In Kodaikanal, a Canadian chef makes home style pizzas

In the touristy hill town of Kodaikanal where idli-dosa, paratha-biriyani, egg noodles and Chicken 65 run wild on the streets, artisanal-style pizza has found its space at George’s Gourmet Kitchen.

The no-bones factory-style café run by George Penner, an OCI from Canada, has an open kitchen concept and a simple menu —six types of vegetarian pizza, four types of non-vegetarian pizza, eight desserts and beverages, including flavoured sodas and a local pea-berry coffee. From pesto and sun-dried tomatoes to oven-roasted tomato sauce for the pizza, it’s all made in house. Even the benches and tables are made by Vera de Jong, George’s wife, who is a skilled carpenter and accomplished artist. They can seat 20, but have squeezed in even 40 diners. 

A tryst with India

George grew up in India, studying in Kodaikanal International School. His wife Vera, who he met 33 years ago in Canada, has been a part of his adventures, right from their stint in Japan, teaching English in the 1990s. He considers Kodaikanal his hometown and with Vera, he’s made their home here since 2007

“I like the restaurant business. I enjoy chatting with my customers,” says George, who managed a restaurant in Canada. Demand for his products increased during the pandemic as people became partial to natural food stores. George says their pesto is made in Kodaikanal with basil from Coimbatore. A dehydrator is used to make sundried tomatoes. “We source naturally-grown produce — oyster mushrooms from the Environmental Center (earlier part of Swedish School) and cherry tomatoes from Hosur,” he adds.

The shelves at his cafe are stacked with products labelled ‘George’s Gourmet Kitchen’ including plum jam, bitter marmalade, Dijon stone ground mustard and picnic relish. With ‘organic and natural’ a core mission, George now also makes a probiotic ginger ale: ginger, water and sugar are combined and allowed to ferment over four days. The strong ginger-flavoured ale is delicious with a light fizz.

A café in a kitchen

Sitting in this space is like being in a factory where you can see everything that is going on. Huge windows let in abundant light for hydroponic set-ups that have basil and other herbs. At the far end, one chef is pulling out trays of fresh chocolate chip cookies, while closer to the main counter, another is turning the pizza with a large paddle. George beams as the cheese sizzles and browns. “I pretty much think we make the best pizza in town and that’s partly because it’s the only thing we make at the café!” 

The sourdough bread is made dense so it lasts long. Croissants and bagels are frozen, so they can be thawed and heated up anytime. The work flow between the café and the kitchen is organic. “We only open for lunch because from 9 to 5, we are engaged in production. My production staff — I’ve trained six — serve the people and go back to doing their work. The two products mesh well with each other. There are no interruptions.”

George tells me his best kept secret, that they taste good because they’ve stayed small and make breads that last. “Everything is handmade here. We make as much as we can inhouse, even the chicken sausage. There’s no big machine churning out cookies. We try to cook the way you would cook at home.”