Samson Samikannu

Samson Samikkannu started his culinary journey in his mother’s kitchen in Pondichery, India, and has been trained by some of the best chefs in France, including world famous chef Jacques Chibois. He spent a number of years working in a variety of restaurant in South India, making sure to explore the ever evolving dining culture of India and France, and learning and experiencing as much as possible. As an advocator of Ayurvedic cuisine, the focus of his work has mainly been on education of food choices, including good fats, raw and living foods, using predominantly local and home grown ingredients. He also conducted various cooking programmes across South India. Winging his way from India, Sam has found himself in Christchurch and currently works under chef Teresa Pert at Pegasus Bay Winery restaurant whose fine food has an emphasis on freshness and simplicity, and is seasonally-inspired to match the wines on show. In 2013, he became the owner of The Rolling Om, a mobile food truck delivering gourmet street food. This is a place for Sam to show off his skills and the flavours and cuisines he grew to love over the years. Located in front of The Gym - Art Centre (Montreal street), The Rolling Om is a dining experience unique to post-quake Christchurch. Like the rest of the city, this area is changing and consequently opening up opportunities for experimentation: trying new ideas and pushing social boundaries. The Rolling Om has received incredible support from The Free Theatre company who approached him to cater for their series of Friday night events where 'performance is combined with hospitality in ways that he describes as Pataphysical.