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June-July ’15
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E d i t o r i a l
Publisher cum Editor Rajneesh Sharma rajneeshhammer@gmail.com
Associate Editor Swarnendu Biswas Resident Editor Sharmila Chand (Delhi) Ashok Malkani (Mumbai) Layout & Design Hari Kumar. V Dev Kumar Production Assistant Mamta Sharma Advertising Sales Delhi: Debabrata Nath, Sumesh Sharma Mumbai: Rajesh Tupsakhre Subscription Sales Dattaram Gangurde Director Sales Sanjay Anand Mobile: +91 9811136837 Director Operations & Finance Rajat Taneja Mobile: +91 9810315463 Editorial & Advertising Offices: Delhi: Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 206, IInd Floor, Samrat Bhawan, A-7/8/9, Ranjeet Nagar, Commercial Centre, New Delhi-110008 Phone: 91-11-45084903 Mumbai: Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 105, 1st Floor, Aarpee Centre, Gufic Compound, 11th Road, MIDC, Near Tunga Paradise, Andheri (E), Mumbai-400093 Ph.: 022-28395833 Telefax: 022-28388947
Website: www.fbrmag.com E-mail: hammerpublishers@vsnl.net © 2015 Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. No article can be reproduced in part or as whole without prior permission of the Publisher. Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review is a bi-monthly magazine, printed, owned and published by Rajneesh Sharma from 302, Himgiri Apartments, J-Block, Vikaspuri, New Delhi. Printed at Swan Press, B-71, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi-110 028. Annual Subscription rate within India is Rs. 450 and overseas US $110, for surface mail. Single issue is available for Rs. 90 in India and US $25 overseas. Cheques are payable to Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
One of the good things about India is that it is a nation of tea drinkers. Despite the mushrooming growth of coffee café culture across urban India, tea still remains the most popular beverage in the country. India happens to be the second largest producer and the largest consumer of tea in the world. Tea can be enjoyed alone on a quiet evening, and tea can also greatly help create the atmospherics for lively conversations with friends and colleagues. Especially, during rains, piping hot cups of tea with scrumptious pakodas can be nothing short of heavenly. On top of these, tea is also spruced with a number of health attributes, which together easily makes tea a healthy beverage. And there are aweinspiring varieties of teas to direct your palates to. However, in India tea is still largely treated as everyday mundane drink and not being given the status of a lifestyle beverage. Among a great majority of Indians, tea drinking is not associated with style, class and sophistication. Tea drinking is not considered up market in India. These pre-conceived notions are impeding the growth of the popularity of tea and as well as the per capita consumption of tea in India, which is still dismal. However, with the growth of the sleek tea bars in India, the process of tea emerging as a lifestyle beverage at par with high-end coffees, across middle class urban India, has already began. In our Cover Story, we have exhaustively covered the various health attributes of tea, and also discussed some important tea types. The slowly changing pattern in the perpetual love for our teas is also being touched upon in the feature. Nowadays the expectations of a section of discerning guests in urban India from restaurants (especially from fine dining restaurants) are travelling much beyond good food and drink with decent ambience. Regarding this, the role of themed restaurants is gaining more prominence in the Indian food service industry, during the recent years. As Indians have music as integral part of their lifestyles, one can say that music themed restaurants can be an innovative option for the Indian food service industry to garner more revenues. The idea is being explored in detail in our Business section. In this issue, we have introduced a new section titled Celebrity Dining. Here one of our editorial staff would accompany a renowned person in her/his field to a reputed restaurant and do food review of the restaurant concerned. The food review would not only be based on the editorial person’s information, observations and perspectives but would also take into account of the renowned personality’s observations and opinions about the restaurant concerned. The criterion is that the renowned personality shouldn’t be from the food service industry but should have adequate global exposure in dining. I hope our readers would like the section. Besides these, several other features and articles on issues relevant to the industry, along with exhaustive information through news and events showcasing important recent happenings in the industry do comprise our present issue. We hope to give our readers an engrossing time, while reading our magazine.
Editorial Policy: Editorial emphasis in Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review magazine is on educational & informational material specifically designed to assist those responsible for managing institutional food & beverage business. Articles are welcome and will be published on the sole discretion of the editor.
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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
June-July ’15
Contents
Cover Story
34
Departments
The Healing Brew Event
04
44 Exploring Music Themed Restaurant Models
News
14
Agri
Report
28
Appointment
30
Restaurant Review
58
Chef Voice
60
Profile
62
Operations
68
Product Preview
74
Interview
80
Business
50
The Priceless Spice
Celebrity Dining
52
An Evening at Jasmine
Theme Cuisine
56
The Aromas from Bengal
Ingredients
66 Healthy Ingredients for the Health Conscious Times
Health Metal Detection in Food & Beverages
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EVENT
PASTRY QUEEN INDIA 2015 25th-26th July 2015, Academy of Pastry Arts, Gurgaon, Haryana
T
he first PASTRY QUEEN INDIA 2015 was held during 25th-26th July 2015 at Academy of Pastry Arts India, Gurgaon. The two day event was organised by Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd., the publishers of Bakery Review magazine, and Elle Vire, Dabon International Pvt. Ltd. The theme of the competition was ‘The Art of Dance’. Over two days, the challengers were required to create a Sugar Showpiece (including ‘Pastillage’, a sculpture made out of sugar), Chocolatebased Cake, Coffee Dessert in a glass, a ‘Petit Gateau’ (a ‘small cake’, usually with a filling) and a Tart. The event was judged by an eminent panel of juries which comprised leading Pastry Chefs and professionals, which included Chef Dinesh Rawat — Director, Academy of Pastry Arts India, Chef Avijit Ghosh — Corporate Pastry Chef, Leelaventure Hotels, and Chef Thomas Lionel — Elle & Vire India, Dabon International. Chef Sanjana Patel, the Executive Chef at LA FoLIE Patisserie and Chocolaterie (Mumbai), made history by being crowned
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India’s first ‘Pastry Queen’. She will represent India at Sigep 2016, World Lady Pastry Championship in January 2016, Rimini, Italy for ‘The Pastry Queen’ title. Chef Arpitha Harish of Taj Land Inn
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
Mumbai was adjudged the First Runner. The competition was visited by eminent professionals from the Chefs’ fraternity. The first day was primarily dedicated for preparation, whereas the second day for applying the finishing touches and presentation & judging. Chef Sanjana Patel won over the tough competition from Chef Sanah Vora (ChocTales, Gurgaon), Chef Neelam Sircar Saini (a freelancer from Kolkata), Chef Pallavi Debsinha (The Oberoi, New Delhi), Chef Trisha Singh (The Leela Palace, New Delhi), Chef Bani Nanda (MIAM, New Delhi) and Chef Arpitha Harish (Taj Lands End, Mumbai). Chef Sanjana Patel will be receiving further training at the Academy of Pastry Arts India, to meet the forthcoming challenge in Italy. Academy will also offer advanced training to first runner up Chef Arpitha Harish. With little tradition of pastry making in India (a lacunae that this Gurgaon school is seeking to fill), it will be the first time that an Indian will take part in the Pastry Queen Championship.
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EVENT
LADIES WORLD PASTRY CHAMPIONSHIP, 23rd-27th January 2016, SIGEP 2016, Rimini, Italy The only event of its kind, held every two years, the Pastry Queen Championship is intended specifically for women Pastry Chefs from around the world, to give them a unique opportunity to put their skills to the test and find new inspiration for a successful and stimulating career. It is a high-calibre professional event, run in accordance with the strictest and fairest of professional standards and held in Italy — the cradle of confectionery and pastry-making art. The competition will be held as part of SIGEP, a specialist trade fair held in Rimini since 1979 and dedicated to Pastry Chefs and ice-cream, chocolate and bread makers from around the world. ‘The Pastry Queen’ has set its sights on becoming a gold-standard international event in the pastry-making world, guaranteeing a professional platform that will showcase the category and encourage valuable feelings of goodwill, quality, passion and love for the profession, not to mention creativity, collaboration and respect.
TITLE SPONSORS Elle & Vire Elle & Vire was established in 1947 by the Elle & Vire Dairy Cooperative (‘Elle’ and ‘Vire’ are names of two small rivers in the Normandy region of France). The brand received international acclaim as a manufacturer of fine quality dairy products and by 1975 the Elle & Vire Cooperative was France’s leading exporter of dairy products. Today, the brand is France’s No. 5 dairy brand, with more than one out of two French consumers purchasing at least one Elle & Vire product a year, and virtually everyone in France being familiar with the brand. At the international level, Elle & Vire sells dairy products as varied as milk, butter, cream, desserts and cheese. Elle & Vire is renowned as one of the most innovative brands of dairy products (the first UHT milk in France in 1960, the first UHT cream in 1973, the first UHT dairy dessert in 1985, the first French
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spreadable butter in 1992), and is regularly awarded by professionals and consumers. Elle & Vire is present in more than 120 countries around the globe, in both the retail and food service sectors. Elle & Vire offers food service professionals a complete range of top quality, high-performance dairy products. The result of ongoing research and innovation, Elle & Vire products meet the needs of the most demanding Chefs. Elle & Vire is a standard-setter, accompanying restaurateurs, hoteliers, Pastry Chefs and other food service professionals throughout their careers. An official supplier to the Bocuse d’Or, one of the world’s most prestigious culinary competitions, the brand also maintains privileged relationships with some of the greatest cooking and pastrymaking schools: the Institut Paul Bocuse, the Ecole du Grand Chocolat Valrhona and the Ecole Lenotre in Paris. Elle & Vire also offers professionals the opportunity to enjoy ever more innovative free services by becoming a member of the Alliance Elle & Vire. In addition to The Chef’s Magazine published 3 times a year and the monthly The Chef’s e-news, reporting on the latest gastronomic trends and news, Alliance Elle & Vire members enjoy privileged access to The Chef’s Web (www.thechefsweb.com), a lively site featuring articles, recipes, job offers and food industry events’ diary. Dabon International Private Limited Dabon International Private Limited is the Indian subsidiary of Savencia Group, owned by Bongrain SA of France — the world’s largest producer of specialty cheese. Dabon International, since its inception in 1996, has consistently ranked as one of the largest players of international gourmet food in India. This success has been possible owing to the quality of the brands and products represented by Dabon, and its impeccable service levels backed by a strong team of technical experts. With its pan-India presence, Dabon has strong reach across the length and breadth of the country, serving to varied customer classes. The major market segments catered by Dabon includes high-end hotel chains (Leela, ITC, Hyatt, Novotel, etc.), gourmet restaurants, prominent caterers, and embassies showcasing gourmet food and cuisines.
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
Along with being a trusted name in the food service and institutional segment, Dabon has a growing presence in retail segment too, with its premium offerings. The company’s range of retail offerings includes premium beverages, specialty cheese, French cookies, wafers, and pasta. Currently Dabon products are available across gourmet stores and modern retail outlets in all major metros and tier-I cities. Dabon’s products are also a central part of the beverage menus at major food service and cafe chains, for instance at Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Au Bon Pain, among others. Dabon also offers a wide range of sales support and marketing activities to ensure off-take from these stores. Infrastructure is the company’s core strength, and it is ensured with the state-of-the-art offices, warehouses, logistics, supply chain and also the ability to maintain the cold chain. Dabon has own offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune and Jaipur, and operates through distributors in more than 20 states across the country. Supported by a team of qualified technocrats and executives, having vast experience in the food industry, Dabon International is completely equipped to offer professional solutions. The company’s impeccable service levels are matched by its zealous and qualified marketing personnel. Its team includes specialists for technical support for dairy, beverage, bakery, cuisine, etc.
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Glimpses of the Event
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EVENT
NRA Show 2015
NRA Show 2015 (16th-19th May), held at McCormick Place, Chicago, USA, posted record growth in key attendee categories, giving restaurateurs a taste of what will be the next big hit in the food service industry. As the most comprehensive event for the food service industry, NRA Show 2015 brought a diverse range of industry segments together under one roof. In addition to thousands of independent and chain restaurateurs, NRA Show attendance included top 50 restaurant brands in the world and 98 of the top 100 restaurant brands. At more than 60,000 square meters, total exhibit space at the event grew by more than 8 percent and exceeded the previous NRA Show record that was set in 2000. More than 63,000 registrants were hailed from more than 100 countries and the restaurant operator category saw the highest percentage of growth (3 percent), followed by the Hospitality category with an increase of 2 percent. The exhibit floor was a great place to spot new trends and to identify that several old trends were still going strong.
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Some of the top highlights from the show floor were new and futuristic pieces of equipment (robots), plant-made plates, data security solutions, personalised marketing services, ethnic cuisine, ecofriendly food, numerous varieties of tea, and spices as condiments but also infused in drinks. The two biggest highlights of the event were: Edible 3D Printing 3D printing moves beyond toys, tools and prosthetic limbs. 3D Systems, which invented 3D printing in 1983, worked with the Culinary Institute of America to introduce its technology to the culinary world at the NRA Show. Its professional-grade, stainless steel culinary printer creates candy, cake toppings and other sweet treats. Restaurants, bakeries and bars can create their own designs or download them from archived sources. For the orchid cupcake toppers, 3DS downloaded a 3D scan of a rare orchid from the Smithsonian Institution, then altered the size and colour, says Culinary Creative Director Kyle von Hasseln.
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
Innovation is the Name of the Game Showcasing innovative and promising advancements, Startup Alley, which debuted this year, was an area where startup restaurant technology companies were able to showcase their products and services. Companies demonstrated app-based delivery, live-streaming online music, geo-location job seeking, and interactive digital displays, among others. Featured companies included Diner’s Dream; an app that allows customers to call their server or get their bill. Other companies included ChouxBox; a webbased invoice-management system, and Apploi; a job-search and hiring app that uses geo-location tools to find jobs nearby and allows users to apply for jobs without a resume. “The tech side of the industry is really starting to gain a lot of traction,” said Leana Salamah, Senior Director of convention marketing communications and programming for the NRA. The NRA Show 2016 will be held during 21st-24th May at McCormick Place. Please visit Restaurant.org/Show.
June-July ’15
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June-July ’15
North: 0124-4974000 - sales_delhi@daboninternational.com West: 022-28301214 - sales_mumbai@daboninternational.com South: 080-41602213 - sales_bangalore@daboninternational.com Contact:Food gauravtandon@epicure.in Hammer & Beverage Business Review
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EVENT
SIAL CHINA 2015 Scripts a Grand Success Story
D
uring 6th-8th May 2015, the 16 th edition of SIAL CHINA 2015 took place at Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The total area covered by the exhibition this year was over 115,000 sqm, which was 20 percent more than that of the 2014 edition of the show. SIAL China 2015 had 2,734 exhibitors — which was 14 percent more than that of the 2014 edition of the show — from 61 countries and regions. 61,296 visitors visited the show, which was an impressive 11.5 percent growth over that of the 2014 edition of the event. 58 international pavilions and 21 Chinese provinces and association pavilions brought their high quality products to the visitors and buyers from all over the world. 89 percent of the exhibitors were satisfied with the show and 89 percent recommended the show. On 6th May at the opening ceremony, a delegation of Ministers (Argentina, Czech Republic Poland and USA), Ambassadors, Consuls and trade officers were witness to the show. All the pavilions were represented by their representative. This year, USA was the Guest Country of Honour. USA had a strong representation during the SIAL CHINA 2015 with more than 100 companies presenting pork and poultry in hall E3 and a great diversity and quality of American food, food ingredients and beverage products in hall E1. Poland as Amber Sponsor had pavilion located in hall W4, on a surface of nearly 1,000 sqm, featuring dairy products of the highest quality, traditional meat and poultry products, fruit and vegetables preserves, natural juices, beverages and alcohol drinks as well as confectionery products. Heilongjiang joined this year’s edition of the show as the Guest Province of Honour with 40 companies showcasing rice, edible fungus, blueberry wine and other health and organic products. The independent jury awarded the Best Designed Pavilion to Korea Pavilion for its impressive ethnic decoration and the Best Designed Individual Stand went to SegafredoZanetti Espresso from Korea.
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SIAL CHINA Events SIAL Innovation — Inspire the trends for food market SIAL Innovation Competition, showcase of the latest food and beverage exhibited at SIAL CHINA has revealed for its 11th edition with great success: 94 selected innovative products from 56 companies from 22 worldwide countries and regions; 11 Finalist products and 3 Awards for Gold/ Silver/Bronze Award! La Cuisine by SIAL — 2 nd edition 2015 China International Top Chefs Invitational Competition by SIAL The competition was endorsed by World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) for its 2ndyear. Keen competitions among 12 top international Chefs from USA, Italy, Malaysia, Thailand and 12 top national Chefs from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Zhejiang were held. Retail & Hospitality Forum — a broad and forward-thinking perspective Partnered with Ivie — a global marketing consultancy delivering expertise from concept to reality — the 4thedition of the event delivered its pitch perfect topics featuring industry leaders such as CGF, Daymon, Hailiang Group, BIO Farm, XTC, Australian Organic, Parishine, Maruha Nichiro, and many more. This year‘s edition covered topics from food innovation and trends to food safety, from private label to food quality, from organic food to imported food, and many more. World Tour by SIAL In its 2015 edition, SIAL CHINA presented World Tour by SIAL, helping to understand the specific characteristics of the food market by geographic area.
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The Consumer Goods Forum-CGF This was a special session organised by the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF). Titled as “Food Safety: Achieving the Global Vision”, CGF presented the session in the form of panel discussion and briefed the responsive principles to see through the intriguing retail market with experts from COFCO, Carrefour, Wal-Mart, Cargrill, Aeon, Metro, Nestle, Tyson foods and so forth. 1 st Edition of WTC China National Specialty Tea — Brewing Tea with Creativity and Expertise With the strong support from Café Culture Magazine and Australian Asian Specialty Tea Association (AASTA) and sponsored by Brita Water Purification System, the first edition of China National Specialty Tea Brewers Cup Event was launched at SIAL CHINA successfully. 4th Edition of Chocolate World With four well selected sponsors, the 4th edition of Chocolate World saw 14 sessions successfully held within three days, which attracted over 550 professional visitors. Among all the sessions, the ‘Chef Show’ and ‘MAXIMS Show’ were the two biggest highlights of this edition. 3rd Edition of The Fresh — Right Seafood Right Wine The third edition of The Fresh-Right Seafood Right Wine was held together by CAPPMA and SIAL CHINA. 14 sessions within 3 days attracted 251 professional visitors and more than 40 journalists. 36 percent of the visitors were from HORECA industry. SIAL WINE WORLD — The Grandeur of Inspiration The 5th edition of SIAL WINE WORLD reached a new height by co-locating with SIAL CHINA 2015 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The show greeted 210 exhibitors from France, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Portugal, Greece, Russia, Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong, New-Zealand and China and 11,631 visitors, covering 6000 sqm exhibition area in hall W5.
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EVENT
THAIFEX — World of Food Asia 2015:
A Record Milestone
The 12th edition of THAIFEX — World of Food Asia rounded up on 25th May after five days of intense activity. It proved its mettle as one of Asia’s top food and hospitality exhibitions once again, by welcoming more than 35,000 trade visitors and 1,675 exhibitors across 16 sectors. The exhibition was also graced by Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chanocha. International participation also peaked with a total of 811 international exhibitors. THAIFEX — World of Food Asia welcomed 24 countries and provincial groups this year, including three new country groups — German Pavilion led by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mexico Pavilion led by Embassy of Mexico - Mexico’s Commission of The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food; and Turkish Pavilion led by Central Anatolian Exporters Union (OAiB). This presented an even more diversified array of products, from hand-crafted tequilas from Mexico, German-style sausages and charcuterie, to Turkish frozen
EVENTS’ CALENDER TRAFS 2015 16-19 July 2015 BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand www.thailandhoreca.com/ Asiafruit Logistica 2-4 September 2015 Hongkong Asia World-Expo, Hongkong www.asiafruitlogistica.com HOSFAIR Guangdong 2015 10-12 September 2015 China Imports & Exports Fair complex, Guangzhou www.hosfair.com IBA 2015 12-17 September 2015 Munich Messe München http://www.iba.de Annapoorna World of Foods India- 2015
seafood and products. Angélica Niero, representative of Balas Boavistense said, “I am so pleased with the show and THAIFEX — World of Food Asia is definitely the gateway for my business to venture into the Asian markets.” The supporting shows, World of Seafood, World of Coffee & Tea and World of FoodService recorded individual growth rates of 11 percent, 48 percent and 22 percent respectively. 27,931 local visitors and 7,274 overseas trade buyers visited the trade event, held over five days, during 20th-24th May 2015. Michael Dreyer, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse Pte Ltd., said, “THAIFEX — World of Food Asia celebrated its tenth anniversary last year. This year, we marked a milestone by expanding our fairground, and the continued growth and encouraging response is solid proof that we are growing in the right direction that we started out in. This has been very rewarding for Koelnmesse and our co-organisers, DITP and TCC. We will work in this direction towards a bigger and even better THAIFEX — World of Food Asia next year.” Brian J. Schroeder, Director, Kizable LLC pointed out, “This is our first year at THAIFEX — World of Food Asia and we were very amazed by the show’s quality.” For the first time, THAIFEX — World of Food Asia hosted the Asia selection of the Global Chef Challenges competition. Organised by Worldchefs, the global association of Chefs, the Asia selection was a huge success. Singapore took the podium for both Global Chef Challenge and Hans Bueschkens Young Chef Challenge, while South Korea was champion for the Global Pastry Chef Challenge. “This is one of the most well-organised competitions I have seen, with THAIFEX — World of Food Asia as the most supportive partner. This has definitely set a new benchmark,” averred Rick Stephen, Asia Continental Director for Worldchefs.
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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
14-16 September 2015 Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai www.worldoffoodindia.com Horeca India 2015 16-18 September 2015 Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore Email: info@horecaindia.in The Hotel Show 2015 28-30 September 2015 Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai www.thehotelshow.com ANUGA 2015 10–14 October 2015 Cologne, Germany www.anuga.com Fi & Hi India 19 – 21 October 2015 Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre, Mumbai www.fi-india.com
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IBHL Enters India with Premium Scottish Spirits International Beverage Holdings Limited (IBHL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thai Beverage Public Limited Company, has launched a portfolio of its four select premium spirits for the Indian market. Presently, the company has introduced three of its finest single malt scotch whiskies; Old Pulteney, Balblair and Speyburn and a super-premium Scottish gin; Caorunn Gin, in the Mumbai and Delhi markets. The company’s flagship whisky brand Old Pulteney, which has won numerous gold medals at some of the prestigious international competitions, introduced its 12-year-old expression for the Indian alcoholic beverage drinkers. The malt is characterised by its distinct coastal flavour due to its seaside location. Balblair originates from one of the oldest distilleries in the Scottish Highlands. Balblair doesn’t provide an age statement, but has an unconventional vintage approach by labelling its bottles with the year of its selection. The whisky is hand-picked by the distillery manager himself at the point of optimum maturation, to bring out all the flavours to complement its ch aracter. IBHL has launched Balblair’s 2003 expression in India. Speyburn’s 10 year old is the classic, definitive Highland single malt from Scotland. Due to the use of fresh spring water from Speyside combined with time-honoured methods of distillation, Speyburn Single Malt gains a distinctively warm, full flavour. Deriving from a distillery full of heritage and tradition, the whisky is still produced with many original features used already 100 years ago. IBHL launched its portfolio in Mumbai and Delhi with a visit of the company’s master blender Stuart Harvey to both the cities to conduct exclusive tasting and training sessions. “The three select single malts are an ideal spread in terms of positioning within the Indian market and will cater to a diverse range of single malt enthusiasts at varying stages of their malt journey,” stated Stuart. “We are more than happy about our decision to enter this promising market. For IBHL, India is a long-term opportunity and with the growing affluence and international population, it makes sense to start at the more premium end of the spectrum,” said Malcolm E Leask, Vice President Sales - UK & International at IBHL. Besides single malts, the portfolio is completed by the super-premium Caorunn Gin. Caorunn Gin is a modern dry gin with an aromatic taste. “In fact, mixologists and bartenders are increasingly using gin as a preferred cocktail mix in India as well, for which we have our Caorunn Gin,” Stuart shared. These brands are expected to be available in top retail chains, five-star hotels and premium bars from August onwards. First they would be available across the Mumbai market, which would be soon followed by exploring of the Delhi market. After this launch, the company will look for more opportunities to fast-track the brands’ growth by focussing on travel retail channels and extending supply to cities like Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh.
Delicacies Wrapped in Gold Swarn Amrit, which did exquisite gifting solutions with delicacies wrapped in 24 karat pure edible gold along with personalised packaging options, has come up with their newest sensation ‘Swarn Mukhi’ for all special occasions. Swarn Mukhi is made by the traditional families of Jaipur and gets enrobed with pure 24 Karat gold. Swarn Amrit has conceptualised sweets using 24 karat edible gold with feature of customised packaging for its entire collection. The customisation can be done as per the choice and requirement of discerning customers by placement of personal photographs, gold engraving, message scroll, golden key, etc. According to Aishwarya Goel, Co-Founder & CEO of Swarn Amrit, “Swarn Amrit is delighted to launch its latest creation ‘Swarn Mukhi,’ which is created with delicious sweets having finest ingredients and wrapped in 24Karat pure edible gold. At Swarn Amrit, we are providing consumers with a variety of easy ways to select and personalise the perfect gifts for any special occasion like wedding.”
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NEW S S56mm CAN Size: x 254mm
Mahou 5 Star Launched in Delhi CERTIFIED
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Mahou India, the first subsidiary of the Spanish brewing major Mahou San Miguel to be established outside Spain, has launched Mahou 5 Star in Delhi. Produced with fine varieties of hops and yeast, Mahou 5 Star stands out for its golden colour and distinctively mild and lingering taste. Mahou 5 star is marked by notes of toasted barley and memories of starch. This well balanced beer is made with signature yeast, whose secret recipe is stored under high security in this beer’s originating country, Spain. Here it deserves a mention that Mahou 5 Star is now available to consumers in different states across India and the plan is to expand to more states going forward. Mahou 5 Star is being brewed in a brewery located in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. “We are delighted to make our flagship product, Mahou 5 Star available in Delhi,” said Erik d’Auchamp, Chief Executive Officer, Mahou India. “We believe Mahou 5 Star will provide beer enthusiasts in India a captivating experience. The size of the Delhi market is 8.5 MM HL at present, 3.5 percent of which is the premium strong beer market, a segment which we cater to,” he pointed out. “Delhi consumers are brand conscious and are open to trying new international brands. It is an extremely important market to build the image of our brands panIndia. We follow the philosophy: launch, learn and scale. We want to expand over time but at a gradual pace. The eventual pace will depend on the initial success, and most importantly on the application of our learnings. This year also marks the 125th Anniversary of Mahou San Miguel, therefore any step we take towards our goal is even more meaningful’, added Erik further. Sometime back Mahou San Miguel unveiled its plans to invest over Rs. 120 crore in the Indian market over the next five years with the objective of strengthening its position in the country.
Barbeque Nation Launches its 50th Outlet Recently, Barbeque Nation, the casual dining restaurant chain, reached a milestone of 50 outlets across India. The launch of its new outlet in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh, enabled Barbeque Nation Hospitality Ltd. to reach the half century milestone. The chain plans to touch the magic number of 100 restaurants across 30-35 cities, in the next two to three years. After a successful run in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, Barbeque Nation is now going to focus on tier II cities of the country such as Mangalore, Agra, and Patna as this market is rapidly evolving and has huge potential. The brand’s journey began with the opening of its maiden outlet in Mumbai, in 2006. With the launch of its second outlet in Bangalore in 2008, the chain spread to southern India. Subsequently, the brand ventured into the north, with a launch in Delhi-NCR. Presently, the chain has pan-India presence and has operations in 20 cities across 14 states, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Jaipur, Panaji, Coimbatore and Mysore among others. Uday Menon, Chief Business Officer, Barbeque Nation said, “It is a proud moment for any brand when its business model gets a thumping vote of confidence from customers. Brand Barbeque Nation would not have expanded without the support of and positive response from consumers. We believe that the concept of live on the table grill, pricing, and experience that we provide at our outlets are the factors that entice the customers to keep visiting Barbeque Nation over and over again. The opening of our 50th store is a validation of our concept and the business principles, by the Indian people.” Here it deserves a mention that Barbeque Nation offers a blend of American, Mediterranean, Oriental and Indian cuisines in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices.
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
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ValueLine P50 / U50
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June-July ’15
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NEWS SCAN
Lite Bite Foods HMSHost Endeavours to Increase Presence in Airports Lite Bite Foods, the renowned F&B retail company has announced its association with HMSHost, the world renowned provider of food and beverage services at travel retail destinations like airport, train stations and highways. HMSHost is part of AutogrillS.p.A., which is the world’s largest provider of food and beverage services for travellers. With this move, Lite Bite Foods aims to acquire the rights to launch and operate outlets at several key domestic and international airports across India and other Asian countries. The joint venture will operate under the name Lite Bite Foods HMSHost and will be based out of Gurgaon or Hyderabad. While HMSHost will own 51 percent of the joint venture, LBF will own the remaining 49 percent. The association combines the global resources and expertise of HMSHost and Lite Bite Foods. The partnership will capitalise on the strong reputation HMSHost has developed as a leading provider of food and beverage services for travellers. Lite Bite Foods will use its expertise in operating outlets at Delhi & Mumbai airports and its robust presence across the country. Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman of Lite Bite Foods, Amit Burman, said, “This agreement represents each organisation’s strong commitment to provide the best F&B retail experience to our consumers across all travel channels. Together, we will bring an exciting new force to the country’s travel food retail industry and revolutionise this emerging channel.” “With millions of passengers travelling annually, the transit hubs like airports & railway stations have become strategic locations for our brand’s presence. We are very excited about this JV and this association will definitely help extend our brand in neighbouring countries as well,” pointed out Sharad Sachdeva, CEO, Lite Bite Foods. “This partnership is an important step forward in the strategy of expansion in emerging markets, especially in Asia, which the group has been adopting in the recent years,” averred HMSHost International’s CEO, Walter Seib. “We are confident that the know-how developed by Autogrill on an international level and Lite Bite Foods’ knowledge of the Indian market will enable the two companies to successfully expand in all the travel channels in the country,” he added further.
Tropilite Foods to Enter Retail Market Tropilite Foods Pvt. Ltd. (TFPL), one of the leading manufacturers of bakery ingredients, is all set to enter retail market by launching its cake premixes range. The company is already actively present in institutional & Horeca market segment for the past 34 years, offering bakery ingredients such as egg-free cake mixes, non-dairy whipping creams, glazes, filling and cake décor, pizza cheese, flexi cooking crème, mayonnaise & other dairy products. For retail, Tropilite will offer three variants in retail packaging, including egg free vanilla cake mix, chocolate cake mix and lava cake mix. With this launch, the company is looking forward to reach out to home bakers market in India, which is fast expanding.
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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
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Elle & Vire, partner of your success So lutions for Foodservice Professionals
Dabon International (P) Ltd.
North: 0124-4974000 - sales_delhi@daboninternational.com West: 022-28301214 - sales_mumbai@daboninternational.com South: 080-41602213 - sales_bangalore@daboninternational.com Contact: gauravtandon@epicure.in June-July ’15
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NEWS SCAN
FCSI Crowns Winterhalter Award is accolade for company’s radical energy-saving warewash technologies Winterhalter has won the prestigious FCSI (Foodservice Consultants Society International) award for ‘Manufacturer of the Year 2015’ and its PT series was awarded the ‘Product of the Year 2015’. The award was announced at the FCSI EAME (Europe, Africa, and Middle East) conference in Madrid and is valid for two years. Judges singled out the company’s energy-efficient PT Series of pass-through warewashers, including the latest model — the PT ClimatePlus — which not only reduces energy consumption by 53 percent but also acts as an air-conditioner; cooling kitchens when the ambient temperature rises above 25 degrees Celsius. The FCSI is the largest worldwide foodservice industry association. The award covers both the company and the product line.
“We are thrilled to continue our march of winning recognition in commercial warewashing technology,” said David Owen, Managing Director of Winterhalter CEO Ralph Winterhalter in front of the production line of the PT Series at the Headquarter Meckenbeuren India. “The FCSI is the most knowledgeable professional body in our industry – for them to have given us this accolade is simply tremendous,” he pointed out. Ralph Winterhalter, CEO of the Winterhalter Group, also stated that “It underlines our achievement in launching the PT Series and ratifies all our developments in energy and watersaving technologies.” The FCSI judges were impressed by the fact that the PT Series is the first pass-through on the market to have energysaving heat exchange technology fitted as standard. The ClimatePlus version features a radical new heat pump, which not only recycles waste heat from inside the machine but also draws in warm air from the kitchen, using it to heat up the cold water supply.
Lite Bite Foods Joins Hands with IRCTC Lite Bite Foods has tied up with IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) to offer scrumptious and high quality food at budget prices to commuters travelling by Indian Railways. At the initial stage, the services are being offered at New Delhi, Nizamudddin, Old Delhi and Delhi Cantt. railway stations. The tie-up is a part of IRCTC’s endeavour to offer varied cuisines to passengers to choose from, from its newly launched e-catering service. A passenger can order either by logging on to IRCTC’s e-catering website or through IRCTC’s toll-free numbers 1800-1034-139 and 0120-2383892-99 or through an SMS to 139, giving details of her/his PNR and seat number. Rohit Aggarwal, Director, Lite Bite Foods said, “We are delighted to tie-up with Indian Railways. We look forward to cater to passengers across the country with best of our delicacies. Every passenger can now opt for his/her favourite cuisine, many of whom earlier preferred to munch chips and biscuits than buying food on the train.” “We also plan to extend this service to more stations gradually and introduce kiosks of Lite Bite Foods’ core brands (Punjab Grill, Baker Street, Asia Seven) at various railway stations,” said Sharad Sachdeva, CEO, Lite Bite Foods. Here it deserves a mention that IRCTC has recently identified 1,144 more trains for extension of its e-catering service, which would provide passengers choice from a wide variety of food from leading food chains, to be delivered to their seat via online or SMS booking.
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NEWS SCAN
ZuperMeal to Make Chefs out of Homemakers Over the past one year, there has been an exponential growth in the number of food e-commerce businesses in India. Now India’s food e-commerce business has got a new entrant. It is ZuperMeal, a mobile application based food aggregator that promises not only to provide authentic meal at your doorstep but also promises to empower millions of housewives with a robust platform for listing their home-cooked items. The new company is positioned primarily as a services site, and will be listing the menu of home-cooked food items. It will offer an easy and convenient interface to its customers. ZuperMeal has launched its business in the recent past, from Powai region in Mumbai. ZuperMeal provides a platform to Chefs, aspiring Chefs and housewives to showcase their culinary skills and earn an income by listing their food items. “ZuperMeal is a platform that enables homemakers with great cooking skills to become Chefs and market their signature dishes to customers looking for healthy and hygienic homecooked food. Our meals will have the care and perfection of housewives who cook for their family and other loved ones.
Our customers will get the same quality and hygiene, as it is in Maa ke haath ka khana,” said Pallavi Saxena, the Founder of ZuperMeal. ZuperMeal’s experts will also train aspiring women Chefs to learn the art of cooking. ZuperMeal primarily has three options - home cooked meals (lunch, evening snacks and dinner), Zuper Specials (cakes, pickles, laddoos, namkeens, theplas, etc), and everyday tiffin service. Succinctly, consumers can order home-cooked, fresh food items in a click across three categories – meals, everyday tiffin, and special food items. According to a press release, the range of dishes at ZuperMeal will be updated on a regular basis to provide variety to foodies. “To serve quality and delicious food and meet customer expectations, ZuperMeal’s expert team would train and guide the housewives on consistency, hygiene and food safety. We have created our own delivery network to ensure that food reaches consumers on time. Furthermore, the application will provide consumers an opportunity to review and rate every home Chef,” said the Co-Founder and CEO of ZuperMeal, Sharad Thakur. ZuperMeal endeavours to be a home-cooked food network that will fulfill the demand for home-cooked meals. The company has already roped in over 100 housewives in the initial phase. The company would be launching its operations in other cities soon.
India on my Platter Launched In the recent past, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and the renowned cookbook writer Rashmi Uday Singh unveiled Chef Saransh Goila’s debut book ‘India on my Platter’ at Grand Hyatt Mumbai, with a lively session moderated by author Kiran Manral. The event was well attended by celebrities. The book, according to a press release, is not another run-of-themill recipe book, but is a combination of travel stories, recipes, food tales and Saransh Goila’s adventurous and fun experiences around the country that changed his life and outlook as a Chef. While speaking about the book, Saransh said, “This book captures the amazing experiences I had while I travelled 60 cities in 100 days across 25 states. It is not just a Chef’s but a boy’s spiritual journey. From a roadside truck stop to India’s biggest omelette center, to a kitchen in Kullu — this once in a lifetime opportunity made me cover it all. I am sure any person who loves to travel and eat, after reading the book would want to travel the length and breadth of India.”
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NEWS SCAN
Live Cooking Competition Hosted by Wonderchef Wonderchef, in association with Hypercity, held a huge live cooking competition in Mumbai, which was titled ‘Hyper Chef Challenge-My Secret Recipe’. It was a good opportunity for all food lovers to showcase their culinary skills with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. The competition was designed to provide a platform to budding Chefs and showcase their culinary talent. The competition that was divided in different rounds was judged by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and the winner got a chance to be on the Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s cookery show,on channel Food Food. Participants from different cities came to the show. Ravi Saxena, the Managing Director of Wonderchef, aired, “We are delighted to partner with Hypercity and host such a grand culinary competition for aspiring Chefs. This will not only give a platform to the innovative talents but also an identity to them. We look forward to come up with more such competitions
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in other cities soon.” The live show had huge audience. The event has caught attention across the lengths and breadths of the city. Also during the event, the audience got the opportunity to see the Chefs cooking in the competition and culinary demonstrations, along with a chance to interact and ask questions to Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. “I am very happy and overwhelmed to see the enthusiasm and zeal among the people. It gives me immense pleasure to run such a flamboyant show where you get to see innovative signature recipes, and a lot more from these Chefs. We will surely take this to the next level pan India,” said Sanjeev Kapoor, while talking about the event.
Mirah Hospitality Invests in Hopping Chef Mirah Hospitality has recently acquired 30 percent stake in Hopping Chef, a brand by Gritty Foods LLP that supplies not food but Chefs to your homes. Hopping Chef thrives on innovation and was launched in December 2014 as a platform to provide fine dining service to those who are looking for good food at their convenience and in the comfort of their homes. The accomplished Chefs associated with Hopping Chef are involved right from menu planning and designing to selecting exotic ingredients. The Chefs and teams go to the client’s home and dish out the meals as per the clients’ choice. Regarding the acquiring of this stake, Gaurav Goenka, Managing Director, Mirah Hospitality, said, “This association marks a new beginning. It will enhance the strength of Mirah as a brand, which is looking for growth, both organically and inorganically. Until now Mirah has always been in the brick and mortar space. However, keeping in mind the latest trend and flourishing prospects in the online space, Mirah has decided to diversify its portfolio to the online food space as well. Hopping Chef will help Mirah to enhance its current portfolio. I am happy to share that, in the past few years, we have grown without compromising on quality. With this new alliance, I am hoping to provide quality Chefs for those who are looking for a global food experience.” Hopping Chef, founded by Shaival Chandra, Dhaval Udeshi and Sid Ugrankar, is currently valued at Rs. 10 crores. With the investment from Mirah Group, the brand will be expanding its network to Bangalore within two months followed by four other metros in a span of next six months. Currently the brand has 15 Chefs on board, which will be increased to around 75 to 100 to keep up with the geographical diversifications planned. Over the last few months of its existence, Hopping Chef has proven to be an ideal place for Chefs to showcase their talent and innovation as there is no set recipe or costing which they need to follow. “An investment from a well established hospitality group like Mirah Hospitality will boost Hopping Chef and will open newer avenues. Mirah Hospitality is known for its unconventional approach to business and I am hopeful that Hopping Chef with this arrangement with Mirah Hospitality will establish footprints in new geographies,” proffered Shaival Chandra, Founder & CEO, Hopping Chef.
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NEWS SCAN
Carl’s Jr. to Spice up the Indian Burger Market
ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA
www.asiafruitlogistica.com
announce that Carl’s Adding to the heat in the Jr. is now arriving in Indian burger market, India. These are exciting the US-based fast food times for the QSR space restaurant chain, Carl’s in India, especially Jr. has announced its for the burger market. nationwide brand launch We are confident that on August 8th, 2015, at customers will enjoy the the Select Citywalk Mall differentiated gourmet complex at Saket, New experience that our Delhi. premium brand offers.” For the Indian Sana Chopra, market, Carl’s Jr. will be Samir Chopra Executive Director, Cybiz introducing a specially BrightStar Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. said, designed menu dedicated to the Indian “Carl’s Jr. is bringing distinct offerings palates along with unique offerings targeted at young hungry guys and such as beer on tap and an all-yougirls. Carl’s Jr.’s mix of casual dining can- drink soft beverages bar. The ambience, gourmet food quality and QSR brand is being brought to India by Cybiz speed of service will eventually eliminate BrightStar Restaurants Pvt. Ltd., owned the consumers’ conundrum of choosing by Gurgaon based Cybiz Corp, through between speed and quality.” a master franchise agreement with CKE Ned Lyerly, President of International at Restaurants Holdings, Inc., (“CKE”), the CKE Restaurants Holdings Inc., informed, parent company of Carl’s Jr. “We have developed a dedicated menu Commenting on the launch, Samir for India which includes an extensive Chopra, Group Chairman, Cybiz Corp vegetarian selection. Our food is made said, “We are extremely excited to
Sana Chopra
fresh to order with healthy premium ingredients and we take great pride in offering best in class customer service.” Known primarily for their chargrilled burgers, hand-breaded chicken and handscooped shakes, Carl’s Jr., following the launch of its maiden outlet in India, in Saket, New Delhi, will be opening additional company owned outlets in the Delhi-NCR region before moving to other territories in the country with sub-franchisees. Carl’s Jr. is expected to launch a minimum of 100 restaurants in India, over the next 10 years.
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REPORT
The 33rd AGM of HOTREMAI
T
he 33rd Annual General Body Meeting of The Hotel & Restaurant Equipment Manufacturers’ Association of India (HOTREMAI) was held on 11th July 2015 at the India International Centre Annexe, New Delhi. HOTREMAI’s Secretary, Anil Malhotra thanked the members for their presence and requested Nirmal Khandelwal, the President, HOTREMAI, to address the gathering. Khandelwal informed the gathering that in pursuit of excellence, HOTREMAI was taking membership of apex industry associations e.g. FICCI, ASSOCHAM, PHD Chamber of Commerce, FHRAI, HAI, HRANI, etc. He stressed that with the suggestions and inputs received from the members, a memorandum would be drafted for these apex bodies, highlighting the problems being faced by the manufacturers/traders in the hospitality industry due to the ambiguous /not manufacturer friendly policies of the government. R Kumar, Founder & President of Honour
of HOTREMAI stressed the need of forming sub-committees for every department to chalk out developmental plans and ensure their implementation. Anil Malhotra, Secretary, HOTREMAI, presented the report on the affairs and activities of the Executive Committee during the period 2014-15. The audited accounts for the preceding year was presented and adopted by the general body unanimously. Highlighting the future plans, Malhotra emphasised that the association had decided to extend its activities beyond northern region The Secretary also appraised the house that as a matter of rule, and having completed its term of 2 years, the present Executive Committee had to retire at that point of time and the process to elect a new EC for the next term (2015-2017) was to be followed. The Election Officer, Kumar, announced that since the eligible nominations received were more than the required strength of
the EC, the election was mandatory as per rules. Hence, he declared that all the 21 nominations were put to secret ballot election to elect 15 EC members as per Rule 20 of MOA of HOTREMAI. After the voting was over, the names of 15 elected members of the Executive Committee were announced by the Election Officer. The election of the office bearers was also conducted by Kumar as the Election Officer. The new elected office bearers of HOTREMAI for the next term (2015-17) are as under: President - Ajay Khanna of Eagle Forgings Sr. Vice President - JK Khurana of Venus Industries Secretary - Anil Malhotra of Hospitality Sales & Marketing Co. Jt. Secretary - Vipul Jain of Metal Avenues Treasurer - Arvind Khanna of Interiors. The AGM ended with a vote of thanks and a cocktail / dinner reception.
Now Comes the Dessert Pizzas
W
ith the need for food innovation and fusion cuisine gathering momentum, the need for experimentation and of serving something different to the discerning foodies is emerging as a trend in the Indian food service industry. Now the dessert lovers have a reason to rejoice as Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon introduced a sinful spread of dessert pizzas this July. The promotion of
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these dessert pizzas in 11 of its varieties took place during 20th -31st July. The creation is the brainchild of Chef Amit Dash, Executive Chef at Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention and the innovative idea of dessert pizza struck Chef Dash on his daughter’s birthday when her birthday cake wasn’t delivered. Determined to give her a surprise, Chef went into the kitchen to prepare something which would have everything she liked. Chef started with her favourite thing, pizza. He then whipped up some mascarpone with a delightful dollop of jam and added the melting cheese to the delicious mixture. Needless to say, the ‘dessert pizza’ was a huge hit, and the appreciation of his
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daughter for dessert pizza encouraged the Chef to share this delight with his guests at MoMo Café of Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon. Priced at Rs. 401+taxes, these pizzas are 8 inches wide and come in delightful varieties, which include mango basil pizza, angoori rasmalai pizza, sweet chilli pizza and blueberry white chocolate ganache pizza among others.
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REPORT
Taste Tomorrow 2015 Report
P
uratos, a leading global food ingredients company, recently launched its Taste Tomorrow 2015 Research results that capture consumer behaviour in the food space and provide unique insights into emerging consumer trends in the baked goods industry. The release of the Puratos Taste Tomorrow 2015 Report in Mumbai was a high profile industry event where representatives of the confectionary industry turned up to learn about the survey results and understand consumer preferences and discuss future trends. Over 100 leading manufacturers attended the report’s launch. Three keynote speakers addressed the gathering and offered the invitees a platform for sharing food trends with senior level executives in the food industry. Taste Tomorrow 2015 is part of a series
of events that take place in different parts of the world, each providing unique global and local insights into emerging trends in the baked goods sector that help manufacturers with actionable information to enable them to adapt their product innovation and development to current and future consumer needs. The results of this global consumer survey demonstrate consumers’ attitudes and perceptions towards bakery, pastry, patisserie and chocolate in various regions and cultures and point out key observations and future trends. The key takeaway of this 2015 survey is that consumer preference for baked goods is based upon three key criteria: freshness, health and taste. The India survey brought out some strong positive signals for the industry with 62 percent consumers believing that food will be more diverse in India by the year 2025.
The results also indicate that consumers also believed that food would be more innovative and tastier, more convenient and ready-to-eat to mirror lifestyle changes in India by 2025. Speaking on the launch of the Taste Tomorrow 2015 report, DhirenKanwar, Country Head — India, Puratos said, “We are delighted to conduct this survey every year as it gives insight into emerging consumer trends in the baked goods industry. This research establishes that our consumers want more diversity, innovation, better taste, freshness, healthier options and more convenience in food products. It offers a great peep into the psychology of our consumers and will be of great help to industry to strategise better for new product development and to win consumer confidence.”
APPOINTMENT Puneet Verma
Puneet Verma, a veteran professional with a distinguished career spanning over a decade has been appointed as CEO at Cybiz Superbrands Pvt. Ltd, the F&B franchising business entity of Cybiz Corp. A proficient professional with the comparative qualities of a skilled marketer, he has served various prominent companies all over India. Since his induction over eight years ago, Puneet has added a lot of value to the group by conducting intensive research and surveys and translating his theoretical insights into practical knowledge. Puneet has trained over 50 batches of Franchise Sales Consultants under his supervision and has conducted over 400 franchise road shows, seminars, and expos across India.
Shashi Bhuwan Gopal
JW Marriott Hotel Chandigarh has announced the appointment of Shashi Bhuwan Gopal as its Pastry Chef. In his new position, he will be responsible for the bakery, confectionary and pastry operations at the hotel. Chef Shashi will also play a vital role in promoting the Chandigarh Baking Company, which is a warm and welcoming deli and patisserie located inside the hotel that serves cakes, cookies and coffees, made-to-order sandwiches and burgers, and a variety of hand-made breads and chocolates. “We are excited to announce the appointment of Chef Shashi as our new Pastry Chef. He is very creative and is known to adopt delicacies from different cultures and create new food items according
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to the Indian sensibilities and tastes,” said Rubal Chaudhry, the General Manager of JW Marriott Chandigarh. “He plans to bring in a lot of unconventional flavours to Chandigarh Baking Company’s menu which will surely delight the food loving people of the region,” he pointed out further. Chef Shashi has been associated with various hotel brands through his career spanning 15 years. He began his career with Centaur Hotel in Mumbai. In his last assignment, Chef Shashi was working as the Pastry Chef at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace.
Suveer Sodhi
Shangri - La’s - Eros Hotel, New Delhi has announced the appointment of Suveer Sodhi, as its new Director of Food and Beverage. He has been appointed to head the opening of five new food and beverage concepts at the hotel, starting with the newly launched all day dining restaurant Tamra. His last assignment was in a similar role at Dusit Devarana New Delhi and he has previously worked with hospitality brands such as The Lodhi and Hyatt Regency. In his current role, Suveer shall be responsible for managing the food and beverage operations at the hotel.
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C OV E R S TO R Y
The Healing
Brew
Most Indians are fond of tea. That is probably the reason why you find a chaiwallah (tea vendor) in every nook and corner of the country. That is also the reason why India is not only the second largest producer of tea in the world but also the largest consumer of this beneficent brew. Over 70 percent of the tea produced in the country is consumed by the domestic market. Tea is the second most widely consumed drink in the world after water, and the most widely consumed beverage in the planet. It is amazing that tea is so versatile — you can drink it in iced or hot form and there are enough varieties of tea to cater to myriad palates. There are over 1500 types of tea, excluding herbal teas. Here Ashok Malkani talks about the medical benefits of tea and delves on some of the tea types.
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C OV E R S TO R Y
T
ea occupies an important position in India. In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say that tea is part of our culture. Leisurely chat or animated and intellectual discussions over tea is extremely common all over the country. Tea is undoubtedly India’s most popular beverage — the country consumes 837,000 tonnes of it every year. The ritual of drinking chai transcends all boundaries, and roadsides in India are dotted with chai wallahs who serve it boiled up with spices, sugar and milk. One can say that besides Bollywood and cricket, tea is perhaps the third common factor of interest in a highly diversified nation like ours. Tea is still far ahead of coffee in terms of mass popularity in the country, despite the stupendous growth of the coffee café culture across urban India, during the recent years. Tea is consumed by more than 80 percent of urban households in India, whereas coffee is consumed by less than 10 percent of urban households in the country. According to an ASSOCHAM ‘s report dated December 2011, India consumed 25 percent of the global tea production. People in India have been drinking tea for millennia. Buddhist monks in India have used tea for its medicinal value since thousands of years. However, tea production in India started becoming a huge commercial activity only since the nineteenth century. Having evolved since the early British
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days, tea drinking in India has now come a long way.
Legend and History According to a very interesting legend, the history of tea drinking in India began with a Buddhist monk, about almost 2000 years ago. It so happened that this monk, who later became the founder of Zen Buddhism,
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
decided to spend seven sleepless years contemplating the life and teachings of Buddha. While he was in the fifth year of his contemplation and prayer, he almost fell asleep. He took some leaves from a nearby bush and began chewing them to get over his drowsiness. Those leaves revived him and enabled him to stay awake as he chewed on them whenever he felt drowsy. Thus he was able to complete his penance for seven years. These were the leaves of the wild tea plant. As per the history of tea drinking in India goes, local people used to brew and drink tea using the leaves of the wild native tea plants. One of the most popular snippets related to the history of tea drinking in India dates back to the 19th century when an Englishman noticed that the people of Assam drank a dark liquid, which was a type of tea brewed from a local wild plant. In the year 1823, a Singpho King offered an English army officer tea as a medicinal drink. The commercial production of tea in India was started only after the arrival of the British East India Company and vast tracts of land were exclusively developed into tea estates during the colonial era, which produced various types of teas.
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C OV E R S TO R Y also help to prevent the blindness caused by cataracts (the clouding of the lens inside the eye). Drinking tea may also reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Unwanted blood clots formed from cholesterol and blood platelets cause heart attack and stroke. Drinking tea may help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free, the same way a drain keeps your bathroom pipes clear. A 5-6year study from the Netherlands found a 70 percent lower risk of fatal heart attacks among people who drank at least two to three cups of black tea daily, compared to non-tea drinkers. Moreover, drinking tea is linked with The first tea garden was established in 1837, in upper Assam. Tea drinking has evolved in different ways over the years in India and differs from region to region. During the nineteenth century, tea as we have it in India, was largely consumed by the anglicised elites. Tea started gaining mass popularity in the country only since the second decade of the twentieth century. The taste for tea was cultivated on a pan India basis through a dedicated effort by the producers of tea, once tea production in India started gaining momentum. Initially, free samples of tea were offered from horse-drawn carts belonging to various companies. In 1907, Brooke Bond started experimenting with a fleet of horsedrawn vans for distributing teas. The British tradition of taking tea with a little milk and sugar was introduced along with the samples. Today, from the humble roadside tea stalls and the railway platforms to the boardrooms of corporate India, tea is the liquid key to struck up a conversation.
Tea for Health During the recent years, tea has caught the attention of researchers, who are discovering the many health benefits of different types of teas. Studies have found that some teas may help tackle cancer, heart disease and diabetes; encourage weight loss, lower cholesterol and bring about mental alertness. Tea also appears to have antimicrobial qualities. “There doesn’t seem to be a downside to tea,” said Katherine Tallmadge, an internationally renowned nutritionist.
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“I think it is a great alternative to coffee drinking. First, tea has less caffeine. It is pretty well established that the compounds in tea — their flavonoids — are good for the heart and may reduce cancer.” “Tea is uniquely plentiful in catechins, and especially epicatechins, which are believed to be the components responsible for many of its purported health effects,” averred Dr. Howard Sesso, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Scientists have found that the catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extracts increase the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved muscle endurance. The antioxidants in tea might help protect against a number of cancers, including breast, colon, colorectal, skin, lung, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, ovarian, prostate and oral cancers. According to a 2001 study by D. Balasubramanian(Hyderabad Eye Research Foundation), drinking tea can
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a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. When other factors are taken into account like smoking, physical activity, age and body mass index, regular tea drinking has been associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease among both men and women. Everyone knows it is important to limit exposure to UV rays. The good news is that green tea can act as a backup sunscreen. Tea could also prevent your waist circumference from becoming ungainly. In one study, participants who drank hot tea on a regular basis showed lower waist circumference and lower BMI (Body Mass Index) than nonconsuming participants. To top it all, drinking tea can contribute to both relaxation and concentration. TeaClass, an online destination for enhancing knowledge of gourmet teas explains thus: “L-theanine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in the Camellia Sinensis plant. In fact, unless you take an artificially manufactured dietary supplement, tea is the only way to get L-theanine in
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your diet. This powerful amino acid boosts alpha wave activity in our brains, which promotes a state of relaxed concentration.” “The calming effects of L-theanine actually counteract the extreme highs and jitteriness that can result from excessive caffeine intake,” the site further noted. “As with almost all other essential elements in the leaf, L-theanine is most highly concentrated in the newest growth. A high quality loose leaf tea will contain the most L-theanine, and the very highest levels are usually found in green and white teas,” stated TeaClass.
Types of Teas However, the above mentioned health benefits are not uniformly distributed across all teas. While in India, Assam tea and Darjeeling tea are the most renowned; there are also several other varieties of tea in the country which are not that well known. These teas are actually named after the place where they are grown. There are various types of teas in the world, the most common among them being black tea, oolong tea and green tea. Teas are traditionally classified in these three major categories, though myriad lesser known types of this beverage, such as white tea, yellow tea, pu-erh tea and blended teas are also there. Let us discuss some of them. Black Tea: These teas are, perhaps, the most common in the market. These are what most of us have grown up drinking. Full-bodied and strong, black teas taste great alone or can be
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had with milk and sugar. And they make for great iced teas. These teas are heavily oxidized. Unlike white, green, or oolongs, processed black teas are separated into a grading system. For example, Orange Pekoe (OP) means fullleaf tea, and BOP indicates a broken leaf black tea. In general, the more crushed/ broken the leaf, the stronger the brew. Black teas serve as the base of popular scented teas including Earl Grey. In China, black tea is referred to as red tea because of its colour, once brewed. There are about 10 possible health benefits of having a cup or two of black tea on a regular basis like reduction of plaque formation, better heart condition, reduction of DNA damage, cancer prevention, healthy bones, lower risk of diabetes, stress relief, better immune system, healthy digestive tract, and increased energy. However, it is recommended that black tea should be
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consumed without any additives like milk or sugar to truly harness its benefits. White Tea: These are the purest and least processed of all teas. They have a light colour and a subtle flavour. They are very delicate and elegant on the tongue and are appreciated by tea connoisseurs for their unmatched subtlety, natural sweetness and delicacy. White teas undergo the least amount of processing. Their leaves are picked, withered (when oxidation takes place), and dried. The finished tea leaves are a soft grey colour, consisting only of the bud and two top leaves from the shoot of the plant (or sometimes, only the bud for top tier white teas). The white tea has several medical benefits too. They can facilitate to prevent damage of DNA, can facilitate to prevent cancer, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, protect the heart and the entire circulatory system, build stronger bones, kill bacteria and viruses, keep the teeth strong and healthy, protect the skin, reduce blood sugar and help prevent and alleviate the symptoms of diabetes. White tea also contributes towards reducing stress and increasing energy. Moreover, white teas have higher levels of vitamin C than other teas and facilitate blood cleansing. Green Tea: This is the most popular choice of tea amongst Asians. Green tea requires more steps to process than white tea, but less oxidation takes place, which is why the leaf itself remains green. Two main methods yield green tea: steaming and pan-firing. Japanese green teas that are steamed tend to be brighter and more vibrant in colour, as compared to pan-fired teas. This doesn’t mean steaming is a better method; it just produces a different type of green tea. Popular Japanese green teas include Sencha and Genmaicha. Some Japanese tea bushes are shaded for a few weeks leading up to harvest to increase chlorophyll production, thereby yielding a brighter coloured leaf. These leaves are used to produce prized teas like Gyukuro and Matcha. Whereas Japanese green teas are steamed, Chinese green teas are pan-fired and leaves range in colour from pale to dark green. Some loose green teas are scented with flowers or mixed with fruits to create scented or flavoured teas. Straight green tea has a clean and delicious taste. The green teas can help in preventing
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C OV E R S TO R Y
MAYFAIR Gangtok
ageing and can protect against various types of cancers. Green teas can also improve brain function, and may even lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. It also facilitates in maintaining healthy cholesterol level. This brew can also help us in combating diabetes. Oolong Tea: This tea is most commonly recognised as Chinese tea. It is seen served at Chinese restaurants. It is a semi-oxidized tea, and the most complex type of tea to produce. The best oolongs come from both Taiwan and China. These teas require numerous steps to produce, with many variations within each step. Though oolong is semioxidized, oxidation levels can be as low as 10 percent (close to a green tea) and as high as 85 percent (close to a black tea). Leaves are usually rolled or balled up. A great oolong tea can be steeped about 8 times, each steep releasing a new dimension of flavour. Oolong tea can reduce obesity, and can remove harmful radicals thus contributing towards preventing cancer,
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atherosclerosis, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, neurodegeneration, and diabetes. This tea can also give relief from chronic skin problems, control diabetes, provide healthy bones, prevents development of cancerous cells, improves mental health performance, and can relieve atopic dermatitis. Pu’erh Tea: This tea is also known as aged or vintage tea. It is another of China’s great treasures and has only recently been discovered in the West. Pu’erh is a fermented style of tea from the Yunnan province in China that is divided into two styles: sheng/raw and shou/cooked. The latter involves a process that encourages faster fermentation. After the leaves are oxidized, a small mount of moisture is left, and the leaves are then aged for months or years. Most pu’erh tea is sold in a pressed cake form with the year of the tea stamped on the package. Flavour and colour-wise, some brew up light while others can be dark and intensely earthy. Its health benefits are many. Pu’erh tea can contribute towards reducing bad
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cholesterol and lowering triglycerides and helping prevent diabetes. It also may reduce arteriosclerosis, reduces plaque in the heart, and help to prevent strokes. This tea is a source of antioxidants which help fight cancer. This type of tea also helps prevent stress.
Tea Becoming a Lifestyle Beverage However, whatever may be your choice of tea one thing is clear that most Indians have a chaska for chai (taste or addiction for tea). We can say that the love for tea in India has been there since ages, but the way we love our teas is changing. With the decent growth of tea bars across urban India, tea drinking is not only remaining an integral part of the daily lives of the common men and women of India; it is also becoming a fashionable beverage for the elites of the society. And like any lifestyle trend, frequenting tea bars as a trend is fast percolating from the upper echelons of the society to the upper middle class and middle class crowd of urban India. Cha Bar, a wonderful initiative by the entrepreneur Priti Paul, has contributed towards the evolving trend of making tea a lifestyle drink of urban India. One can say that Cha Bar has snowballed the trend of tea bars in urban India. Priti Paul’s brain child, backed by generations of Apeejay Surrendra group’s experience in tea plantation business, Cha Bar was created as an integral part of more than 90 years old iconic Oxford Bookstore in Park Street, Kolkata, way back in 2000. Soon the concept was expanded pan-India. Cha Bars are integrated into Oxford Bookstores and customers love the experience of being able to browse at leisure, leafing through the books of their choice, over a cup of tea from the wide selection of brews available at the Cha Bars, or unwinding with friends with iced or piping hot versions of the brew.
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C OV E R S TO R Y Today, Cha Bar offers this experience at Oxford Bookstores across multiple stores in Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. The growing health consciousness in the urban Indian society, where lifestyle diseases are rampant, is also contributing towards making tea drinking fashionable among the well-heeled crowd. Moreover, people in India are fast developing palates for green teas and other fine varieties of the healthy brew. One can say that if tea drinking is promoted by the Indian food service industry and also by our governments in smart, sleek and hygienic ambience which is similar or better than the ambience presented by various coffee cafĂŠ chains across urban India, along with some add on benefits (tea bars in the precincts of multiplex cinema halls or inside departmental stores can be a good idea), then tea is likely to attract a huge section of the upwardly mobile crowd in urban India who have chosen coffee over tea as their preferred beverage, in the near future. Still, the per capita consumption of tea in India is only 750Â gm per person every year, which needs to be drastically improved.
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Succinctly, more tea bars or rather more tea bars with additional facilities are needed to make tea truly fashionable across higher echelons of India. The tea bars and restaurants can also highlight the health benefits of teas which they are serving, on the menus of the outlets. The knowledge of the right pairing of
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the teas and food should also be widely disseminated by the industry among the public at large, which can also give a fillip to tea consumption in the country. This can be done through hosting of tea festivals, especially in winters. With inputs from Swarnendu Biswas
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BUSINESS
Exploring Music Themed Restaurant Models By Swarnendu Biswas
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ccording to a NRAI report released in 2013, the total size of the Indian food services industry, which includes both organised and unorganised sectors, was estimated to be Rs.2,47,680 crore in 2013 and it was projected to grow to Rs.4,08,040 crore by 2018, showing a CAGR of 11 percent. There is no denying the fact that the Indian food service industry, especially in the light of increasing numbers of nuclear families, busy lifestyles and increased disposable incomes(among select but sizeable pockets of urban India) is slated for impressive growth in the coming years. However, with growth competition is only expected to increase and simply increase in the size of the food service business wouldn’t necessarily mean that most of the food service outlets in India would be rolling in profits. In today’s food service business scenario in India, those stand-alone fine dining and casual dining outlets who would be able to outsmart the competition can have higher expectancy to bring in impressive profits in the short and as well as in the long-run. And one of the intelligent ways of outsmarting the competition is experimentation and innovation. Food service business has lots of scope for innovation. In fact, innovation or
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thinking out of the box is a necessary condition for long-term success in some specific segments of food service business, especially in the context of the fiercely competitive food service industry of India. Moreover, in the present business climate new ideas in the Indian food service industry do have better possibility of garnering investment support and also better revenues. It is because these days, guests at the restaurants in urban India are more open to experimentation than they were ever before. Therefore the Indian food service industry can effectively tackle the nagging problem of inflation, the looming threat of recession and continued unfair taxation through
The footfalls to the music themed restaurants opting for celebrity support can be further enhanced if celebrity singer/s visits to the restaurants concerned are highlighted in the social media in a proactive manner. infusing more creativity. Before detailing the story further it is better to articulate that in this story we are dealing with classy stand-alone fine dining and casual dining restaurants, or a group of classy fine dining and casual dining restaurants, located within or outside the hotels. We are not dealing with huge coffee café chains and QSR chains like Café Coffee Day and McDonald’s where the idea put forward below would not apply.
Food for the Soul
Praveen Patni
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New ideas can come not only through creative usage of the social media and other online mediums but also through conceiving innovative restaurant models. One of the models which the restaurateurs could explore upon is music themed restaurant. The concept of a music themed restaurant has a decent possibility of getting translated into a
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BUSINESS successful venture in India, as India is a music loving nation. The way popular Bollywood numbers have become part of our system can easily attest to this claim. Music can serve as food and drink for the soul, which can complement the satiation of the palates. Of course, it goes without saying that live musical performances by expert singers and their accompanying musicians would be the soul of the music themed restaurants. Live musical performances are nothing new in the Indian restaurant business, but the music themed restaurants should carry forward this reality more extensively. In music themed restaurants not only the cuisine and décor should gel with the music offered, but live performances with singer and her/his accompanying musicians should ideally be the feature of these restaurants through their entire hours of operations. For example, a music themed restaurant which is opened from 12 pm in the afternoon to 12 am in midnight should ideally have live musical performances during these entire 12 hours. Harjeet Wasan, Vice-President, Tux Hospitality Private Limited, which is a venture of Shipra Hotels
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Harjeet Wasan
Limited, sounded enthusiastic about the idea of music themed restaurants. “Nowadays people eat out as a form of entertainment. While they may not be coming to a restaurant for the music but when it is present it can greatly enhance their enjoyment and time spent at the restaurant,” he observed. “Music also becomes a powerful tool to make memories with the closed ones, and has the potential to induce people to come back to your bar or restaurant,” he pointed out.
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Praveen Patni, the Vice-President of Ambrosia Bliss, believes that in restaurants, whether they be formal fine dining ones or casual dining restaurants, live music has the possibility of being an added attraction for the guests. Here it deserves a mention that Ambrosia Bliss is a huge 280-seater restaurant or rather a restaurant complex at Connaught Place, New Delhi. However, at the same time, Patni feels that restaurants themed on music do have their own advantages and disadvantages. “Advantage is that music themed restaurants can stand apart from competition because here music adds to the atmosphere of dining. However, very few restaurants can bear the costs of such arrangements and moreover, music may not be the choice of all the guests dining at a given time. Thus at the same time it becomes mandatory for the ‘musical restaurants’ to make sure the guests coming there are well informed of their focus,” explained Patni. He certainly has a point. The guests coming at the music themed restaurants must know beforehand that they will get to see live singers and musicians performing. If they do not like that option they may not come to the
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One of the challenges of running a music themed restaurant is to cater to different moods. The varying moods within a particular genre of music or different genres of music can be accommodated across different time periods.
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restaurant. For this the music themed restaurants must do some awareness building exercises, preferably through social media, before they embark on this venture.
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It should be remembered that music covers an amazingly wide ambit, and different profile of restaurant guests may like different kinds of music. Therefore it can be more pragmatic for a restaurateur to tailor the theme of her/ his restaurant on a particular genre or school of music, which will help her/him to define and cater to her/his target profile in a more precise manner. To increase the guest attractions, focusing on two genres or schools of music can also be done. However, Harjeet Wasan, the industry veteran, believes that a restaurant themed on music in general would have better business potential than a restaurant themed on a particular genre or school of music, such as Indian classical music, ghazals, Bollywood music, rock music, etc. It is because as he rightly pointed out, “People select different beats and different kinds of music for different occasions and places.” But one cannot ignore that within the ambit of a given genre or type of music, say within Bollywood music, there can be different moods of music, reflecting diverse array of emotions. Similarly different songs of Bob Dylan or Beetles or Madonna or for that matter of Ghulam Ali may reflect different types of emotions or moods. Yes, a restaurant themed on music in general can attract common and casual music lovers across all genres of music, but at the same time, the outlet may discourage an aficionado or connoisseur of rock if she/he gets to hear ghazals time and again in her/his first two visits at the restaurant. In that case, she/he may be reluctant to chose the restaurant for her/his future visits. But despite the flip side to it, a general music themed restaurant can cater to casual music lovers and can be a good business option. However, it is always pragmatic for a general music themed restaurant to be a multi-cuisine one. Its décor can easily showcase musical instruments and photos of music maestros across all genres, but if it goes for a specialised cuisine, then that cuisine will not
The ambience and decor of music themed restaurants can also be extended to cutlery and furniture. For example, it would be nice to have a guitar shaped soup bowl or a synthesiser shaped table or a veena shaped wine glass!
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BUSINESS gel with general music dished out at the restaurant. The debate over the specialised music themed and general music themed restaurant can be settled by introducing the idea of restaurant complexes, having two-three different restaurants of 80100 cover each within it. In that one restaurant can focus on say ghazals, the other on say Bollywood music and the third on say rock. Of course, sound proof walls between the different musical themed restaurants in such a restaurant complex would be mandatory in such a scenario. There is no denying the fact that a musical restaurant complex like this would be an expensive affair, and only players with deep pockets can venture into this exercise.
Mood and its Costs One of the challenges of running a music themed restaurant is to cater to different moods. The varying moods within a particular genre of music or different genres of music can be accommodated across different time periods. For example, let us assume a music themed restaurant opens at 12 pm
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It goes without saying that in restaurants focused on the theme of a given genre or type or school of music, the main cuisine should be in most cases gel with the music. For example, a restaurant focused on the theme of ghazals should have an emphasis on Mughlai cuisine, whereas a restaurant focused on the theme of Jazz or Rock, can have emphasis on continental cuisine. Similarly, a restaurant focusing on Bollywood music should ideally have emphasis on contemporary Indian cuisine, or a music themed restaurant in Kolkata focusing on the songs of Tagore should ideally focus on authentic Bengali cuisine. in the noon and closes at 12 am in the midnight. From 12 to 6 pm there can be soft numbers, and from 6pm to 8pm there can be a mix of both soft and fast
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numbers, and from 8pm to 12 pm, only fast numbers can prevail. This way the guests can visit the restaurant suiting their given frame of mind, provided they are aware of the changing mood of music in that restaurant, during a given day. Of course, the music themed restaurants should have a number of expert singers and musicians on its rolls, who can work in shifts. This would of course incur an additional cost, which I don’t think the guests would be reluctant to bear, as they would get not only food and drinks but also live musical entertainment at the same place. For the guests, it should be like eating at a restaurant and enjoying a decent musical performance at the same time.
Ambience and Decor The ambience and décor of the music themed restaurants should also be ideally different from the run-of-themill ambience and décor of a regular restaurant. Visuals of musical instruments and visuals of important musical luminaries should ideally be part of their décor. For specialised musical restaurants, visuals of those musical luminaries
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BUSINESS should be part of the décor who cater to that given genre or type of music that the restaurant chooses to highlight. For example, a restaurant focusing on ghazals should ideally have large photos of maestros like Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hassan, Jagjit Singh and Talat Aziz as part of the décor, whereas a restaurant focussed on western pop music in general (western pop music has several genres within its ambit) can have photos of global musical icons like John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Pete Seegar, John Denver, Elvis Presley, Madonna and Britney Spears as part of its décor. It is better if life sized photos of the musical performances of the maestros and divas or their rare photographs are depicted on the walls. Of course, it goes without saying that in restaurants focused on the theme of a given genre or type or school of music, the main cuisine should be in most cases gel with the music. For example, a restaurant focused on the theme of ghazals should have an emphasis on Mughlai cuisine, whereas a restaurant focused on the theme of Jazz or Rock, can have emphasis on continental cuisine. Similarly, a restaurant focusing on Bollywood music should ideally have emphasis on contemporary Indian cuisine, or a music themed restaurant in Kolkata focusing on the songs of Tagore should ideally emphasise on authentic Bengali cuisine. However, in this regard some careful consideration needs to be given. In this globalised world, it is risky to pigeonhole tastes. There is no guarantee that a person loving Rock and Roll and swearing by Elvis Presley would not have fascination for biryanis. Similarly, a Bollywood aficionado may love her/his dish of salmon or foie gras. Therefore, it would make smart business sense for a ghazal themed restaurant to have emphasis on Mughlai cuisine, but also offer multi-cuisine options to cater to special requests. In this age it would be intelligent for restaurants to be Jack of all Trades and Master of One. However, the multi-cuisine options in a specialised music themed restaurant could easily be charged a little higher comparatively than the cuisine in which it is focusing on, so as to make these special demands from guests economically viable for the restaurateur concerned. Normally, guests arriving at a specialised music
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These days, guests at the restaurants in urban India are more open to experimentation than they were ever before. Therefore the Indian food service industry can effectively tackle the nagging problem of inflation, the looming threat of recession and continued unfair taxation through infusing more creativity. themed restaurant are likely to expect that they would get to savour a given type of cuisine only. Media promotion and smart PR can consolidate this expectation further. I think the ambience and decor of music themed restaurants can also be extended to cutlery and furniture. For example, it would be nice to have a guitar shaped soup bowl or a synthesiser shaped table or a veena shaped wine glass! They would definitely add value to the dining experiences of the guests and can be part of their fond memories for the future. Similarly, it would be better if the staff uniform of the music themed restaurants could extend the musical theme in some way or the other.
Celebrity Support Inviting celebrity singers from time to time can also be explored as an option to enhance the revenues of the music themed restaurant/s in the long-run. For example, a Bollywood music themed restaurant can get into a yearly contract with divas like Shreya Ghosal or Sunidhi Chauhan, where they can visit the restaurant once a month and sing and dance with the crowd for two-three hours. Of course, guests can be charged extra (for that day a particular seat in the restaurant can have a given price tag, which could be excluding the price of the dishes ordered) on those days and they will be happily paying that. However, the two industry experts I discussed the idea with differed with me on this view. Harjeet Wasan believes that though this strategy may not fetch the desired Inviting celebrity singers from time to time can also be explored as an option to enhance the revenues of the music themed restaurant/s in the long-run.
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revenues for the restaurant every time, but “yes, it works in building the image of the restaurant.” He views that inviting celebrity singers from time to time as “more of a PR activity,” for the restaurants. Patni believes that bringing celebrity singers in the restaurants is good for creating a hype and attracting fans to the restaurant. However, he also feels that “It is an expensive affair and acts primarily as a kind of advertisement of the place. Business wise, he stated, “inviting celebrity singers or musicians to the restaurant can hardly be a lucrative option.” However, I personally feel that there could be a high degree of possibility that celebrity support can fetch enough revenues for a music themed restaurant; enough to easily cover the cost of the celebrity singer/s and flow into the profits. If this exercise is carried over a period of time, the anticipation among the guests and potential guests of the restaurants carrying these endeavours can also increase, and the said restaurants can become the talk of the town. The footfalls to the music themed restaurants opting for celebrity support can be further enhanced if celebrity singer’s or singers’ visits to the restaurants concerned are highlighted in the social media in a proactive manner. But along with highlighting of the show, information pertaining to the date and time of the show could be cleverly withheld from the general public. The day of the month or days of the month when the celebrity/ies will be performing at the restaurant could be kept a secret and be announced in the restaurant to the restaurant guests, only a week in advance of the performance. This will create another inducement for the guests to visit the restaurant to know the date and time of the celebrity singer’s or celebrity singers’ musical performance. It could be cleverly advertised by the management of the music themed restaurants who are inviting celebrity singer/s that the people can know the date and time of the celebrity singer’s or celebrity singers’ performance at their restaurants only if they visit their restaurants. With inputs from Ayonendu Biswas
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AGRI
The Priceless Spice By Swarnendu Biswas
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o put it simply, saffron is a spice. Of course, this definition also needs to be followed by several descriptions and explanations. One of them is that saffron is the costliest spice on the planet, by weight. This spice is derived from the lavender coloured flower of flowering plant crocus sativus, which is commonly known as saffron crocus. Saffron is produced from parts of the plant’s flowers. The dried stigmas along with the styles of the flowers of saffron crocus are called saffron. It should be noted that after their extraction, the stigmas must be dried quickly, or decomposition and mould may set in. Saffron can be brought in strands or stigmas and also in powdered form.
Distinctive Features
About a lakh of flowers of saffron crocus plant are needed to produce 1 kg of saffron. Output of saffron in India is just half Kg per hectare. The difficulty and labour-intensiveness involved in manually extracting large numbers of minute stigmas from the flowers of saffron crocus also attributes to the high cost of saffron in the market. Yes, even today saffron is
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produced in the way it was done in the ancient period; even today machines have no answer to removing stigmas from the flowers of saffron crocus. Saffron costs about Rs. 2 lakh per kg. But that is nothing to worry about, for saffron is generally needed in small dosages across the food service industry. A pound of saffron may contain 70,000 to 200,000 strands whereas only a handful of strands of saffron are needed for a given dish where saffron’s application is desirable. One of the distinctive features of saffron is its ethereal aroma, which is similar to that of metallic honey with hay like notes. Picrocrocin and safranal are the chemical compounds in saffron which endow the spice with its distinct fragrance. Saffron has a bitter sweet taste and comes in crimson or golden yellow colour. Crimson saffron threads with orange tips are considered to be of premium quality. Good quality saffron should also have slight moistness and should exhibit elasticity.
In History and Legends Historically speaking, the origins of these crimson coloured delicate threads shaped spice can be traced to the ancient Greece but slowly its usage spread across Southwest Asia and North Africa, and then to other parts of the world. The cultivation of saffron began about 3500 years ago in Greece. The plant which gives saffron is native to South-west Asia. The medicinal properties and fragrance of saffron were also well-known in history. The ancient Egyptian healers used saffron to treat varieties of gastrointestinal ailments, while the ancient Greeks and Romans rampantly used saffron
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as a perfume. Daily saffron baths by wealthy Romans in ancient era was not uncommon. Today’s food service industry in India can take inspiration from the ancient Greece and Rome by using saffron not only as a spice and flavouring and colouring agent in dishes, but also as a perfume around restaurants’ ambience to entice guests. Saffron not only has a rich history but is also associated with interesting legends. It is believed that during the ancient times, Egypt’s queen Cleopatra used a quarter cup of saffron in her warm baths, and Alexander the Great of Greece used to heal his battle wounds with saffron.
Geographical Spread Today Iran is the biggest producer of saffron in the world, where more than 90 percent of the world’s saffron production takes place. In fact, almost all the world’s saffron are grown in a belt which is bounded by the Mediterranean in the west and mountainous Kashmir in the east. Greece, Morocco, India, Spain, Azerbaijan and Italy are other important global producers of saffron. The climate most conducive to the cultivation of saffron is the cool dry climate, which should be complemented by well rinsed fertile soil. Maximum saffron in India is produced from Jammu & Kashmir. In this politically sensitive state, saffron cultivation spans across about 3,800 hectares.
Culinary Applications The culinary applications of saffron are indeed varied. It is used as a spice and colouring agent in food and also to impart/
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AGRI enhance fragrance to the dishes. Saffron has myriad applications in recipes. This spice is extensively used in Indian, European, Iranian, Arab and Moroccan cuisines. Only a pinch of saffron can make a perceptible difference to many dishes. It contributes to flavour and colouring of the food in rice dishes, gravies and desserts. Saffron can also be creatively used in cheeses and soups. It can enhance the quality of two wonderful Indian dishes – biryani and kheer. In fact, rice pudding with pistachios, cashews, raisins and saffron in the right measure can make for a heavenly dish. The taste of halwa can be enhanced through sprinkling of saffron. Saffron lassi can also be a delicious beverage. Almond kesar milk (in north India, almond is known as kesar) is a wonderful beverage in India to keep the heat at bay and also alternatively, to keep the cold in check. This beverage can be had in both hot and cold forms. As far as the European cuisines go, one can say that in paella and risotto also the role of saffron is very much evident. Saffron is needed for the creation of bouillabaisse, which is a traditional and spicy fish stew from Marseille, France. In the Iranian dish chelow kabab, saffron is being used. Moroccans also use saffron in their kefta (meatballs with tomato), mqualli (a citron-chicken dish), and mrouzia (succulent lamb dressed with plums and almonds). What is more, saffron can be used for preparation of cakes too. Honey saffron cake is a delicacy as is the flourless orange saffron cake. Saffron cupcakes and saffron buns can also be made.
Health Benefits Besides adding to the spice content, flavour and colour in various dishes, saffron is also spruced with several health benefits. Its can be used to get relief from asthma and whooping cough. It can also be used to counter depression and Alzheimer’s disease. Saffron can prevent men from falling prey to early orgasms, thereby contributing towards improving the sex life. Yes, it is also used as an aphrodisiac. That is not all. The spice also helps to alleviate menstrual cramps. Saffron comprises many plant-derived chemical compounds which are known to possess anti-oxidant and health promoting properties. The carotenoids present in saffron are shown in studies to have anticarcinogenic properties. Saffron has wound healing and anti-cancer properties, and by acting as an antioxidant, the pricey spice deserves the priceless tag. According to research studies, safranal, a volatile oil found in saffron, has antioxidant, cytotoxic effect on cancer cells, besides being endowed with anticonvulsant and antidepressant properties. Moreover, saffron can give an impetus to immunity by facilitating in the maturation of white blood cells. It also accelerates the levels of enzymes that can help the body to trace toxins. Saffron can help in blood purification and also in regulation of gastrointestinal function. Saffron has impressive dosages of many essential vitamins, including vitamin A, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C. This spice is also spruced with many health inducing minerals, which include copper, potassium, calcium, iron, and manganese. Moreover, saffron is devoid of cholesterol. Saffron can help to lower bad cholesterol or triglycerides’ levels in human bodies. So we can say that saffron in food can not only enhance its taste, flavour and colour, but saffron can also add health to the food. The Indian food service industry should use this priceless spice in its dishes more extensively. n
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CELEBRITY DINING
An Evening at Jasmine By Swarnendu Biswas
F
or me meeting Sonika Kaliraman for the first time, some four years back, was a memorable experience and the recent opportunity to dine with her was a delightful one. It was not only because of the fact that she towered over me with her 6 ft. height and hugely broad shoulders, not only because of the fact that women wrestlers are still a rarity in India, but largely because of the fact that her national fame has in no way managed to erode her down to earth attitude. I found her unpretentious laughter still as fresh as a cascade, as it was four years back, and her honesty about the pathetic politics in Indian sports still so candid and uncompromising.
With the Celebrity
Sonika Kaliraman
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However, when I walked with her to Jasmine, the authentic Chinese and Thai cuisine restaurant, located at the lobby level of Hotel The Royal Plaza New Delhi, along with delight and honour I was also feeling a slight sense of shyness or shall we say, embarrassment. I realised again that despite my claims of being a liberal, I have still not got rid of my inherent traces of male chauvinism. But I took solace in the fact that the first woman Bharat Kesari with Gold medals in National Wrestling Championship and in Asian Women Wrestling
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CELEBRITY DINING Championship towered over Shahrukh Khan too, in the reality show Zor Ka Jhatka. Sonika, who has been10 times winner of medals in the National Wrestling Championship, took part in other popular reality shows like Fear Factor, Khatron Ke Khiladi (Season 2), which was hosted by Akshay Kumar, and Big Faisal Nafees Boss (Season 5), which had Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan as the host. However, the ravishingly beautiful Sonika in flesh and blood seemed much more captivating to me as compared to her televised images, though in television too she looked nothing less than a bombshell.
The Aroma from Orient Kanwaljeet Singh, Assistant Director, Food & Beverage of Hotel The Royal Plaza New Delhi welcomed us to Jasmine. Sonika ordered a glass of red wine(Cadet d` Oc Merlot) and me my favourite Johny Walker Black Label. We began our gastronomic journey with Crystal Chicken Dumpling and Prawn Salt n Pepper. “Kung Pao Chicken, Seven Treasure Vegetables, Vegetable Vietnamese Spring Roll are our hot selling items at Jasmine,” informed Atul Shankar Mishra, the Executive Chef, Hotel The Royal Plaza. We took his cue and tried Kung Pao Chicken. Despite my tastes being more attuned to Indian cuisines, I liked the dish greatly. Sonika, who has a much more globalised taste than me as a result of extensively travelling across the planet during her medals- studded wrestling career (she is thinking of reviving it after a five year sabbatical from wrestling as a result of marriage and motherhood), appreciated the delectable dish immensely. She told she tasted Kung Pao Chicken in China 2-3 times and once in a US restaurant (she is presently residing in the US) but the one served at Jasmine was the best. “You have done wonders,” she praised Chef Nandan, who is directly in charge of creating culinary specialties at Jasmine. She also praised the ‘Sliced Lamb in Chinese Garlic Sauce,’ as our discussion progressed. On Mishra’s recommendation we tasted Lobster with Ginger Spring Onion too. “It is simply ethereal,” observed the champion lady wrestler and promptly Kanwaljeet Singh
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CELEBRITY DINING requested Mishra to divulge its recipe to her through e-mail. The seasoned Executive Chef somehow withstood the charm of the lady and just smiled back. Steamed Fish with Lemon Chilly Sauce was equally heavenly. Sonika not only enjoyed the oriental food complemented with a glass of wine but also displayed great inquisitiveness on the day-to-day operations of the restaurant business in general, and Jasmine in particular. She made some pertinent queries on the menu to the servers, which were handled well by the knowledgeable staff. The exhaustive beverage list of the restaurant has an exclusive trait to it, which can make it stand apart from competition. High-end champagnes like Dom Perignon and Billecart Salmon, quality red and white wines from both the old and the new worlds, and out-of-the-world whiskies like Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V and Ballantine’s 30 yrs, can give the guests here the option of becoming heady in a very sophisticated way. However, despite several requests, Sonika didn’t repeat her drink, while all along emphasising that as she was reentering the competitive wrestling arena (her second innings at wrestling will be opened with a high profile match in Canada), she needed to be more prudent on her food and drink, in order to reduce her weight from 80 kg to 72 kg.
Authenticity with Transparency
While dining we got to met Faisal Nafees, the Executive Assistant Manager, Hotel The Royal Plaza New Delhi. He told us that the restaurant served a delectable repertoire of specialties from mainland China. The restaurant with 76 covers is open from 12 pm to 3 pm for lunch and then again from 7pm to 11 pm for dinner. “Jasmine’s USP is authentic Chinese and Thai food, show
kitchen and the collection of single malts,” averred Faisal. Yes, the kitchen is indeed see through. “Here you can see your food getting prepared with high quality hygiene standards,” he observed. The dimsum cart service with an Atul Shankar Mishra unlimited choice of delicately carved dimsums is another appealing feature of the restaurant embodying elegant décor.
The Season of Footfalls According to Faisal, presently the average footfall at the restaurant is hovering at around 50 percent of the total number of covers, as it is the lean season, but by early September, the average footfall at Jasmine would escalate to 70 percent. “By November, we expect the figure to reach as high as 90 percent,” he asserted. The restaurant, according to him, is quite renowned for kitty parties and corporate lunches. “The restaurant’s primary clientele comprises corporates and kitty parties. Both in-house guests of the hotel as well as the walk-in guests visit the outlet in impressive numbers,” stated Kanwaljeet. According to Kanwaljeet, from April-August the restaurant generally experiences a lean season, whereas the peak season for Jasmine is from September till March as during this time Delhi not only hosts quite a number of large scale events, but also provides the conducive weather for the tourists. “Most of the tourists visit Delhi during this time, and major festivals take place during this period, and thus the possibility of footfalls at our restaurant also increases,” reasoned Kanwaljeet.
The Role of Promotions
The Writer with Sonika Kaliraman
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However, Kanwaljeet feels that by introducing intelligent promotions the restaurants in the capital can bring impressive business during the lean season too. “For example, at Jasmine we hosted the Satay Festival in the month of May, which offered 21 varieties of satay preparations. The promotion garnered very impressive revenues,” he concurred. While talking about the future plans, Faisal told me that a new menu for Jasmine was on the cards, in the near future. “Moreover, we are approaching some four to five Chefs with specilisations in oriental cuisines to visit us & host food festivals at Jasmine periodically,” expressed Faisal. We left after tasting Melted Chocolate Pudding, and Vanilla Ice-cream with Lychee. “When I would visit India again in February, I would throw you a party here. You have to come. The food here is quite authentic it seems,” Sonika told me. Despite her gentle disposition, I cannot dare to disobey her. Not that I wanted to. n
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THEME CUISINE
The Aromas from
Bengal By Sharmila Chand
A
sumptuous blend of sweet and spicy flavours is perhaps one of the intelligent ways to describe Bengali food. Though Bengali food is commonly associated with fish, but there is much more than fish and rice to the Bengali cuisine. Bengali cuisine presents a curious mix of vegetarian and non- vegetarian dishes in its vibrant gastronomic repertoire. Here it should be mentioned that traditionally Bengali cuisine covers the indigenous and traditional food & beverages of one state of India (West Bengal) and of one independent nation (Bangladesh) within its ambit. It should also include those dishes which though of foreign origin, have over the years become part and parcel of Bengali cuisine or Bengali lifestyle.
Unique Characteristics Panchphoron, a term used to refer to the five essential spices, namely mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed, aniseed, and black cumin seed is the quintessential element of Bengali cuisine, without which Bengali food is not regarded as completely prepared. Mustard oil is the most preferred medium of cooking in
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Bengali cuisine, which helps to impart a wonderful flavour to the dishes. The Bengali cuisine, by and large, is characterised by distinctive and vibrant flavours. Herbs, spices and roots play important roles in Bengali cooking. Needless to say that for most Bengalis, food is one of the most well loved aspects of their day to day lives. As in every rich culinary tradition, Bengali cuisine too has a variety of features which are singular to it. For example, the cooking style bhapa in Bengali cuisine involves fish or vegetables steamed in spices before cooking through in order to become infused with flavour. Besides the predominance of mustard oil in the preparation of food, the use of fresh sweet water fish is one of the
Good to Know It is said that the renowned Bengali Rasgolla was originally called Gopal Golla. The sweet’s probable origins can be traced to the confectioner named Haradhan, who hailed from Phulia, in West Bengal. A variant of this item is the Sponge Rasgolla, which is believed to be introduced by Nobin Moira.
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features of Bengali cuisine. Bengal’s rivers, ponds and lakes contain varieties of fish. The popular ones among them are hilsa, bhetki, magur, rui, and katla. Prawns are also popular in Bengali dishes. Fish preparations in Bengali cuisine are varied, ranging from the lightly-spiced ones like maccher jhol, to those more heavily spiced.
Rice, Fish and Others The staple food of majority of people in Bengal is rice and fish. Traditionally, rice in Bengal is first savoured with ghee, salt and green chillies, then comes lentil accompanied by fried vegetables (bhaja) or boiled vegetables (bhate), followed by spiced vegetable curries like dalna or ghonto. Shukto is a very popular dish in Bengal, especially during lunch. It is also generally partaken at the beginning of the meal. A thick sauce based dish, it contains various vegetables. One can say shukto is a vegetable curry of sorts. Shukto has a bitter element as it has neem or other bitter leaves, and bitter gourd. Besides these, it may also have brinjal, potato, radish and green banana. Spices like turmeric, ginger, mustard and celery
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THEME CUISINE seed pastes play their role in this everyday delicacy. Accompaniments of typical Bengali meals are often ambal or tauk (chutney) and fried papads. A pungent mustard sauce called kasundi is popular in Bengal. A dessert of mishti-doi (sweet curd) accompanied by fruits like the mango, winds up an elaborate Bengali meal.
Traditional Bengali Delicacies Some of the popular dishes of Bengali cuisine are: Hilsa Paturi or Patra ni Machi Ilish Paturi or Hilsa Paturi is a popular and traditional dish of Bengal. Here the banana leaves retain the flavour of the fish as well as of the spices. Chingri Maacher Malai Curry or
Menu Planning By Sharad Dewan Regional Director Food Production, The Park Kolkata First Ensemble Chingri Cutlet Smoked Boneless Betki Paturi Desi Murgir Pantheras OR Mochar Chop Posto Bora Chennar ar Hara Chana Paturi The Main Attraction Chingri Malai Curry Narkel Diye Cholar Dal Sorse Begun Posto Diye Kalmi Saag Bhaja Luchi / Steamed Kamini Atap Rice OR Enchorer Kalia Koraisutir Dhoka Dalna Narkel Diye Cholar Dal Sorse Begun Posto Diye Kalmi Saag Bhaja Luchi / Steamed Kamini Atap Rice
Prawn Curry with Coconut Milk Chingri macher malai curry is an all time favourite dish from the Bengali cuisine. It is made with the combination of prawn and coconut, cooked together in subtle spices. Macher Kalia Macher Kalia with potato is a traditional Bengali fish dish, where fish is cooked in delicious gravy with potato cubes. Kosha Mangsho It is a classic mutton preparation from the Bengali cuisine. It can be a tongue watering dish for the non-vegetarians and is accompanied by the wafting of unforgettable aroma. It should be ideally accompanied with paratha or rumali roti. Maccher Jhol It is a traditional dish of the Bengali cuisine and a regular feature in numerous Bengali homes. It is a mildly spiced fish stew, to be served with rice.
Colonial Influences Besides these traditional Bengali delicacies, the tastes of West Bengal and Bangladesh have been greatly enriched by the western delicacies like chop and cutlet. The popularity of chop and cutlet in Bengal can be attributed to the colonial culinary influences in undivided Bengal before independence. These delicacies have now become integrated to the modern Bengali cuisine, like English language has become part of modern Indian culture and day-to-day expression. It exemplifies the pluralistic and assimilative character of Bengali cuisine. Among different parts of West
Annaprashan or the ‘First Rice’ It is a Bengali tradition that initiates a child of about 6 months to his/her first intake of food other than milk. The child is dressed up in the fine traditional attire resembling a mini bride or a groom and then family members perform ‘The First Rice’ ceremony by feeding the child generally a spoon of payesh or rice pudding. Bengal and Bangladesh, the influences of continental snacks have been more pronounced in the essentially cosmopolitan Kolkata. Prawn or chicken cutlet and mutton chop are sumptuous snack options across crowded food joints in Kolkata. Western snacks have become part and parcel of Kolkata’s street food too. Phucka No account of Bengali food would be complete without mentioning urban Bengali’s continual obsession with phucka, an essential component of Bengali street food. The numerous phucka vendors have contributed to the lively character of Kolkata evening, over the decades. Phuckas are similar to golgappas but not same. One needs to taste these tangy snacks, particularly when one is in Kolkata.
Delightful Desserts Rasogolla, sandesh, chanar jilipi (jalebis of paneer), kheermohan, jibegoja, kirer singhara(samosas of kheer) are only some of the wonderfully tasty sweets from Bengal. n
A Lot Can Happen Over a Cup of Biryani Kolkata Mutton Biryani Murgi Dak Bangla OR Kolkata Vegetable Biryani Kosha Aloo Dum The Grand Finale!! Warm Patisapta with Hot Nolen Gur Soup Mishti Doi Tiramisu
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RESTAURANT
The Flavours of
Saffron By Sharmila Chand
S
affron, the pan Indian restaurant at The Park Kolkata comes across as a whiff of fresh air for the discerning diners. With a repertoire of unique dishes in the menu that encompasses all regions of India, it has managed to beautifully present the holistic and pluralistic traditions of Indian cuisine. Taking inspiration from the diversity in Indian culture, India’s geography, its climate and of course, from our indigenous cuisine, Saffron has successfully combined age-old culinary fare from different parts of the country and yet endowed it with a contemporary feel and taste by using ‘modern’ ingredients. The term ‘Contemporary Indian Cuisine’ can be attributed to the culinary presentations of this modern pan Indian restaurant with cosmic ambient décor. Infusing the flavours of indigenous Indian cuisine with modern ingredients, Saffron presents a wonderful
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blend of tradition and modernity as far as gastronomy is concerned.
Décor and Gastronomy At the entrance of the restaurant, you can find the lobby clad in orange glass.
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The bespoke doors contain a scattering of saffron marks. Inside, the walls and ceiling are clad in wrapped panels of locally sourced hessian. Cascading light features within the roof lights, which are formed from strings of hand blown glass balls, varying in colour and size; representing saffron spice being poured into the space. The Saffron’s menu is a perfect harmony between east & west, north & south India’s culinary traditions. Offering regional favourites from diverse forms of Indian cuisine, the must try list at the restaurant includes Pasanda Kebab, Daab Chingri, Sikandari Raan, Makhan Paneer, Dum Gosht Biryani and Lychee Kulfi just to name a few. “Saffron at The Park Kolkata has a carefully crafted menu that has a wonderful mixture of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, catering to varied food lovers. While we always innovate the menus and add as many
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RESTAURANT
“At Saffron, we have not let traditional Indian food go out of sight. Here modernity and tradition are both celebrated through flavours. Another focus area of Saffron is the use of local ingredients, vegetarian food and of late, organic food.” — Sharad Dewan, Regional Director — Food Production, The Park Kolkata
dishes as possible, authentic Indian dishes straight from the kitchen are always appreciated by our guests. Traditional yet with a touch of contemporary presentation, Saffron has all that its takes to enjoy a good meal with the entire family,” stated Pramode Bhandari, General Manager, The Park Kolkata. The Bengali connection with Saffron is very much evident. On my request, Chef Sharad Dewan gave his observations about some of his signature Bengali dishes at Saffron.
Chef Sharad’s Take on Some Signature Bengali Delicacies at Saffron Ilish — Ilish is the most sought after fish among the Bengalis. The
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uniqueness of ilish or hilsa is that it is a sea fish, which is caught upstream in the river. This makes the fish oily and flavourful but still sweetish. The flavour of this fish is unbeatable. It is an expensive fish and the best variety comes from the Padma river in Bangladesh. It is also a fish, which is partaken during celebrations. It has many thorns and so great skill is required to prepare it in boneless form. Ilish is a delicacy. Ilish Biryani is a favourite of many as the oil of ilish is also used to flavour the biryani. This elevates the flavours of biryani even further. Kosha Mangsho — What is Roganjosh to Kashmir or Lal Maas is to Rajasthan, Kosha Mangsho is to Bengal. It is a slow cooked aromatic mutton curry and very rich. The mutton is kept a bit al dente and so the name! Mocha Cutlet — Bengalis use almost every part of the banana tree — the fruit, the leaves, and the flower. The flower of banana tree is called mocha in Bengali. The big reddish flower is painstakingly peeled and the inner florets are sorted out, blanched, chopped and then cooked with light spices. This mixture is then converted into crumb fried cutlets (this is perhaps the British influence on Bengali food). This delicacy is best served with a tomato ketchup and mustard sauce. Prawn Malai Curry —This can well be considered the most famous dish of West Bengal. It has a very coastal touch to it. Here prawns are cleaned but cooked whole with head and tail intact (sometimes with shell too) in a coconut milk curry, which is mildly spiced and is a bit sweetish to taste. The delicacy is served best with Gobindbhog rice. Topse Bhaja — Topse is a small single bone fish, which is very delicate and tasty. This fish is served both as a snack and in curries. Topse Bhaja is fried in batter like a pakoda, however, it is crispier than your average pakoda. n
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C H EF VO I CE
Focused on Sustainable Cooking By Sharmila Chand
Mohd. Abbas Bhat, the Executive Chef of RK Sarovar Portico, Srinagar holds rich experience of over 15 years in the hospitality industry. He has worked with well known luxury and upscale hotel chains like Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, ITDC, JW Marriott among others. No wonder he brings a combination of high level expertise, variety and functionality to his job. Born and brought up in Srinagar, Chef Abbas began learning cooking at the age of 16. His interest in cooking soon turned into a hobby and subsequently into a profession. While he specialises in Lebanese, Continental and Indian cuisines, regional specialties like Kashmiri cuisine have now also become part of his culinary forte. He strongly believes that food hygiene, especially in today’s context, is as important as the food’s taste and its presentation. The excerpts of the interview follow:
How do you define yourself? I would define myself as a passionate Chef in love with cooking.
What is meaning of life for you?
satisfaction can be termed as success.
What you are passionate about? It is my work. I just love it.
To live every day like it is your last and to give your best at everything that you need to do.
What would you consider as your professional strength?
What would you like to say on your work?
And what you consider as your weakness?
Cooking is my passion and I would want to cook till death overtakes me.
What is your philosophy of cooking? My cooking is based on seasonal and fresh sustainable products. I do not like complicated recipes. I believe that a good recipe is simply prepared which is robust with its inherent flavour.
Had you not been a Chef then what would you have been?
It is my teammates.
I get depressed when there is no work.
What is your greatest desire? My greatest desire is to be able to take all the risks I want in life.
What is your chief leisurely pursuit? It is maintaining my kitchen garden.
What are your favourite holiday destinations?
If I were not a Chef, I would have been indulging in some entrepreneurship as I like to create something of my own.
Phalgham and Mauritius are my favourite holiday destinations.
What or who is/are your source of inspiration?
I de-stress by spending time with my family members.
My mother and sisters always inspire me to achieve great heights. They instilled in me to have faith in myself and endeavour to do what I like without hurting the Mother Nature.
What is your definition of success? To me whatever brings ultimate
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How do you de-stress yourself?
How do you rate yourself as a Chef? I would rate myself as an improving Chef.
What is favourite cuisine? It is Lebanese cuisine.
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And what is your favourite spice? Saffron is my favourite spice.
What would you consider as your favourite dish? It is Mutton Mirchi Korma.
What is your favourite equipment? Char-Griller is my favourite equipment.
Who is your favourite diner, that is the kind of guest you would like most to feed? Everyone.
What would you consider as your hot selling item? Shawarma & Whole Lamb.
Where would we see you 10 years from now? I want to own an Arabic restaurant. You may see me as a restaurateur, 10 years from now.
What is the position of Chefs these days, in India? It is improving.
What are the problems and challenges faced by Chefs in India? A major challenge for the Chefs in India lies in the ability to source good quality ingredients all through the year, and manage with fluctuations in prices.
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PROFILE
The Creative Restaurateur By Swarnendu Biswas
I
t is his inherent creativity that propelled Vineet Wadhwa, Chairman & Managing Director - VW Cuisines Pvt. Ltd., to make his mark in DelhiNCR’s food service industry. His years of culinary expertise of course, facilitated success in his business endeavours, but while conversing with him it seemed to me that he counts more on his imaginative mind than on his years of experience to get inspirations to explore new domains in the food service and hospitality business.
Wadhwa was seen as a Hotel Consultant with Indotels, where he got the opportunity to work with AN Haksar, the first Indian Chairman of ITC Ltd. He joined Indotels in 1987.
Catering to Refined Tastes After two fruitful years of hotel consultancy, Wadhwa thought about embarking on his own. In 1989, he did set up his own venture named Instant Host, which was and still is engaged
A Long Journey
A veteran in the business of food service, he began his career in this area with Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, in F&B operations, some three-and-half decades back. After a three-year-long tenure with the Taj Group he went to Wimpy, in UK. Wadhwa informed that he played a key role in opening Wimpy’s maiden outlet in India, at Connaught Place, Delhi. He was also in charge of the entire operations of Wimpy’s in India during the first oneand-a-half years of the chain’s presence in India, which included setting up of factory and franchising. After three years tenure with Wimpy,
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in outdoor and institutional catering in Delhi. “Along with my catering venture, I was also engaged in doing restaurant consultancy around the globe. My work in restaurant consultancy on turnkey basis took me to Kobe in Japan, in Dubai, in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, among many other places around the planet,” expressed Wadhwa. Today his entire catering division operates under the ambit of the brand of Cuisines and Concepts. Whether be it a wedding reception, a sit down banquet, or a business launch, or having an exotic spread of authentic cuisines with friends & family, Cuisines & Concepts is adept at addressing these guest requirements. According to Wadhwa, “Cuisines & Concepts is a food-art catering services brand, with a mission of refining & redefining fine dining experience for food lovers & connoisseurs.”
Diversifying to Fio
Vineet Wadhwa
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As I sipped on an ethereal blueberrybased mocktail named Hot Wire (quite a hot name for a cool drink), Wadhwa told me that though his catering business was doing pretty well he never allowed a feeling of complacency to make a
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room within himself. “After quite some time in the catering business, I thought of diversifying further in the food service business. I decided to enter the restaurant business, as it is more stable in nature than the catering business. But I wanted to enter the restaurant business in a novel manner. I wanted to create a fine dining restaurant embodying some innovation, which would help to make my enterprise in restaurant business stand apart from the clutter of competition,” explained the savvy entrepreneur, who by his own admission, “always preferred to travel the less travelled road.” His desire to make a mark in Delhi-NCR’s crowded and intensely competitive restaurant business scenario found its fruition in Fio Country Kitchen & Bar, in 2009. The name Fio itself gives way to Wadhwa’s romantic disposition. “Fiona means a beautiful lady who never lies and Fiore means beautiful flower; with their creative synthesis I have arrived at the word Fio,” explained the innovative restaurateur with a smile, as he cajoled me to repeat my drink. The huge outlet amidst soothing greenery is located at the Garden of Five Senses, in New Delhi. The real estate for the outlet was acquired by Wadhwa and his wife through a lease, after several negotiations. “I was helped by my wife and daughter in developing the aesthetics and the interior décor of the would be restaurant, and after lots of creativity and sustained hard work a sleek outlet decked in greenery took shape out of the arid land,” explained the restaurateur, who said that the initial investment for Fio Country Kitchen & Bar was to the tune of Rs. 2 crore. “Far from the maddening crowd, set in between wilderness, Fio Country Kitchen & Bar exudes an extraordinarily exotic fable-like feel. It doesn’t look like a conventional restaurant at all,” pointed out the food service veteran. He didn’t mince his words when he said in a matter of fact manner that every inch of his maiden restaurant had his creative imprints, and everything at the restaurant was developed from the scratch.
Two Cuisines under One Roof The uniqueness of Fio Country Kitchen & Bar is that it encapsulates two culinary specialisations instead of one, which is generally the trend in regular fine dining restaurants across urban India focusing on a given cuisine. One can find restaurants focusing on Japanese cuisine, Greek cuisine, Mexican cuisine, but seldom you are likely to land up at a fine dining restaurant in urban India, which focuses on say both Greek and Mexican cuisine or say both Chinese and Italian cuisine under one roof. Fio Country Kitchen & Bar offers contemporary Indian cuisine and as well as modern Italian cuisine under one roof. The same culinary model is being followed at Wadhwa’s next restaurant outlet, named FIO Cookhouse & Bar, which is located just below the Nehru Place Metro Station, at Epicuria. Both the restaurants have two separate kitchens each. FIO Cookhouse & Bar came up in October 2013, involving an initial investment of approximately Rs. 4 crore. “Most of the initial investments for these two restaurants have been pumped in by me only, with only a slight
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PROFILE proportion being loaned from banks,” maintained Wadhwa with a proud smile. And in both the restaurants the ambience and décor reflect Wadhwa’s creative inputs in ample dosage. Despite the novelty, both the outlets are attracting brisk footfalls, which amply highlight high-end Delhites’s interest towards both Indian and Italian cuisines. FIO Country Kitchen & Bar broke even in 2011, and Wadhwa expects the FIO Cookhouse & Bar to break-even by October 2015. However, despite the similarities there are differences too between the two classy restaurants of Vineet Wadhwa. FIO Country Kitchen & Bar emphasises more on outdoor dining; the outlet with lots of greenery and breathing space has al fresco dining option for 200 people at a time, and there is capacity for 48 people to sit indoors, at a time. “Here a pebbled patio with a stunning al fresco dining area paves way for enticing interiors. We offer a pleasant café experience during the day, and the ambience effortlessly glides into that of a soulful and charming restaurant at night,” offered Wadhwa while talking of his latest venture in brick and mortar, FIO Cookhouse & Bar. The interiors of the less than two year old restaurant are seamlessly divided into two sections – a lounge and bar area that is inviting yet has an intriguing aura and a restaurant section that is effervescent and relaxed. The writer visited FIO Cookhouse & Bar and witnessed that about 30 percent of the interiors of the restaurant has been demarcated into a bar. Profusion of
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wood and a huge cabinetry comprising books, artifacts and a host of alcoholic beverages (the product segmentation of the cabinetry has been intelligently done, but then that is another story) is part of the elegant décor of the restaurant. Live kitchen adds to the culinary appeal of the place. FIO Cookhouse & Bar has al fresco dining option for 80 guests at a time, whereas 98 guests can sit indoors at the restaurant, at a time. FIO Cookhouse & Bar is open from 12 pm-12.30 am every day. The timings are the same for FIO Country Kitchen & Bar too. According to Wadhwa, the busy days for his two restaurants (in terms of guest footfalls) are Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the other three days are comparatively lean days for business. I requested him to name some of the dishes at the two restaurants which rank highly among the guests’ favourites. “Spit Fired Grilled Chicken, Glazed Chicken Spiedini, Fio Cookhouse Salad, Phylo Tazza, Basil Lime Steamed Fish, Lemon Cilantro Prawn, Cappelleti Pasta, Braised Pepper Lamb are some of our many hot selling creations,” averred Wadhwa.
The Interesting Parallels I queried the entrepreneur on an issue which was intriguing me for quite some time, during the interaction. To my question on why he chose to specifically focus on contemporary Indian and modern Italian cuisines only in two of his restaurants and not on any other group of cuisines, he gave a fairly interesting response. “Besides the fact that both authentic Indian and Italian cuisines are popular among those sections of Delhi-NCR crowd who are endowed with decent disposable incomes and exposure to global cuisines; who incidentally comprise a majority of our guests, the corollary or the latent similarity between Indian and Italian cuisines induced me to undertake these ventures,” he explained. He cited that both Indian and Italian cuisines embody a wide range of regional diversities; both have rich legacy with parallel traits of modernity within its ambit; both have a rich heritage of informal dining with India’s dhaba can find its parallels in Italian trattoria and osteria, in both Indian and Italian cuisines family dining play a vital role… I began to understand his fascination much before he ended.
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
Future is Bright With Phylo Tazza and thin crust chicken pizza our discussion meandered to future expansion and diversification plans for VW Cuisines Pvt. Ltd. The restaurateur sounded extremely optimistic of the future. “We are planning three outlets in Delhi-NCR in the next 12 months, under the ambit of the brand Fio, which will be located at Gurgaon, Aerocity, and Lutyens Delhi. They would either be owned by the company, or be in partnership. Apart from these, from the beginning of 2016, we are thinking of coming out with FIO Cafes. For the FIO Cafes, which will be dotted on a pan-India basis, we are open for franchising,” elaborated Wadhwa, quite candidly. According to him, FIO Cafes are envisaged to be located in Delhi-NCR as well as outside. He is also envisaging to extend the sub-brand of Fio Cookhouse & Bar, both within and outside Delhi-NCR. Within Delhi-NCR, the Fio Cookhouse & Bar sub-brand will be extended through partnerships and joint ventures, whereas outside Delhi-NCR the presence of Fio Cookhouse & Bar will be enhanced through franchising route. It is indeed difficult for a man like him to rest on his laurels. He is brimming with new ideas to explore in the restaurant business. n
June-July ’15
www.worldoffoodindia.com
www.foodservice-india.com
Most international exhibition duo for food & beverage trade and catering & retail technology
September 14-16, 2015 Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India Powered by
Contacts: India & International: Koelnmesse YA Tradefair Pvt. Ltd. Sandeep Kumar Tel: +91-40-65707722 s.kumar@koelnmesse-india.com
June-July ’15
Europe: Koelnmesse GmbH Christina Solbach Tel: +49-221-821-3619 c.solbach@koelnmesse.de
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INGREDIENTS
Healthy Ingredients for the Health Conscious Times By Gauri Iyer
I
n today’s health conscious world, more and more people are becoming well informed about the bad fats and cholesterol. For most people, the knee-jerk reaction is to avoid everything that has oil and fats in it. But do you, can you really give up all your favourite food? Not likely, most probably. Nowadays we often find that when one cheats on his/her diet, he/she also often gets laden with a feeling of guilt and a nagging worry about one’s health. But what if there is a guilt-free solution to your dilemma? Keeping in mind the needs of the modern consumers and in order to promote healthy eating habits amongst the kids, Kamani Oil Industries has introduced a number of nutritious oils and trans-fat free products in the market, which not only can make your food safe and scrumptious, but can add a healthy twist to the oft-feared desserts like cakes, cookies and sweets. Having a range of products that
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suit the needs of the food & beverage industry, Kamani Oil Industries’s R&D facility welcomes most of its customers to take trials with new formulations. Our commitment and passion to work closely with our valued customers, help us to customise our products to meet their distinct requirements. With years of experience in beneficial processing methods, Kamani Oil Industries has introduced trans-fat free products like PuffLite, K-Lite and CakeLite. These healthy shortenings and margarines add value to the finished products in terms of shine and
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
consistency. For example, puff products like croissants and puff pastry are made voluminous, crispier, crunchier and tastier with PuffLite, along with TastePuff and K-Puff. PuffLite is a trans-fat free bakery shortening, which is ideally suited for puff products such as croissants, puff pastries, etc. K-Lite is a trans-fat free aerated multi-purpose bakery shortening, which finds application in various bakery products and performs better than the regular commercially available margarine or bakery shortening. Its good aeration ability provides better volume and whiteness for butter creams. Moreover, K-Lite can blend with any flavour and colour, giving richness to the taste and texture. Moreover, it requires less mixing time. CakeLite margarine is exclusively used to make spongy and lighter tea time cakes and gives them a finer, polished look. Similarly, with the Kookiez bakery
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INGREDIENTS
shortening and K-Meetha Vanaspati refined vegetable fat, artisan bakers and home Chefs can get crunchy and light cookies, biscuits and nankhatais with less than 10 percent trans-fat and a good shelf-life. Komplete Plus is a refined interesterified vegetable fat used for making pej butter and cheese sticks. Kamani Oil Industries has translated the concept of using vegetable fats in frozen desserts, instead of the regular dairy fats or ice-cream fats, a healthy reality. These alternative products are cholesterol free, trans-fat free and are more economical than the dairy fats. For example, KOOLEX is a 100 percent trans-free and cholesterol
free vanaspati, which can be used as a replacement of dairy fat in frozen desserts like kulfi, sweet boondi and more. It gives the dessert excellent meltin-the-mouth feel and good temperature stability. KOOLEX’s bland taste and odourless properties make it a perfect ingredient for distinctly flavoured ice creams and other frozen desserts. Then CHOKITA and KOATINA are cocoa butter substitutes (CBS), which can be used in moulded chocolates and in the coating of wafers, crackers and nuts respectively. These CBS have a good snap even at ambient temperature and requires minimum tempering. They have good flavour release, sharp melt off and are much cheaper than cocoa butter, thereby making them highly cost-effective. Also take the case of KONFEX, a lauric-based fat used for making hard boiled confectionary and cream of biscuits and wafers. On the other hand, K-2000 is a lauric-based CBS, suitable for soft centred candies like eclairs. Golden Yellow is a non lauric double deodorized vegetable oil, specially
designed for choco paste or squeezy type of confectionery products. It remains liquid at ambient temperature and even at lower temperatures, and hence it is convenient to use. It has very good oxidative stability and its bland flavour helps maintain the original taste of the product. With ingredients like these, the opportunity for the Indian bakery industry to head for a healthier future with fast pace doesn’t seem to be all that remote.
The author is the Head —Technical Services, Kamani Oil Industries Pvt. Ltd.
The art of great cooking MKN – The german specialist in professional cooking appliances
MKN India Mohua Das Mobile (India): 91 987 313 3200 E-Mail: mdas@mkn-india.com
www.mkn.eu
June-July ’15
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
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OPERATIONS
Hotels Emphasising on
Banquets By Sharmila Chand
B
anquets have emerged as a major revenue source for big and luxury hotels in the Indian hospitality industry. The needs and demands of the increasing numbers of discerning guests in the Indian hospitality industry have evolved greatly over the years and banquets in hotels and resorts need to keep pace to cater to these changing requirements. And they are doing so. The banqueting operations in India, like almost every other facet of hospitality business, have embraced the latest trends. It involves theme concept, food styling, table layouts, bar set up, crockery, cutlery, choice of linen, staff uniform, flower decoration… in fact, the list of things to make a successful banquet event seems to be endless. A major contributor to the revenue of hotels today, we look into the F&B challenges that come with the banqueting operations.
Evolving Business Now more guests in hotels in India have exposure to international travels than they had a decade before. Thus they are likely to be exposed to what is available in banquets, internationally.
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Many discerning guests (whose numbers are increasing in the Indian hospitality industry) are also looking for innovative ways of celebrating important events in their life. Thus the banqueting business in hotels and resorts in India need to match international standards and be innovative. “There is vast potential in the banqueting business today. What is required for a successful banqueting business is innovation, while keeping the personal touch intact,” averred Mayuresh Deodhar, Director of Sales and Marketing, Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre. “Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre aspires to be a preferred venue for business, and celebrations and
“ We p r o v i d e c o m p e t i t i v e packages to our clients for hosting wedding receptions. We also market our brand on all social media platforms to ensure maximum possible reach.” Navin Suchanti, Managing Director, Sinclairs Hotels & Resorts
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weddings is one of the largest segments for the hotel. People of Ahmedabad are well travelled and prefer to have menus with a blend of traditional and international cuisine,” he added further. “Live and interactive food counters with Chefs in action are preferred by the guests,” observed Deodhar while discussing the banqueting trends in hotels.
Banqueting Challenges Banqueting has an advantage to drive in high volumes of business, which can lead to higher profitability. As is the case with all businesses, banqueting also has its fair share of challenges. “We don’t see any unmanageable challenge in the banqueting business, which cannot be handled. Each guest has his/her own needs and expectations with the hotel, which have to met. We see most of our weddings have a large room requirement and this can sometimes be a challenge, while balancing the corporate and the social demand,” affirmed Deodhar. “Satisfying each & every taste bud can be a challenge in big weddings. Also forecasting portions can be challenging
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OPERATIONS as well as the presentation of cooked food in chafers. Food safety & hygiene is a big challenge for big events,” explained Kumar Sambhav, Director, Food & Beverage at The Grand New Delhi while talking about the challenges in hosting wedding banquets. “The major challenge in wedding banqueting for hotels is anticipating requirements of wedding parties. Keeping up with wedding trends is also a challenging task. Wedding trends keep on changing. Something that is trendy now could be passé in no time,” asserted Navin Suchanti, Managing Director, Sinclairs Hotels & Resorts. Of course, cost is certainly a major factor to be taken into account while hosting banquets in hotels. Suchanti emphasised on this factor. Food, decoration and other aspects of banqueting have to be chosen in such a way that they are cost-effective for both the hotel and the hosts. Besides costs of course, several other factors also needed to be kept in mind for hosting successful banquets in hotels. The profile of the guests, the cuisine, the infrastructure are only some of the important issues which needed to be taken care of. “Some of the factors we keep in mind are the guests’ demographic profile, the type of seasonal fresh ingredients available in markets, the balance between live cooking & food counters, weather, and the cuisine we are strong at,” Kumar Sambhav said.
Playing to Strength Running a successful banqueting facility in a hotel requires a fine eye for details pertaining to infrastructure, services and marketing. “We at the hotel host food tasting sessions with the client,
“Wedding banqueting business is going to grow at a very fast pace in the future. Everyone wants a great wedding and many want their weddings to be different. In this regard, hotels must keep up with the demand from the guests by regularly upgrading themselves & training their teams. They need to keep experimenting with new food concepts and cuisines. Hotels who regularly upgrade themselves will create a niche for themselves and can be ahead of competition.” Kumar Sambhav, Director, Food & Beverage at The Grand New Delhi
personally attended by the Executive Chef. Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre has a team of dedicated Crown Meetings Manager to ensure that we meet the expectations of the clients,” said Deodhar. More importantly, he added, “The hotel is crafting special wedding packages for non-auspicious wedding dates to attract incremental revenue.” “Sinclairs has properties in several exotic locations and that is our USP. In Port Blair, one can have the banquet with us, with the sea as the backdrop; in Ooty our three level gardens make the venue adventurous and interesting. Similarly in Chalsa, you can have the function amidst pristine green surroundings. For the bride and the groom, we also offer pre-wedding casual and candid photography sessions,” pointed out Suchanti. “IHG that operates the Crowne Plaza brand has partnered with celebrity Chefs to form a panel of ‘Culinary Ambassadors,’ each of whom have contributed bespoke recipes that can be incorporated in the wedding menus. This helps to elevate the F&B profile of the event and facilitates to attract new
“The entire business of hosting great weddings needs a very special approach with a lot of emotional involvement and flexibility to adapt to the different needs of different communities.” Mayuresh Deodhar, Director of Sales and Marketing, Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre.
June-July ’15
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
customers apart from retaining regular customers,” proffered Deodhar.
The Role of Marketing Right marketing and advertisement is required to facilitate the guests and potential guests are aware of the banqueting facilities in the hotel. “Our wedding banqueting marketing strategies are manifold including, tieup with celebrity Chefs, developing specialised wedding brochures; developing a panel of vendors specialising in weddings and organising wedding fairs and jewellery exhibitions,” expressed Deodhar. Kumar Sambhav told that the marketing focus of their banqueting is through word of mouth. Generating leads for the current events and offering rewards for the bookers are some of the other marketing endeavours for The Grand New Delhi to market banquets, according to Kumar Sambhav. “Weddings are more of creating an experience as it is a once in a lifetime event and we would prefer to focus more on the overall feel and the experience of the client and the rest follows,” summed up Deodhar.
For Profitable Wedding Banquets I queried on the tips to run a profitable wedding banquet operations in a hotel to the experts. “Creating an unmatched experience and concentrating on the quality without compromising on delivery standards can lead to a profitable wedding banquet in a hotel,” observed Deodhar. “Keep on innovating in set-up, keep on investing in props to create nice set-ups, do proper menu planning and control wastage. These are the factors needed for a profitable wedding banquet in a hotel,” stated Kumar Sambhav. n
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HEALTH
Metal Detection in Food & Beverages By Dr. Saurabh Arora
T
he food and beverage (F&B) services market in India is expanding at a rapid pace. The overall F&B scenario in India has evolved dramatically over the past decade. While in the past, there were only a handful of brands in a given product category or product categories to choose from; now the consumers have difficulty in choosing from the flood of brands on offer! The Indian F&B industry has also attracted good investments during the recent years. However, along with these developments, the issue of food safety gathers and should gather further momentum in the country’s food service industry. In order to ensure that the F&B market in India keeps flourishing, it is important to focus on the quality of food and beverage offered to the consumers across the country. It is of utmost importance that the food we eat and the beverages we drink are absolutely safe for human consumption. Therefore, carrying out food safety checks is a mandatory requirement for ensuring healthy food intake. Food and beverages need to be tested for a large number of contaminants. Of these, contaminating metals are very important, as these have a deleterious effect on health if the levels are above the specified values. Many metals act as co-factors for enzymes involved in various metabolic pathways. It follows that large quantities of contaminating metals can have adverse effects on these metabolic pathways, which can lead to health problems; especially upon continuous, long-term exposure. The various types of metals, in particular, the heavy metals are widely distributed in our environment, and can enter our food chain through various ways. For example, heavy metals in the streams, rivers and lakes can accumulate in fish, which in turn are consumed by humans, leading to heavy metals entering the human food chain. This is only
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one example out of a myriad. However, regardless of the mode of entry into the food cycle, heavy metals have the potential to disturb the normal functioning of the body metabolism and can accumulate in the body, causing severe toxicity. A few other metals, namely, sodium, potassium and calcium do not fall within the category of heavy metals, but are important for the normal functioning of the body. Calcium is required for muscle contraction and transportation of molecules; while sodium and potassium are required for maintaining electrolyte balance within cells with reference to its extracellular environment. Deficiency of these metal ions can lead to various health problems. For example, calcium deficiency can cause osteomalacia or weak bones, while its excess can cause toxicity. Deficiency of sodium and potassium can cause hyponatremia and hypokalemia respectively, while their excesses can lead to toxicity.
Safety Limits for Heavy Metals Recommended by FSSAI To protect the consumers, regulatory bodies across the world have established regulations with stringent limits on the permitted levels of heavy metals in different items of food. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the apex regulatory body on food safety in India, has recommended safety limits for metal contaminants in food and beverages, which should not be exceeded. These are shown in Table 1.
Testing of Metals in Food and Beverages The presence of heavy metal contaminants in F&B makes it important for the food and beverages industry to ensure that their products are free from these toxic elements by regularly testing their ingredients and products for compliance with the regulatory requirements. Testing for
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metals in foodstuff essentially involves the following four steps: Sampling: The objective of this step is to obtain a small and representative portion from the large sample in such a way that any subsequent test on the sample will give reproducible results. Destruction of Organic Matter: The commonly used methods of destruction of organic matter can be broadly grouped into wet oxidation, dry ashing and microwave digestion. Separation and Concentration of the Metal: Once the organic component is destroyed, the element of interest is concentrated by applying physicochemical methods. Measurement and Determination of the Metal: The concentrated element is then subjected to analytical methods to determine its actual level in the original sample of food.
FSSAI’s Recommended Methods FSSAI has recommended a number of methods for testing contaminating metals in foodstuff, which have been approved and validated internationally by leading agencies like the USFDA and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of the EU. It is important to note that approval by international agencies in various countries means that the methods have been standardised and harmonised as per the global standards. Therefore, when the Indian food products are exported to these countries and retested before distribution, they are likely to pass the quality and safety checks easily. Some of the FSSAI approved methods for testing heavy metals are briefly shown in Table 2 (in Page 72).
Most Advanced Method for Testing Metals The most advanced method for testing metals, which is considered the ‘Gold
June-July ’15
HEALTH Table 1: FSSAI Recommended Limits for Metal Contaminants in Foods and Beverages Metal Contaminant
Lead
Copper
Arsenic
Tin
June-July ’15
Article of Food
Parts per Million (ppm) by Weight
Beverages:
Concentrated soft drinks Tomato juice & other fruit and vegetable juices Lime juice & lemon juice Tea Foods: Edible oils, fats and refined white sugar Ice cream & ice lollies
0.5 1.0 2.0 10.0 on the dry matter 0.5 1.0
Canned fish & meat, meat extracts, hydrolyzed protein, dried and dehydrated vegetables
5.0
All types of sugar: raw sugar, sugar syrup, invert sugar, edible molasses, caramel liquid, solid glucose
5.0
Iron fortified common salt Meat and meat products Solid pectin Hard boiled sugar confectionery Foods not specified Beverages:
2.0 2.5 50.0 2.0 2.5
Soft drinks excluding concentrates and carbonated water Carbonated water Concentrates of soft drinks Coffee beans Tea Juice of orange, grape, apple, tomato, pineapple and lemon Foods: Iron fortified common salt Pulp and pulp products of any fruit Infant milk substitute and Infant foods Caramel Tomato puree, paste, powder, juice and cocktails
7.0 1.5 20.0 30.0 150.0 5.0 2.0 5.0 15.0 (but not less than 2.8) 20.0 100.0 on the dried tomato solid
Tomato ketchup
50.0 on the dried total solids
Edible gelatin Pectin solid Hard boiled sugar confectionery Foods not specified Beverages (including milk): Milk Soft drink intended for consumption after dilution except carbonated water Carbonated water Juice of orange, grape, apple, tomato, pineapple and lemon Foods: Infant milk substitute and infant foods Pulp and pulp products of any fruit
30.0 300.0 5.0 30.0 0.1 0.5 0.25 0.2 0.05 0.2
Preservatives, anti-oxidants, emulsifying and stabilizing agents and synthetic food colors
3.0 on dry matter
Ice cream & ice lollies Dehydrated onions, edible gelatin, liquid pectin
0.5 2.0
Dried herbs, finings and clearing agents, solid pectin all grades, spices Hard boiled sugar confectionery Iron fortified common salt Foods not specified Beverages: Juice of orange, apple, tomato, pineapple and lemon
5.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 250.0
Foods:
Processed and canned products
250.0
Jam, jellies and marmalade
250.0
Hard boiled sugar confectionery
5.0
Pulp and pulp products of any fruit
250.0
Infant milk substitute and infant foods Meat and meat products Foods not specified
5.0 250.0 250.0
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HEALTH Metal Contaminant
Article of Food
Parts per Million (ppm) by Weight
Beverages:
Ready-to-drink beverages
5.0
Juice of orange, grape, tomato, pineapple and lemon
5.0
Foods:
Pulp and pulp products of any fruit
5.0
Infant milk substitute and infant foods
50.0 (but not less than 25.0)
Edible gelatin
100.0
Fruit and vegetable products Hard boiled sugar confectionery Foods not specified Foods: Infant milk substitute and infant foods
50.0 5.0 50.0 0.1
Turmeric whole and powder
0.1
Other foods
1.5
Foods:
Fish
0.5
Other foods
1.0
Chromium
Refined sugar
20 ppb
Nickel
All hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, interesterified vegetable oils and fats
1.5
Zinc
Cadmium
Mercury
Adding to the above, FSSAI has recently proposed the standard limits of heavy metals in new food articles, which are present in the draft mode.
Table 2: FSSAI Recommended Methods for Testing Heavy Metals Metal Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Iron, Zinc Mercury
Cadmium Copper Iron Lead
Method(s) Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS), ICP/ICP-MS * Flameless AAS; Mercury analyzer; Colorimetric dithizone method, ICP/ICP-MS * Colorimetric molybdenum blue method; Colorimetric silver diethyl dithiocarbamate method, AAS, ICP/ICP-MS * Colorimetric dithizone method, AAS, ICP/ICP-MS * Colorimetric carbamate method (IUPAC method), AAS, ICP/ICP-MS * Colorimetric method using α- α-dipyridyl, AAS, ICP/ICP-MS * Colorimetric method using dithizone and chloroform, AAS, ICP/ICP-MS *
Tin
Spectrophotometric catechol violet method (IUPAC method); Volumetric method, AAS, ICP/ICP-MS *
Zinc
Colorimetric dithizone method, AAS, ICP/ICP-MS *
Arsenic
*Some of the methods are in the draft manual.
Standard,’ is a combination of Microwave Digestion for sample preparation, followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS) for sample analysis. The closed sample digestion technique of microwave digestion system allows for preparing the samples in a closed system at high temperature and pressure without losing any of the volatile analyte like mercury and arsenic, which are otherwise easily lost when the sample is digested using open digestion with acids or ashing followed by acid treatment. ICP MS gives the advantage of analysing all the metals at the same time with minimum manual intervention, which is required when analysing samples on an AAS with hydride generation and graphite furnace assembly. It also offers unparalleled low
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detection limits, in the parts per trillion levels range, allowing for the use of smaller sample quantities; which can be properly digested giving better recovery and reproducibility of results.
Conclusion
It is evident that testing for contaminating metals is a very important aspect of maintaining food safety. These metals, particularly the heavy metals, should not exceed the permissible limits in food and beverages, as recommended by the FSSAI in the Indian context. Nowadays, there are a number of approved and validated methods that are at the disposal of the food analyst for testing metal contaminants in foodstuff. Importantly, more advanced and automated analytical methods like
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
AAS, ICP MS, coupled with microwave digestion for sample preparation have immensely streamlined and simplified the whole process of food testing. This has resulted in generation of more robust data that are reproducible and at par with international standards, which has led to a new era in food testing services in India. The author is the Founder of Food Safety Helpline.com. He is also the Managing Director of Auriga Research Ltd.
June-July ’15
June-July ’15
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PRO D U CT PR E V I E W AHU SCENT DELIVERY SYSTEM
Gralit has developed AHU Central Scenting Machine. The scent is delivered through the atomiser installed inside the machine. The pipe connected with the atomiser delivers the scent inside the AHU unit and scent is delivered to every corner of the property where the AHU vent is opening up. The Aroma Oil used in these machines is specifically manufactured accordingly as it requires low viscous fluid to pass through the atomiser. This type of technology can be applied to the high- end users ranging from the hospitals to the luxurious five- star hotel properties where area is huge. Gralit India Biotech (GIB) lab with the help of its highly skilled research team understands & develops the fine notes of fragrances exclusively for the hospitality industry. Apart from this, to provide best of variety to the customers, it also regularly tests the blends the technicians have made i.e., their strength, notes & their elasticity. Currently the company is offering more than 100 + fragrances and also deals in customising the fragrances that suits the property. Gralit India Biotech Pvt. Ltd. gaurav@aerocide.in
HYGIENIC TOOTH PICK DISPENSER
KMW is one of the leading manufacturers of more than 3500 products for the hospitality industry. The company with 45 years of history has major production for export to 80 countries. The company exports its products to Matfer, Pujadas, Debuyer & Lacor in Europe, in USA to American Metal Craft, Vollrath, Tablecraft & Alegacy. Company’s product development department keeps developing new product range as per the industry requirements. The company has recently developed ‘Hygienic Tooth Pick Dispenser’. Traditionally tooth pick is stored in small cylinder shaped holder; when used, by default users’ fingers touch the adjoining toothpick, thus making it unhygienic. The newly developed dispenser dispenses tooth pick without any human fingers’ contact. Since it dispenses one pick at a time as compared to traditional toothpick holders, where user picks up multiple picks, the system is more economical too. It also has higher storage capacity than traditional holders. Moreover, it is presentable & attractive. King Metal Works sales@kingmetal.com
TABLEWARE
One of the best-selling collections in the Skyra Professional Tableware range, the Rose Gold Chafing Dish Collection is also the most charming. It is available in 4 sizes from 2 Ltrs for home dinner parties to 8 Ltrs for larger events. Across all volumes is a single design language that features a beautiful Rose Copper Lid and Water Pan in combination with a gold stand and finials. The classic contemporary forms are complimented by beautiful bead trimmed handles and slim elegant legs. To finish the detailing are sleek slender rods that hold the burner holder in place. The base is extremely de-cluttered as a result of this design, enabling the focal points to remain on the gorgeous dome lids. SKYRA Professional Equipment Pvt. Ltd. gmsales@skyra.in
SEAFOOD DELICACIES
The foundation of MM Fisheries dates back to 1964 when the then pioneer and now leader of the fishery industry marked a niche for itself. They take pride in unveiling themselves as a leader of the seafood market that has paved way for their success. The interesting and gripping history of MM Fisheries was initiated by being associated with the Oberoi Hotel in 1964. Inviting more business by being true to the business and services they render, got a chance to proudly associate their company with Hotel Taj Mahal since its inception in 1977. Later, with best-proven services, they entered a permanent contract with Hotel Taj Mahal for the next seven years which continued until the late 80’s. Expansion of business is necessary to the company as blood is to the body. The firm belief in this statement has led to the repercussion of expansion of its operations and services in consideration to the sky-rocketing demand of fish and seafood in India. To complement this, company imports best quality of Norwegian Salmon Fish and its portions in addition to various other varieties of Fish and seafood. The company added another feather to their cap by also dealing in import of Basa Fillet (Pangasius Fillet) from one of the renowned company of Vietnam. To facilitate its customers to enjoy the delicacy of fish and other seafood, they have inaugurated its wholesale outlet and six retail outlets to deliver the extra-ordinary quality of products they deal in high quality fresh, frozen and ready to eat sea food. MM Fisheries Pvt. Ltd. mmfisheries@hotmail.com
The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective manufacturer/distributor. In any case, it does not represent the views of Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
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Made from the finest business ingredients in the food industry.
19 – 21 October 2015
Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre, Mumbai
10 reasons why the 10th edition of Fi & Hi India is the place to be – ● Powered by 10 years of industry experience ● Over 4000 sqm of business space ● 8000+ international attendees to network with ● 200+ exhibitors to interact with ● Bakery Workshop Double the space. ● Bakery Championship Double the exhibitors. ● Innovative Product Showcase Double the business ● Innovative Ingredients Awards opportunities. ● Technical Seminars ● Food Processing and Packaging Pavilion
Hurry! Register now www.fi-india.com Contact: Pooja Patil | T: +91-22-6172 7418 | E: Pooja.patil@ubm.com
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In Commercial Kitchen we provide complete range of Kitchen Equipment - custom made equipment and Interna onal brands
Bakery Oven
Combi-Oven
Til ng Pan
Blast Chillers & Freezers
Glass Washer / Dish Washer
Vegetable Cu er
Vacuum Packing Machine
Spare Parts for Kitchen Equipment
Address: Khasra No. 173, Ground Floor, Behind SBI Bank, Rithala, New Delhi-110085, Phone: 011-27042121 Mobile: 09990058517, 09811437558, 09811625827, 09811595006 Email: chandra.ce@gmail.com, info@chandraengineers.co.in
Visit us at: www.chandraengineers.co.in
COMPANY
A D V E R T I S E R ’ S
ADANDE INDIA ADANI WILMAR LTD. AKASA INTERNATIONAL ALLIED METAL WORKS ANNAPOORNA 2015 ANUGA 2015 APPLE BAKERY MACHINERY PVT. LTD. BMS ENTERPRISES CHANDRA ENGINEERS CONSTELLATION PROJECT CREMICA FOOD INDUSTRIES LTD. DABON INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD. DS SPICECO PVT. LTD. EDWARD FOOD RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS CENTRE LIMITED FIHI 2015 GRALIT INDIA BIOTECH PVT. LTD. HICARE SERVICES PVT. LTD. HORECA INDIA 2015 IFB INDUSTRIES LTD. INDIA HOSPITALITY EXPO GOA 2015 KANHAIYALAL TANDOOR PVT. LTD. KAOCHSIUNG FOOD SHOW 2015 KING METAL WORKS KITCH’N SOLUTIONS LOOM CRAFTS FURNITURE (INDIA) PVT. LTD.
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I N D E X
COMPANY
MANISHA INTERNATIONAL MKN INDIA MM FISHERIES PVT. LTD. MOD KITCHEN EQUIPMENTS PVT. LTD. MOSAIC HOUSEWARE PVT. LTD. M.P ENTERPRISES MUNNILAL TANDOORS PVT. LTD. NEENA ENTERPRISES PACIFIC MERCHANTS RANS TECHNOCRATS (INDIA) PVT. LTD. REMINGTON STEEL ARTS SHAMSONS FOODS SKY ENTERPRISES SKYRA PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT PVT. LTD. SOLUTIONZ CONSULTING PVT. LTD. STEC STAINLESS STEEL PVT. LTD. THE NEW INDIA ELECTRIC & TRADING CO. THE SCS AGRIBUSINESS CONSULTANTS PVT. LTD. TROPILITE FOODS PVT. LTD. UNITAS FOODS PVT. LTD. VANYA INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENTS VENUS INDUSTRIES WINTERHALTER INDIA PVT. LTD. PRODUCT PREVIEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
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INTERVIEW
Catering to Guests’ Diversified Palates By Sharmila Chand
A thorough professional of high calibre, and endowed with the ability to handle multiple functions with vision & foresight, Anukam Tiwary, Food & Beverage Manager, Park Plaza Kolkata Ballygunge has an extensive experience in multitasking and non linear functioning. He has expertise in designing & implementing SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) and training programs for bringing keen customer focus, high energy level and team spirit among the team members. He has experience of over 18 years with reputed hotels like The Krishna Oberoi, Hyderabad, Le Meridien New Delhi, Holiday Inn Resort, Goa, The Raintree Hotels Chennai, Four Points by Sheraton Visakhapatnam among others. The excerpts of the interview follow: What do you enjoy most about being a Food & Beverage Manager? Serving people comes naturally to me. I realise I would not have enjoyed my work this much in any other area of a hotel. People come to restaurants/bars to mostly celebrate and have a good time and we are a medium which helps them go back with fond memories.
What do you dislike the most?
The lack of punctuality disturbs me.
Is your job challenging? Can you point out five challenges in your job? My job is most challenging. Some of the crucial challenges of my job are to deliver services according to guests’ satisfaction, considering the fact that tastes and expectations vary from person to person; the challenge of re-inventing oneself while keeping in mind the competition and emerging trends; the challenge of offering the best possible quality with a check on cost; the challenge of recruiting staff from various sources, and motivating and training them to perform according to your brand standards. Balancing between professional demands and social/family commitments is another important challenge of my job.
If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be? I wish I could get more time to catch up with my sleep.
What kind of pressures have you encountered at work? The pressure is mostly to deliver what we have promised to our guests and to maintain our brand standards. However, being patient and better planning avoids unnecessary pressure.
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As an F&B Manager, can you suggest tips or insights to strengthen the F&B teams in hotels and restaurants? Giving constant motivation and giving your team a feel that you are an equal and not a superior can develop a healthy work culture.
How is your experience at the present job? What are the challenges of working here? How is it different from other places? What excites you the most here? The experience of working here so far has been very pleasant. It is a real joy working in the City of Joy. Carlson Rezidor standards and credos make it a different hotel when you compare with the rest. Moreover, Kolkata is a city of foodies and travellers to this city generally look forward to a gourmet journey when they are here. To offer your specialties to such enthusiasts and bring a smile on their face makes my job very exciting.
What is the USP of your F&B outlets / brands? Also tell us briefly about the hotel’s F&B outlets The USP of the hotel is the choice of a wonderful range of vibrant food & beverage options under one roof. We have K-19, a multi-cuisine restaurant offering global cuisine with local flavours, 24x7x365. The interiors of the restaurant are done in a contemporary style with elegant cluster seating, rendering a serene look. The menu revolves around the globe starting from Dal Makhani to Chingri Malai Curry to Garetti di agnello. It also provides a lavish buffet on Sunday Brunch with special kids’ menu for children. Then we have Nirvana for people who want an environment or rather an in-
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vironment to relax, de-stress and unwind from the daily chores of life. The highlights of Nirvana are its serenity and uniqueness. The principal attraction of the restaurant is the 25-feet ancient Vedic postured sculpture. The menu has been handcrafted by the Chef and includes classical and contemporary favourites from the far east. Our Nyonyang is the first restaurant to introduce Peranakan cuisine in the City of Joy. The signature dishes of the pan-Asian restaurant are its Nonya cuisine with popular dishes including Laksa, Otak-Otak and Nasigoreng. Then we have Smoke Shack, which is spread over an area of 8,000 sq. ft, with 104 covers. This award-winning rooftop restaurant presents an upmarket, open-air dining option. The restaurant offers a rustic yet elegant ambience through the traditional ‘shack’ concept from Goa, clubbed with the island bar and a dance floor for party enthusiasts. The outlet’s F&B highlights are its sizzling live barbeques and fiery cocktails. KLINK, the new enigmatic party zone of south Kolkata, is designed for celebrations featuring high energy western music by a well-known DJ. It has stylish décor and the best of spirits. The rooftop venue has facilities for private events as well. Then there is Bartini’s, the lounge bar, which is ideal for corporate meets and get-togethers. It offers informal setting comprised of plush seating with classic black and grey interiors.
What is your take on the hospitality business in general? The three fundamental aspects that a professional in the hospitality business should keep in mind are satisfaction for our guests, profit for the company we work for, and career for our team and ourselves.
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