AD Singh speaks of the charm of Jiggs Kalra, 71, —who passed away in Delhi on Tuesday — we realise it must have taken honing. Ad man and once owner of Bandra’s Papa Pancho, Prahlad Kakkar said he had quite a personality and wore many hats — food journalist, television anchor, restaurant consultant, restaurateur and culinary director at Massive Restaurants.

At 71, the “taste maker to the nation” and “czar of Indian cuisine” — titles conferred on him by the late Khushwant Singh — passed away in Delhi on Tuesday. One of the first food writers of the country, Kalra worked passionately to put Indian food on the global map. Ad man Kakkar, who, who spent time with him during their early days in Mumbai, says, “We were lukkhas when we met in Bombay. He was a trainee at The Times of India and I was a rookie with Shyam Benegal. Both of us were broke. We had a great desire to befriend women, but we knew our faces were never going to be our fortune. We realised that the only way to get close to a companion was to impress her with cooking. A third friend, Bikram Singh, was a chick magnet, and he shared a flat on Napean Sea Road with Jiggs. Theirs was a bachelor pad and we saw many women friends come over. In a bid to impress them, Jiggs and I became designated cooks at the soirees.”