Food & Beverage Business Review ( Oct-Nov 2015)

Oct-Nov ’15

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

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52 Glorious Year of Service to the Hospitality Industry

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Oct-Nov ’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 Production Assistant Mamta Sharma Advertising Sales Delhi: Debabrata Nath, Sumesh Sharma 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, Samrat Bhawan, Ranjeet Nagar Commercial Complex, New Delhi-110008 Phone: 91-11-45084903, 45093486, 25704103 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

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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.

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These days more number of guests visiting restaurants in India have wide exposure of overseas travel, than it was perhaps ever before. And many of these guests are not only familiar with international cuisines but have developed a taste for them. Moreover, the increased exposure to television and Internet has also made a sizeable section of eating out crowd in the Indian food service industry interested in global cuisines.

The growing trend towards experimentation with food, especially among the young generation of Indians, has also contributed to the growth in popularity of international cuisines in India. No wonder, international cuisines are gaining momentum in the realm of Indian food service industry.

This trend can encourage restaurateurs in the country to come up with restaurants or other eating out expressions, focusing on authentic varieties of any international cuisine, and they are doing so. We are already witnessing a plethora of restaurants focusing on Japanese, Italian, and pan-Asian cuisines crowding the Indian food service industry. On the second stage of this trend, when it gets further matured, we may see the widespread presence of restaurants focusing on Greek, Mexican and Scandinavian cuisines in the Indian metros.

However, at present, the popularity of international cuisines in India is by and large limited across the big cities of the country, and across restaurants of five-star and four-star properties. In the second stage, this trend is expected to percolate deeper into the tier-II and tier-III cities of India. We have discussed the reasons for the popularity of international cuisines in the Indian food service industry, and explored which are the preferred international flavours for the Indian palates these days, in our Cover Story.

India badly needs to strengthen its cold chain infrastructure to avoid colossal loss of food every year. A solid cold chain infrastructure can not only enhance our export revenues, but can also address our poverty issues, and strengthen our food & beverage industry.

But cold chain infrastructure often entails huge investment, whose potential is not so abundant in India’s present business climate. The solution lies in more proactive role of government in bolstering the country’s cold chain infrastructure. However, the statistics reveal that the potential for cold chain industry in India is bright. The issue of strengthening our cold chain infrastructure is being discussed in detail in our Business Story.

The novel trend of coffee and tea capsules, which is at a nascent stage in the Indian food & beverage industry but has huge potential in the near future, is also being covered in this issue.

The coverage of Flluid, a restrobar in Mosaic Hotels in Noida, along with a nationally renowned past life regression therapist and psychologist, can also make for an interesting read. These are however, only some of the interesting features and articles covered in this issue, which are as usual, supplemented with an impressive collection of news and events; covered through our News and the Events section. We hope our esteemed readers would appreciate our endeavour.

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Oct-Nov ’15

Contents

Cover Story

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Departments

Global Cuisines Gaining Momentum

Business India Needs to Bolster Cold Chain Infrastructure

Celebrity Dining

Event

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News

18

Report

28

Focus

30

Restaurant Review

60

Chef Voice

62

Profile

64

Product Preview

68

Interview

72

42

48

A Fluid Evening

Agri

52

The Healthy Root

Beverage

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Coffee in Capsules

Theme Cuisine

56 The Timeless Tastes from Awadhi Cuisine

Hygiene Measures to Get Clean Kitchens

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HostMilano 2015 — A Mega Event for the Hospitality Industry

HostMilano, which was held during 23rd27th October 2015 in Fieramilano fairground in Milan, Italy, attracted 150,968 visitors, 40 percent of whom came from abroad. There was 13.5 percent increase in presence of visitors at HostMilano 2015, as compared to its previous edition of the show. At the event, there were 2000 exhibitors from 47 countries. Out of the 2000 exhibitors, 714 were international exhibitors. Host2015 occupied almost the entire exhibition centre in Rho. The mega event experienced doubledigit growth in exhibitors from Germany, France, Spain, the US, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. More than 1,500 hosted buyers from 60 countries participated at the show.

Here it deserves a mention that HostMilano is an international hospitality exhibition, a leading event for HORECA, food service and retail segment. “Now the internationalisation of Host can be said to be a fact, which can be seen in the size, numbers and quality,” said Fiera Milano’s CEO Corrado Peraboni. “And that’s not all. Host also reflects the new geopolitical scenario, opening itself up to markets like Iran, Africa and Cuba,” he pointed out further.

At the recently held edition of HostMilano, the new gourmet trends which are the product of technological innovation and the creativity of Chefs were the big stars of the Food Service Equipment – Bread/Pizza/Pasta macro-area. The Food Service Equipment – Bread/Pizza/Pasta macro-area (pavilions 2/4, 5/7 and 9/11) brought together the high-tech equipment with quality ingredients,

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benefitting the professional restaurant and baking industries.

Network del Gusto, a journey that explored different regions and cosmopolitan gastronomic innovation in partnership with APCI – the Italian Association of Professional Chefs — and the Network of Taste which offered up ideas for excellent restaurant formats, from breakfast as a business opportunity all the way to catering, banqueting, restaurants and hotels, were some of the interesting highlights of the event.

At HostMilano2015, at the Food Service Equipment – Bread/Pizza/Pasta macroarea, technologies and quality ingredients went beyond just seeking out cutting-edge products and services – they made the show a business facilitator that anticipated and accompanied socio-gastronomic phenomena, stimulating and favouring creative expression with new formats that meet the continuously evolving needs of consumers.

HostMilano 2015 was characterised by various special projects. One of those was the return of a brand new EXIHS - Italian Excellent Hospitality Services, the “container of beauty” dreamt up by the Studio Dante O. Benini & Partners Architects. Then there was Futurbar, which offered up an interactive bar concept for tomorrow that is a bit technological, a bit design-oriented and has a bit of a social media element. Then there was the Innovation Gallery, the space in pavilion 18 where, for all five days of the show, visitors

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could admire projects by the finalists of Hosthinking, which best showcased the evolution of new hybrid spaces with a particular focus on involving the client in the concept.

The lifestyle focus of the show, Furnishings and Tableware (pavilions 6/10) did fit in perfectly as part of the three-way partnership with the other two food and technology “souls” – as expressed with the macro areas, which included Food Service Equipment – Bread/Pizza/Pasta and Coffee/ Tea – Bars and Coffee Machines for Vending along with Gelato/Pastry.

HostMilano was a design hub in this year’s edition of the show. One of the innovations in this year’s edition of the show was a green lung designed by landscape design architects from Studio Ankhe, which had a ‘living’ room, an edible garden where Chefs and the public could make the most of the genuine flavours of fruits and vegetables, and a healing garden that brought to mind the images of ancient gardens full of healing plants.

Succinctly, Host2015 was made all the more exciting thanks to its more than 400 events, including seminars, workshops, competitions, championships, cooking shows and tastings.

Gianni Cocco from the Como area was crowned the ‘Best Barista in Italy’ while the World Pastry Championship saw a surprise victory from Japan. The silver medal went to a very determined Italian team.

The next edition of HostMilano will be held at Fieramilano in Rho, during 20th-24th October 2017.

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Many Firsts at Food&HotelAsia2016 Food&HotelAsia2016 will be held during 12-15 April 2016 at Singapore Expo, Halls 1-9. FHA2016 will feature six specialised exhibitions — FoodAsia, HotelAsia, SpecialityCoffee&Tea, Bakery&Pastry, HospitalityStyleAsia and HospitalityTechnology, each with its own unique themes and areas of focus.

Also ProWine Asia 2016 will take place during 12-15 April 2016, co-located with FHA2016.

Adding to the holistic experience, FHA2016 will host a series of activities including intense, prestigious competitions targeting professionals from specific groups and sectors of the food and hospitality industry. These include the FHA Culinary Challenge 2016, the FHA Barista Challenge 2016, the FHA Latte Art Challenge 2016 and Asian Pastry Cup 2016.

To address latest trends for new opportunities and growth, FHA2016 International Conference will discuss key issues influencing the food and hospitality industry, looking at commercial opportunities for hotels, green hotel design, big data analytics for smart operations, and food traceability, to name a few. Joint plenary sessions featuring CEO Insights, Stakeholders Panel Discussions and think tanks will see experts from around the world sharing their perspectives and views on the latest trends in the food and hospitality sectors.

The last edition of FHA in 2014 garnered the attention of more than 65,000 trade attendees and played host to about 3,000 exhibitors from 65 countries and regions.

The international food and hospitality scene is heating up, with Asia taking the lead. In

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six months, the region’s premier industry event, FHA2016 (Food&HotelAsia2016) will bring more than 300 first-time exhibitors to the region’s most established and comprehensive food and hospitality trade show, including a host of new international group pavilion entrants.

The new exhibitors will bring with them a range of new products and ingredients, equipment and supplies, and best-of-breed services. This will result in a bigger and more diverse exhibition profile, offering more choices than ever before to industry buyers, and will add to FHA’s appeal as the tradeshow to see and to be seen at.

“For the 2016 event, we are seeing many new local and international companies joining us for the very first time.

This is a firm reflection of the importance the industry places in the event, and solidifies its position as the event of choice for food and hospitality players; mega and small, from across the region and beyond,” said Ting Siew Mui, Project Director of Lifestyle Events at Singapore Exhibition Services — organiser of FHA.

FHA2016 will highlight many firsts, including: First-time international group pavilions — Algeria, Hungary, Poland, The Netherlands.

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First Outdoor Extension: For the first time, space at FHA2016 will be extended to accommodate exhibitors from FoodAsia.

First ProWine Asia: With Messe Düsseldorf Asia, Singapore Exhibition Services will bring the first ProWine Asia exhibition to Southeast Asia – colocated with FHA2016. Modelled after the globally recognised wine and spirit trade fair ProWein in Düsseldorf, ProWine Asia will tap into Messe Düsseldorf’s wealth of experience, expertise and standing as the business-promoting order platform for international wine and spirits segment.

Through the staging of ProWine Asia, FHA will be able to grow and extend its existing wine and spirits segment.

First Sweet High Tea Challenge: Part of the renowned FHA Culinary Challenge, the new Sweet High Tea Challenge will open to teams from hotels, restaurants, confectionaries, airlines, culinary training institutes and catering establishments.

First Hotels & Resorts Management Conference Track: This track will explore topics on suitable business models for hospitality owners, the use of smart technology for operational efficiency, sustainable hotel design and new design trends for hotels and resorts, as well as an update on new hospitality projects in the Asian region.

First talk track on F&B Productivity: Covering sustainable kitchen concepts and design, the new segment at the Food and Beverage Design, Technology & Operations conference track will feature case studies on effective designs to maximise productivity, trends in menu engineering and successful outsourcing of culinary preparations.

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Coffee World at SIGEP 37th SIGEP, at Rimini Fiera, from January 23rd to 27th 2016, will feature unique aromas of coffee.

Proceedings will start with the CIBC, Italian Cafeteria Barista Championship, valid for the WBC (World Barista Championship); the international competition held with the patronage of the SCAE (Speciality Coffee Association of Europe). Participants in the CIBC will be required to prepare 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos and 4 personalised espressobased signature drinks in 15 minutes. The beverages they prepare will be tasted and judged by a panel of expert judges.

On the other hand, for the Italian Latte Art Championship, CILA, the all-Italian challenge will give the winners access to the WLA World Latte Art Championship. Contestants will be artbaristas competing for victory in just eight minutes, during which they will have to prepare two identical café au lait, two identical hot milks with a dash of coffee and two identical beverages which will be presented to two visual judges; a technical judge and a head judge.

Italian Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, CIGS, is also valid for the WCIGS, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship. The contest is divided into a preliminary phase and a final phase. In the preliminary stage, contestants will have five minutes to prepare and eight minutes to make four beverages; two (identical) coffee and alcohol-based hot drinks and two (identical) coffee and alcohol-based cold drinks. The drinks must be based on a theme connected with the nation hosting the Championship. The six best contestants will go forward to the final round, in which they will be required to make four drinks: two Irish Coffees and two hot or cold coffee and alcohol-based drinks.

With the Italian World Brewers Cup Championship, it will be possible to see how to make good filter coffee. The challenge between the participants is based on their ability to make the best coffee using manual “pourover” methods, pouring hot water by hand over coffee powder held in a filter, a system used in Scandinavian and Asiatic countries, as

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well as in the United States of America.

The tests consist in preparing three beverages to serve to three sensorial judges, who will also use a ‘refractometer’ to test the level of dissolved solid contents in the coffee.

Italian Cup Tasting Championship is a tasting challenge. The participants will undergo a test consisting in identifying the ‘odd’ coffee among three cups, of which two have the same contents. There will be eight tests to be passed, for which the contestants will have to unleash all their tasting and olfactory skills in order to be able to identify highest number of ‘odd’ coffees in the shortest possible time.

Italian Ibrik Championship is the national competition for making Turkish coffee using the characteristic Turkish pot: the ibrik or cezve. Contestants will be invited to use their personal style and culture to enrich their performances.

They will have to prepare two beverages, one hot and one cold, in 12 minutes.

The contestants and their coffees will be assessed by two sensorial judges, two technical/visual judges and a chief judge.

Italian Roasting Championship is based on the participants’ ability to evaluate (grade) the coffee, roast it and serve a high quality coffee. In the first stage of the competition, the contestants will have to examine the characteristics of the green coffee they are supplied (from its water content to any defects in the beans), roast it and analyze its aroma when poured. In the second one, on the other hand, they will be required to present green coffees and the relative roasting plan for each single origin and blend, and then roast them. Lastly, the coffees presented will be served in cups and judged by “blindfolded” judges and contestants.

The national contest “Wake up Coffee & Espresso Ice Cream”, which is to be organised by Conpait and Torrefazione Dubbini on 26th January 2016, will highlight the added value resulting from the use of coffee in patisseries and gelato parlours.

Awards will go to the best leavened breakfast product and the best gelato made with coffee as a raw material, matched with an espresso. Ability, technique and

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fantasy are the ‘arms’ contestants will have to use.

In 2016, “Barista & Farmer” will be back. The third edition of the coffee talent show is based on an idea by champion barista Francesco Sanapo in collaboration with Rimini Fiera and SIGEP, and the patronage of the SCAE, Speciality Coffee Association of Europe. The ten baristas of various nationalities taking part will be chosen by a popular jury of trade members from the numerous online applicants.

The lucky participants will be presented during the 37th International Exhibition of artisan Gelato, Pastry, Confectionery and Bakery production and will then fly to Brazil, where they will remain for 10 days.

There they will live in contact with the coffee producers in the places of origin, taking part in the harvest of the precious fruit of the land and its processing with various technologies. They will also attend the Barista & Farmer Academy, at which the teachers will be the trade’s top professionals.

On 24th January, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, Hall A1 - Stand 06 will host the 7th Professional Seminar on Qualitative and Creative Investment of Coffee in Pastry Making and Catering, organized by “Pasticceria Internazionale” with the collaboration of Torrefazione Dubbini and Rimini Fiera. The topic is “Coffee tailormade for Pastry Chefs — Culture, Art, Creativity and Professionalism”.

The combination of coffee and pastry will be highlighted with a workshop with dedicated tasting sessions, plus recipes and suggestions for “understanding” and tasting coffee in its countless versions.

Space will thus be dedicated to espresso, filter and aromatised coffee for beverages, served along with pastry products and dishes.

At SIGEP, there will be an Espresso Bar dedicated to coffee made using the espresso method, as well as a Brew Bar, where it will be possible to taste coffees made using Pourover, Chemex, Aeropress and French press systems, which correspond to the respective instruments used to prepare the extremely popular beverage.

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Fi & Hi India Successfully Concludes Fi & Hi India 2015 (19th – 21st Oct), perhaps the only B2B platform for the Indian food and health industry, successfully concluded in Mumbai last week. Inaugurated by Chief Guest, Dr. Harshdeep Kamble, Commissioner, IAS, FDA, Maharashtra, the show was attended by over 160 exhibitors and 6,500 visitors.

Powered by 10 years of industry experience, Fi & Hi India provided a series of informative and technical seminars along with panel discussions covering a range of topics from Managing Quality with Food Safety, Global Food Trends, Role of Health Supplements to Innovation and Emerging Trends in Food Packaging. These seminars and discussions were organised in association with AFSTI, the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India), All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA) & Health Food & Dietary Supplements Association (HADSA) and were attended by industry leaders. The event created especially for the food processing companies was supported by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India.

Fi India has been consistently growing in size and depth and also attracted industry leaders and key exhibitors including Ace International, Piramal Healthcare, Calpro Foods Pvt. Ltd, Ingredion India Pvt Ltd, Sonarome, ADM Agro, G.C. Chemie Pharmie Ltd, Mintel, Naturex, Roquette, amongst others.

Responding to the growing need for solutions in processing, packaging, equipment and services, Fi India once again hosted Expo FoodTec Pavilion, giving attendees access to a holistic range of ingrediants. For the second year, Fi & Hi India introduced a free two-day Bakery Workshop titled ‘Bakery Modernization — Putting the icing on your bakery business’, conducted by Assocom Institute of Bakery Technology & Management (AIBTM); a comprehensive teaching, training and research centre specifically for baking technology and allied disciplines. The workshop included both seminars and demonstrations covering topics like nutrient dense bakery products, oat based and gluten free cookies, gluten free challenges and egg replacements in baked goods.

This year, innovation took centrestage, providing the exhibitors an opportunity to showcase innovative products in the presence of Indian food industry’s leading decisionmakers, experts, buyers, producers and suppliers. The innovative product exhibitor list included companies such as Advanced Enzymes Technologies, Kancor Ingredients, Generex Pharmassist, Diabliss, Flavaroma, Camlin Fine Sciences, Fine Organics, Raaj Agro Fortune Producer Company, Star Hi Herbs, Tastorom Products LLP, Komal Exotic Spices, ABS Food Ingredients, Murtuza Foods and Radha Govind Industries.

A bakery competition called ‘The healthy cookie baking competition’ was also held for professionals in the baking and chocolate industry. The competition judged by Shravan Kumar, Assistant Professor, AIBTM, Neha Deepak Shah, First Runner Up, Master Chef India 4 and Petrica, Director of IHM, announced the following three winners who are Olive (1st), Swati (2nd) and Jyotsna (3rd). This year, for the first time, Fi & Hi India also introduced ‘Visitor’s Choice Awards’ wherein Generex Pharmassist Pvt. Ltd., Raaj Agro Fortune Producer Company Ltd. and DiaBliss Consumer Products were winners in the innovative ingredients category.

Yogesh Mudras, Acting Managing Director, UBM India said, “The food processing industry in India has witnessed rapid augmentation owing to changing socio-economic demographics.

The same has led to increased awareness pertaining to the quality standards of food products and consequently, focus on the superiority of ingredients that goes into the making of these finished products. UBM India met its objective for the 10th edition of Fi & Hi India by offering an international showcase of such ingredients and in-turn, helping leverage India’s wide ranging and large raw material base for food processing industries.”

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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

EVENTS’ CALENDER Europain & Intersuc 2016 5-9 February 2016 Paris Nord Villepinte http://www.europain.com Gulfood 2016 21-25 February 2016 Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Dubai www.gulfood.com Aahar 2016 15-19 March 2016 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi http://www.aaharinternationalfair.com EDT Expo 2016 23-26 March 2016 Istanbul, Turkey http://www.cnredtexpo.com FHA 2016 12-15 April 2016 Singapore Expo, Singapore www.foodnhotelasia.com HOTELEX 2016 29 March -1 April 2016 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, China http://www.hotelex.cn/ SIAL China 2016 5-7 May 2016 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, Shanghai,China www.sialchina.com Travel Catering Expo 2016 9-11 May 2016 DICEC, Dubai http://www.travelcateringexpo.com/ Ambiente India 2016 22-24 June 2016 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.ambiente-india.in Heimtextil India 2016 22-24 June 2016 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.heimtextil.in

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Global Culinary Exchange 2015 Held in New Delhi

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lobal Culinary Exchange 2015, a knowledge-intensive one-day culinary conference, was held at Hotel ITC Maurya, New Delhi, on 29th September 2015. Organised by Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA), the conference turned out to be a memorable one for 300+ delegates as they had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet many of the World Chefs Association Board Members. World Chefs represents 9 million Chefs across the world.

With 110 member countries, World Chefs can as well be regarded as the UN of the culinary world.

The Global Culinary Exchange 2015 was held a day after the Board Meeting of the World Chefs Association. For the first time in its 85 year-old history, World Chefs Association has conducted their Board Meeting in India, and IFCA proudly hosted that board meeting.

IFCA, being the nodal body of culinary professionals in India organised Global Culinary Exchange 2015 with a view to help Indian Chefs widen their culinary knowledge and draw inspiration from some of the globally renowned Chefs who are part of the World Chefs board.

The global conference helped the attended Chefs to update their knowledge on the global culinary trends and link up with the fraternity.

Conference Highlights The one-day conference is conceived to serve as a platform to discuss new perspectives and trends in the culinary space. The conference served as a feeding ground for the Indian Chefs to gather nectar from outstanding global resources and indulge in cross-pollination to widen their culinary skills and capabilities. The speakers deliberated on a wide spectrum of topics. A panel discussion was also conducted on relevant and stimulating issues of interest to the industry and other stakeholders at large.

Participation Profile Global Culinary Exchange 2015 had 300+ participants comprising of Corporate Executive Chefs of leading organisations, Executive Chefs, F&B Managers, General Managers, food entrepreneurs, academicians, etc.

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Knowledge Shared Chef Charles Carroll, the President of the World Chefs Association, made an outstanding presentation on the importance of ‘staying united’. He kept the audience in rapt attention right through his scintillating speech.

Chef John Sloane, Vice President, World Chefs Association, made a presentation titled ‘Chef and Farmer’. He highlighted the deep and multi-level connection between the two individuals; separated by societal compulsions, space and other factors. Yet they have substantial impact on our choice of cuisine in a chosen geographical space.

Chef Dragan Unic, World Chefs Continental Director for Europe South, deliberated on the food revolution that is happening in Nordic countries and explained how they collectively adopted a more sustainable and healthy model in the food service segment in those countries.

Chef Thomas Gugler, World Chefs Continental Director, Africa and Saudi Arabia gave a presentation on ‘A Brief History of Food’.

He presented the fascinating evolution that food underwent from ancient Egypt and Greece and right down to our present day options of ordering food online while touching upon Aztec food, Saxon and other culinary cultures.

Ragnar Fridrikkson, Managing Director of World Chefs, updated the audience on the nuances of food photography. He explained how professional food shots can be taken using ordinary lights and in low budgets without having to go for expensive lighting.

Chef Domenico Maggi, Continental Director of Europe South, made a presentation of Mediterranean diet and the use of Extra Virgin OIl in the kitchen.

Chef Rajdeep Kapoor talked about the Slow Food Movement that is taking the world by storm. Slow Food is good, clean and fair food.

Dr. Chef Soundararajan, General Secretary of IFCA, presented the future plans of IFCA and showed how IFCA was well placed to elevate the culinary standards of India through its 12 regional chapters and through its growing association with culinary educational institutions across the country.

Chef Manjit Singh Gill, President of IFCA, in

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his presidential address welcomed the World Chefs Association Board Members and urged Indian Chefs to widen their knowledge and present Indian culinary on the global map.

Indian cuisines are receiving global acceptance and Chefs from India are on demand. Hence, he urged Indian Chefs to master Indian cuisines and make a mark for themselves in the global culinary landscape.

Launch of new associations under IFCA Chefs Association of Five Rivers (CAFR) was launched during the conference. The association will cater to the needs of Chefs in Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu. The association was launched amidst fanfare.

Chefs Guild of India (CGI) is a national association that is launched to include Chefs who are not part of any of the existing mainstream regional associations of IFCA. Chef Charles Carroll, President of WACS, inaugurated the CGI amidst loud cheers.

Young Chefs’ Association of India (YCAI) was launched during the conference. Chef Sabyasachi Gorai was nominated as the President of YCAI. Award Ceremony A grand award ceremony was organised at the end of the conference to honour distinguished professionals who have made extensive contributions to the culinary industry.

Chef Helgi Einnarson, Chef Domenico Maggi, Chef Dragan Unic, Ragnar Fridrikkson, Chef Bill Marchetti received IFCA Honorary Membership.

Chef Charles Carroll, Chef John Sloane and Chef Murray Dick received IFCA Friendship Memerobilia.

Priyadarshini Parthiban, a culinary student from at-sunrice institute Singapore was presented with Best Pastry Student award.

Chef Sanjay Thumma was awarded IFCA Culinary Ambassador for his commitment to work for the development of Chefs’ fraternity in India.

IFCA Award of Excellence The IFCA Award of Excellence is bestowed

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upon individuals in appreciation for their outstanding contribution to the development of culinary profession and the promotion of culinary art in India. Hospitality industry captains, owners of hotels who account for large - scale employment in the culinary industry, outstanding culinary artists and those from culinary educational institutions are among the few who are chosen for this prestigious award based on their contributions. An exclusive award committee, constituted by IFCA undertakes the responsibility of choosing the icons through stringent selection procedures for this covetous honour.

For the year 2015, the following ‘change leaders’ received the IFCA Award of Excellence. The award was presented in the presence of World Chefs Association

Presidium. The winners of the awards are: Nakul Anand, Chief Executive of the Hotels Division at ITC Ltd. K.B. Kachru, Executive Director, RHW Hotel Management Services Ltd. Rajiv Kaul, President, Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts.

Arun K Nanda, Chairman, Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Ltd. Dr. Ishari K. Ganesh, Chancellor, Vels University.

IFCA Presidium announced that the 7th edition of their much anticipated National Culinary Conference will be held in New Delhi.

IFCA Presidium thanked partners, delegates, vendors, ITC Maurya Kitchen, F&B and service team exclusively as a token of appreciation for the outstanding service they rendered towards the success of the conference.

Chef’s Connect 2015 Conference George Bernard Shaw once said “There is no love sincerer than the love of food”. This pretty much connects the dots to explain the strong liking one has for this element called food in one’s lives. The Western India Culinary Association (WICA) has chosen to express its love for food in a way that is known best to its Chef members. The organisation, founded in 2002, has paired up with Mumbai-based event management firm Craft World Events to organise its third culinary conference — Chef’s Connect 2015 — on 9th December 2015 at Holiday Inn, Mumbai International Airport, Mumbai.

Chef’s Connect 2012 was attended by almost 250 Chefs, culinary students, and people related to the food industry. The convention was addressed by noted ad film maker Prahlad Kakkar, Restaurant Entrepreneur & Ex VP of Taj Hotels, Camellia Panjabi, food safety expert Dr. V. Pasupathy and Ralph Frehner, VP, Asia Pacific for Marriott Hotels. Chef’s Connect 2013 was painted with the green theme.

Master Chef Imtiaz Qureshi, Sunita Narain (Director, Centre for science & environment), Anjan Chaterjee (MD, Speciality Restaurants), Dr. Satish Pai (noted Naturopath) addressed the gathering.

The first two editions of the event saw a great turnout, and this year, it is set to go higher.

Panel discussions, knowledge sharing sessions and product demonstrations are among the activities that food enthusiasts can look forward to at the event. The conference will be attended by Corporate Chefs, Executive Chefs, senior Chefs, Professors and Deans from reputed educational institutions, faculty members and junior Chefs. Chef’s Connect 2015 is partnered by Hospitality Purchasing Managers Forum (HPMF) and will also see Purchase Managers share the stage; discussing relevent subjects at the panel discussion.

Rich’s is the title sponsor of Chef’s Connect 2015, whereas the event is powered by Metro Cash and Carry. The main speakers at the event include IFCA President Chef Manjit Gill, World Gourmand Cookbook Award winning author and TV host Rashmi Uday Singh, and Celeb foodie TV host Kunal Vijayakar. Wine expert Sonal Holland would be conducting a spice and wine pairing session at the event.

The theme for the event is Bend The Rules and all presentations will focus on ‘culinary creativity & doing things differently.’ The event aims to not only provide players in the industry an opportunity to showcase their products but also to take back a load of inputs to get better at what they do.

For more details about the event, write to nikita.d@cwe.in

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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 Oct-Nov ’15

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event

The Inaugural ‘Food For Thought Fest’

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uring the two-day-long inaugural food festival, held during 17th & 18th October at the India Habitat Centre, Chefs from SAARC nations showcased their specialties, while participants from various fields were given themes on cultural and political issues to discuss while relishing the novel delicacies. The Festival was divided into “Thought Fest” and “Food Fest”. Throughout the two days of the festival, sessions and workshops on various interesting topics around traditional gastronomy and its ongoing evolution were conducted, whereby participants had the opportunity to engage in contemporary issues with the most progressive-minded panellists, learning from the greatest Chefs in the region, exploring fascinating topics related to food and beyond. All this while they treated their taste buds to the most splendid flavours that the subcontinent has to offer. The ‘South Asia Culinary Showcase’ presented cookery workshops and demonstrations conducted by invited Chefs who showcased the high points of their culinary traditions.

According to Maneesh Baheti, Founder of SAAG, “The idea was to promote regional unity through the culinary diversity in South Asia. ‘The Food For Thought Fest’ will be an annual event in India bringing together the most interesting issues, professionals and food from the SAARC countries of South Asia. We have learnt a lot during this inaugural food fest and we hope to excel further in this endeavour in the next year. The Food for Thought Festival was conceived as a convergence of people for the exchange of ideas and dialogues around gastronomy, in the process enabling an atmosphere of South Asian commonality through culinary and cultural diversity.”

Besides, renowned restaurants from the participating nations also set up their popup outlets during the two-day fest. These included, Kasturi Garden, Dhaka (authentic Bangladesh cuisine); Heritage Restaurant, Dhaka (modern Bangladeshi food); Folk Heritage Museum Restaurant, Thimpu (a mix of traditional and modern Bhutanese cuisine); Bhojan Griha, Kathmandu (authentic Newari and Rana cuisines of Nepal); Serena Hotel, Kabul, (the famed robust cuisine of Afghanistan); Taj Samudra – Sri Lanka (authentic Sri Lankan cuisines). On taking account of the ongoing Navratras, these restaurants also had special vegetarian dishes along with their traditional fare.

The two-day-long inaugural Food For Thought Fest had personalities sharing views on culinary as well as regional matters. Active participants included, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP, noted author & opinion leader; Mohammad Azharuddin, former Indian cricketer & politician; Bishen Singh Bedi, spin legend of Indian cricket; Nikhil Chopra, former cricketer; Sudhir Mishra, national award winning film director; Gaurav Gogoi, MP from Assam; Chef Abhijit Saha of the famed Caperberry, Fava and SAHA restaurants; Gautam Anand, seasoned hotelier from ITC Hotels and passionate foodie; Chef Manjit Gill, Corporate Chef of ITC Hotels; Chef Aditya Bal of Spice Craft; Chef Asma Said Khan, AD Singh, Nawab Kazim Ali Khan of Rampur. Visiting dignitaries from other SAARC countries included, Ramika Ahmad (Afghanistan); Rubina Farouq; Nahid Osman; Alpana Habib; Ashiqur Rahman (Bangladesh); Bharat Basnet (Nepal); Kesang Choedon (Bhutan) and Saman Nayananda (Sri Lanka).

The culmination of the 1st Food For Thought Fest happened with a special live performance by Javed Bashir, Pakistani’s noted Ghazal singer, on 18th October 2015.

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Variety, it is said, is the spice of life, and it is in an attempt to deliver a variety of fresh and assorted spices into the hands of dedicated culinary experts and home cooks that leading digital payments company TranServ has announced its integration with Burgundy Box. Run by celebrity Chef Ajay Chopra, Burgundy Box is a one-of-its-kind culinary website which allows buyers to order assorted pre-sized fresh ingredients. Endeavouring to bring the freshest & the best available ingredients to its users, Burgundy Box’s integration with TranServ will come as music to the ears of foodies looking to get creative and cook up a delicious and wholesome spread at home.

Ajay Chopra Being a pioneer in its market segment, Burgundy Box’s integration with TranServ serves the culinary portal well for a number of reasons. Firstly, TranServ’s diverse offerings provide Burgundy Box with an opportunity to leverage tailored payments solutions specifically suited for its platform. Moreover, it will also allow the unique culinary website to drive its consumer engagement through TranServ’s innovative social wallet. This in sync with the novelty that Burgundy Box itself represents, and immensely enhances the entire shopping experience by making it one that users will cherish.

Speaking on the announcement, Anish Williams, Co-founder & CEO, TranServ, commented, “Indians love their food. With evolving tastes, the desire to explore their taste buds through myriad culinary adventures has been gaining steady importance. Burgundy Box is an innovative culinary portal that equips them with the means and wherewithal to serve up a sumptuous feast with the choicest and freshest ingredients. Since TranServ’s service offerings have always focused on consumer convenience and enhancing user experience, this integration with Burgundy Box will allow us to extend our secure, swift and seamless digital payments services to its user base.”

Ajay Chopra, Burgundy Box, added, “India being the land of spices and foodies that it is, we believe in providing consumers across the country with select, fresh ingredients they require to cook up a mouth-watering treat. TranServ has, within a short span of time, established a niche for its digital payments solutions which focus on speed, security and innovation. As followers of industry innovation ourselves, it excites us to partner with someone who has similar beliefs and tenets. We are confident this development will serve our consumers well by allowing them to seamlessly shop for the choicest ingredients and become Master-chefs in the comfort of their own kitchens!”

Under the partnership with TranServ, Burgundy Box users can now buy their required items without being redirected to a bank payments page every time they make a transaction, leading to a more wholesome shopping experience.

IG International Pvt. Ltd. (IGIPL), one of the leading names in the imports and exports of fresh fruits in the country, has introduced New Zealand’s avocados in India and they are now available in retail outlets across the country.

IG International imports avocados from Avanza, a renowned grower of avocados, and one of New Zealand’s top avocado exporters. Avanza Avocado is creamy rich. New Zealand’s clean and green environment, world-class orchard management and quality control systems combined with ideal growing conditions are responsible for creating these premium avocados.

Avocados are nutrient-dense super fruits, and are much more than just a delicious creamy addition to all meals. They have potential health benefits for all groups, from expectant mothers and babies to weight watchers, etc.

Tarun Arora, Director, IG International Pvt. Ltd. said, “Avocados are incredibly nutritious and nourishing for the body and soul. If you like to get the most out of life then you should definitely include an avocado in your diet. Your body will love you for it.”

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Sunset Brunch at Novotel Imagica Khopoli AccorHotel’s Novotel Imagica Khopoli has recently launched an exciting addition to its bevy of offerings for its guests — the Sunset Brunch.

The Sunset Brunch is available at the resort on every Saturday evening, from 5 pm onwards. The property very recently opened its doors as India’s first resort integrated with a theme park. Located adjacent to Adlabs Imagica and nestled between Sahyadri Hills, this five-star resort comprises 287 rooms, four F&B outlets & large banqueting space ideally suited for families, groups & weddings.

Adlabs Imagica is an amusement park located near Khopoli on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, near Mumbai.

Novotel Imagica Khopoli’s Sunset Brunch features fun, fiesta and music along with a delicious menu beginning on the poolside at 5 pm and blending into dinner at the Square – the resort’s signature 24-hour dining restaurant. The menu presents a combination of international and Indian favourites with live counters including a Tapas and Tex-Mex Barbeque Bar. The gastronomic offerings at the brunch include sushi, tempuras, yakitori, canapés, thin crust pizzas and Bubur Cha Cha. At Rs. 2199 + taxes, the Sunset Brunch includes a free-pouring bar inclusive of alcohol, dinner, aperitifs and games. The brunch has the provision of a special ‘Kiddi’ buffet, which has a host of child-friendly menu inclusions.

Srinivas Srirangam, General Manager of Novotel Imagica Khopoli, said, “The Sunset Brunch at Novotel Imagica Khopoli allows people to carry forward elements of their exciting day as they unwind with delicious food and beverages, in an entertaining ambience with music and more; savouring memories of togetherness. It is one of the value added offerings from our new resort in keeping with our positioning of never ending fun.”

GVK Lounge by TFS & Performa Wins Asia’s Leading Airport Lounge at World Travel Awards 2015 The GVK Lounge at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport’s (CSIA) Terminal T2, Mumbai, has been awarded Asia’s Leading Airport Lounge in the World Travel Awards 2015. The award ceremony took place in Hong Kong. GVK Lounge was built and is being operated

by TFS and Performa. The World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

The ‘GVK Lounge’ was inaugurated in November 2014. Spread across an area of 30,000 sq. ft. in two levels – Level 4 and 3, the GVK Lounge has a total capacity to accommodate 440 guests at any given point in time. Its impressive range of facilities includes F&B options and bar.

World Travel Awards’s President Graham Cooke said, “It is an honour to present GVK Lounge at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport with the trophy for the Asia’s Leading Airport Lounge for the first time.”

While speaking on winning the award, Gaurav Dewan, Chief Operating Officer, TFS said, “We are delighted at being awarded the trophy for Asia’s Leading Airport Lounge.

This is very significant for us as it validates our commitment to offer our premium international guests a truly world-class lounge concept which is unsurpassed.”

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ThaiCrate Delivers

Simply Sushi

ThaiCrate — a new home delivery kitchen based in South Delhi — is offering fresh and authentic Thai food. According to a press release, the recipes of ThaiCrate are being crafted with great care and the materials are being sourced with great passion.

Introducing ThaiCrate, Rajat S. Berry, Co-founder, ThaiCrate said, ‘’ThaiCrate’s amazing food made from fresh ingredients will leave you wanting more. Additionally, our kitchen and processes conform to the highest hygiene standards. We also use smart and stackable PP5 packaging, which is fun to hold, easy to serve and freezer and microwave safe for any leftovers.”

According to a press release, the PP5 packaging used

by ThaiCrate is not just functional and safety compliant, but is also very creatively packaged. Except for the basic vegetables, all ingredients and herbs used at ThaiCrate are imported from Thailand, which lends an authentic quality to the meal. The menu comprises a variety of poultry, meat and seafood dishes. The signature dishes like the tangy Papaya Salad and Thai curries can give consumers great delight. There is also kids’ selection with an array of dishes prepared using maximum flavour and minimum spice.

PVR Director’s Cut has launched a new Japanese food brand named Simply Sushi, which is curated by the renowned Chef Yutaka Saito. Saito had earlier worked with MEGU, at The Leela Palace New Delhi. Simply Sushi serves a versatile menu based on fresh ingredients imported directly from Japan and produced with contemporary cooking techniques. Simply Sushi is located within Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

Simply Sushi offers a casual sushi counter menu that offers choices of vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetisers, rolls, sashimi and nigiri, designed by Chef Saito and the Executive Chef Mayank Tiwari. Simply Sushi is nestled between PVR Director’s Cut and a restaurant named Mistral.

Moreover, Simply Sushi has a live counter wherein guests have an option to make their customised sushis. “I am excited about this concept that is designed both for the PVR Director’s Cut movie goers as well as for the general public,” said Chef Yutaka Saito, the man at the helm at the Simply Sushi kitchen.

“With Simply Sushi, we aim to demonstrate that good quality Japanese food can also be popular and enjoyed in casual settings, not necessarily in a five-star hotel,” he pointed out further.

Simply Sushi’s menu will also be available at Director’s Cut and will be delivered inside the auditoriums in bento boxes, for ease of consumption by moviegoers. Moreover, the Simply Sushi menu will also be available at Mistral.

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Gadre Marine Export Signs Vikas Khanna as its Brand Ambassador Gadre Marine Export Pvt. Ltd., one of the renowned Surimi (a Japanese word which means fish paste) producers in the world, has roped in Vikas Khanna, an award winning Indian Chef, as its brand ambassador.

Sharing his thoughts on this association, Vikas Khanna said, “I can never get enough of seafood and through this association I have explored some interesting recipes which will change the way we eat seafood, especially with upcoming innovative products from Gadre”.

Talking about the association, Arjun Gadre, Owner, Gadre Marine Export Pvt. Ltd. commented, “Vikas Khanna is one of the most versatile Chefs in the country with an expertise in sea food. We are extremely delighted about this association and couldn’t have thought of any one better to represent the brand Gadre and our products.”

The brand is all set to launch its new campaign titled “What The Fish,” for the packaged frozen food products, with Vikas Khanna, for the year 2015 -16.

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Promoting European Cheeses Recently the Embassy of France, CNIEL (French umbrella organisation for the France’s dairy industry), and the European Union co-hosted a European cheese pairing soirée as part of ‘The Cheeses of Europe’ campaign. The event was organised and presented by the European Union and CNIEL in the presence of Chef Xavier Thuret, the award-winning best cheese monger of France, and Chef Sanjay Chowdhury, Director, Dining Experience at QLA, New Delhi, and Laurent Damiens, CNIEL’s Communications Director.

At the event, 15 different cheeses were on offer in total during an evening dedicated to reveal the harmonious association of European cheese with Indian flavours. In this regard, Chef Sanjay Chowdhury prepared fusion dishes combining Indian dishes and French cheese for a successful taste marriage. In addition to this, unprepared cheeses were also on display, presented by Chef Xavier Thuret.

The import of cheese in India during 2014 was worth Rs. 46.32 crore, showing a growth of 8.5 percent as compared to that of the 2013 figures.

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The Pastry Shop Opens

FHRAI Elects New President

Kempinski Ambience Hotel Delhi has opened The Pastry Shop, a specialty patisserie with aromatic selection of pastries and breads, which according to a press release, are freshly prepared every day along with unique delicatessen products.

An endeavour of the hotel’s Executive Chef Rohit Tokhi, its menu features a selection of cakes, pastries, donuts, macaroons, Danish cookies, croissants, muffins along with ovenfresh breads. Opened on the ground floor of the Club Tower of the hotel, the patisserie will provide dine in as well as take away options.

With a bit of prior notification, The Pastry Shop, according to a press release, can create customised dessert, especially for an occasion or event.

Regarding the launch of The Pastry Shop, Puneet Singh, General Manager, Kempinski Ambience Hotel Delhi said, “The idea is to showcase some of the finest and tailor-made delicacies for people in the vicinity. Our aim is to become a one-stop destination for all the patisserie needs and cater to on-the-go and as well as resident guests.”

Bharat Malkani has been elected as the President of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) for 2015-16. The 59th Annual General meeting of FHRAI was held at the The Suryaa New Delhi on 30th September 2015, where Malkani was elected.

Prior to being elected as the President of FHRAI, Malkani was the President of Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) and the Vice-President of FHRAI’s outgoing Executive Committee. While TS Walia, the former President, FHRAI has been appointed as the new Vice-President of FHRAI, Luv Malhotra, Jt. Managing Director, CHL Hotels and Syama Raju, Managing Director, Hotel Maurya, Bangalore will continue to hold the Vice President’s post for another term.

An alumnus of the University of Washington, St. Louis, USA, where he completed his MS in Technology Management, Malkani is a dynamic and trusted entrepreneur with business interests spanning hospitality and the aerospace industry. He is the Chairman of Transit Group of Hotels.

“The association has completed fifty years and has made substantial progress in these years for the betterment of the hospitality industry. The next decade will have to be strategically defined and we will orient ourselves to addressing issues that affect the industry the most. The Federation will take up the hotel classification issue with the government as a priority. We feel that the classification job should be given to the industry experts which is the practice world over,” stated Malkani.

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Report

A Platform to Facilitate Purchasing in Hospitality

By Swarnendu Biswas

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or many years, a growing need for a association of purchasing professionals was felt in the Indian hospitality industry, which can facilitate disseminating relevant information and knowledge among the players across this fraternity, which in turn can help better manage the costs of procurement among hospitality properties in the long-run and prevent the vendors to take the hotels for a ride.

In this context, the formation of Purchasing Professionals Forum-India on 31st October 2015, a fraternity of purchasing professionals across India’s HORECA sector, was commendable. The newly formed association would serve as a platform to develop the skills of its members and facilitate the purchasing and procurement services associated with the Indian hospitality industry. The launch of the association at Le Meridien New Delhi attracted the presence of stalwarts from the Indian hospitality industry.

Purchasing and procurement are crucial elements of the hospitality industry. From toiletries to lifts, and from flooring to food & beverage ingredients, the role of procurement in hotels and resorts is almost omnipresent. The right purchase can keep the quality of hospitality properties high and keep the costs in check.

But optimum purchasing and p ro c u re m e n t w h i c h o f t e n e n t a i l s maximum possible efficiency at minimum possible investment can be a hugely challenging task. Even making decent purchases and procurement which can accrue profitability to the hospitality properties concerned in the long-run, is not a cakewalk. They involve sourcing

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the right products through vendors and their products’ comparative evaluation and skilful negotiation of contracts. They require market research, judgement and negotiation skills.

“The need for such an association was long felt in the industry but somehow it never got materialised before,” observed Rattan Keswani, the Deputy Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels, who praised this initiative without any reservations.

He lamented that the purchase and procurement department of hospitality properties seldom came into limelight but often the purchasing and procurement personnel of hospitality properties were the first to get the flak if something went wrong with the equipment/s and other product/s of those properties.

“Formation of this association has the potential to eventually bring in more transparency among the hospitality properties and their vendors, both in the construction and day-today operations of the properties, affirmed Naveen Jain, President, Duet India Hotels.

According to Jain, about 30-35 percent of cost in development and operations

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of hotels can be saved if the purchase department of hotels is well informed and knowledgeable.

Besides bringing in more transparency among hotels and their vendors, PPFI would be an added advantage for the purchasing managers in hospitality properties to locate the right products and getting the right suppliers. Especially for the new purchasing personnel in this industry, this association can be greatly helpful. “For example, let us assume there is a common product which is needed across a hundred hotels, for which there are a number of vendors trying to crack the market. Now sharing the information pertaining to various vendors of the product, comparing the quality offered by them, and sharing their prices quoted for that given product among purchasing professionals of this association will greatly facilitate those hospitality properties where these professionals are engaged with to get the best possible product at the minimum possible price among the various choices being offered,” explained Amarjit S Ahuja, President, Purchasing Professionals Forum — India.

Moreover, according to Amarjit, the association can help the professionals by sharing knowledge about how to effectively negotiate with the vendors.

“One can say this is our way of giving back to the industry,” stated Amarjit, who is also the Director of Procurement, Le Meridien New Delhi.

Already PPFI has 120 members.

However, at present the reach of the association is within north India only. “We would go for a pan-India presence after two years,” informed Amarjit.

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F OC U S

Indian Culinary Forum Hosted 12th Annual

Chef Awards 2015

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op names from the Indian culinary fraternity came together to celebrate and recognise the Chefs and their contribution to the Indian hospitality industry and society at large. As a part of the celebrations of International Chef Day, Indian Culinary Forum (ICF) successfully hosted the 12th edition of Annual Chef Awards 2015, in an association with the apex body, Indian Federation of Culinary Associations, and World Association of Chef Societies, at The Ashok Hotel, Chankyapuri, New Delhi. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, felicitated the winners for their excellence in the culinary field, in the presence of eminent names of the hospitality industry.

Here it deserves a mention that the Indian Culinary Forum is the Indian association of professional Chefs of Northern India. It was formed in New Delhi in 1987 as an exclusive non-profit organisation, dedicated solely to the advancement of the culinary art of India.

The forum’s objective is to act as a link, a platform and an instrument for the national community of Chefs. At the core of all its chef-centric activities and programmes is the abiding belief that ‘cooking unites’.

The culinary extravaganza kickedoff with the four-day long Trade test where over 100 Chefs participated in 11 categories of culinary competition and showcased a series of live culinary skills.

Malaysian Chef, Lee Chan Wai, was the

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Chairperson of the Hon’ble Jury along with renowned national and international Chefs for the Trade test. As part of the celebrations, ICF also organised Chef Summit for the third consecutive year, where renowned names from the hospitality industry presented their point of view to the young Chefs on various topics. The grand celebration of Chef Awards 2015 ended with a gala Chefs’ Child Dinner, which was the contribution from leading hotels and restaurants, prepared by the master Chefs. Its proceeds were contributed to the charity organisation, ‘Chef and Child Foundation’.

The winners of the different award categories were: SSH Rehman (For Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cuisine); Lifetime Achievement Award — Chef Vincent Joseph; Best Food Writer Award — Rupali Dean; Golden Hat Award — Chef Rakesh Sethi (Radisson Blu, Dwarka); Silver Hat Award — Chef Arvind Rai (The Ashok, New Delhi); Chef of the Year Award —Chef Vinay Sehgal (Dramz); Master Chef International Cuisine Award — Chef Pranab Nayak (Old World Hospitality); Master Chef North India Cuisine Award — Chef Lukesh Bajaj (Radisson Blu, Dwarka); Master Chef Rest of India Cuisine Award — Chef Sebastian (Lite Bite Foods); Master Chef Kebabs Award — Chef Ratan Singh Negi (Radisson Blu, Noida); Master Chef Indian Sweets Award — Chef Dalbir Singh (Ashok Hotel); Master Chef International Confectionary Award

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— Chef Nitin Singharia (Le Meridien); Master Chef Oriental Cuisine Award — Chef Martyn Lepcha (Radisson Blu, Noida); Kitchen Artist Award — Chef Prabhas Mandal (Old World Hospitality); Student Chef of the Year — Nikita Singhal (IICA, Hauz Khas).

Chef Davinder Kumar, President of Indian Culinary Forum said, “The evolution and concept of this Chef Awards is to recognise, honour and promote the fraternity of Chefs and encourage youngsters to join the industry. On this joyous occasion of the International Chefs Day I would like to assure our members, corporate members and associates that ICF will constantly thrive to bring our fraternity closer and continue its commitment to encourage the betterment of the culinary profession, through improved education, related industry events and collaboratively setting new benchmarks for the hospitality industry.”

Chef Vivek Saggar, General Secretary of Indian Culinary Forum said, “Chef Award is not merely a competition, but a platform for Chefs to put their culinary skills on display that will surely enhance their culinary quest, knowledge and forte. The participants are being judged and evaluated by experienced professionals. The whole idea of having the Chef Awards is the selection of the Master Chefs from a national team and bringing them forward to the international forefront.”

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C OV E R S TO R Y

Global Cuisines Gaining Momentum

The Gen Y in India loves to dine out. According to research reports, the millennials are also more likely than other generations to dine out at upscale restaurants on a fairly regular basis. And good many of them are showing a preference towards international cuisines. The upwardly mobile urban Indian palate is evolving. The result is that an increasing number of hotels in the country, in their F&B outlets, as well as stand-alone restaurants, are offering exotic international dishes on their menus. Ashok Malkani finds that pan-Asian cuisine is becoming extremely popular with not only the younger generation but with almost every age group in India.

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C OV E R S TO R Y

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ining in a restaurant serving international cuisines seems to be the ‘in’ thing, not just with the younger generation but also with many not so young people in urban India. The result is that multi-cuisine restaurants are coming up in a big way. There is definitely a demand for Italian cuisine in India. It seems to have captured the imagination of the young. But Japanese cuisine is also gaining popularity. Foodies have become bold and experimental and are eager to explore cuisines that are new to their palates.

International cuisines, be they Thai, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, et al, are now consumed and appreciated greatly in India. So how has this transformation among the people who would only try tandoori chicken and dal makani or any other typical Indian dish, not so long ago, take place?

Reasons for the Popularity of International Cuisines “Today more numbers of people in India are well travelled than they were before. Many among them are open to experimentation with cuisines and are more likely to opt for international

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cuisines and beverages. Social media and food portals have played the role of catalyst in making people aware about various cuisines, even from the unexplored parts of the world. The number of outlets serving international cuisines opened during the last decade in India was phenomenal. People have also become very health conscious, and thus exotic salads and healthy international food are becoming part of buffet at the hotels in the country,” declared Deep Ranjana, F&B Manager, Novotel Imagica Khopoli.

“Couple of decades ago, what we knew outside Indian food would be Continental or Chinese food. With the Internet and a host of lifestyle channels nowadays, we have acquired knowledge about different cuisines. Moreover, as our economy has opened up, many multinational businesses have chosen India as their key market, bringing food habits from the western world. As more and more people are travelling either within the country or abroad, this exposure has erased our apprehensions about experimenting with our food,” stated Ruban Das, Director of Food and Beverage, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach.

“I believe the reason why Indians are appreciating international cuisines these days is because more and more Indians are travelling more across the world and are getting exposed to

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international cuisines. The increasing number of international culinary shows on television has also increased awareness among Indians towards international cuisines. Also people are becoming very experimental in their food choices, again thanks to media for the exposure towards international food and culinary trends,” proffered Executive Chef, Girish Kumar, Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan.

“Indians are definitely appreciating international cuisine. I belong to a generation or two prior and have seen the industry evolving. There was a time when guests in the Indian food service industry were averse to even try new things.

Somewhere back of their mind they were also hesitant about trying international cuisines in India as the common belief was the quality of the ingredients and food would not be up to the mark. Now times have changed, not only in the five-star category but also in stand-alone restaurant properties. They are doing remarkably well when it comes to serving international cuisines to Indian palates.

People have also opened up to try new

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C OV E R S TO R Y things,” analysed Vinesh Gupta, General Manager, Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore. “There is a huge role which media has played in the entire process, by exposing the masses to world cuisine by cutting down the physical barriers,” he added further.

“Younger generation of Indians and even the not so young people in the country are now open to experiment and explore newer concepts and ideas when it comes to food,” affirmed Anupam Gulati, Executive Chef, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa. “People are eager to try international flavours at home as well; more so with so much of availability of quality international ingredients at a stone’s throw. Things are much easier than before….or should I say more complex than ever?” queried Gulati.

“The socio-economic outlook of Indians has changed over the last decade.

A sizeable chunk of middle and upper class Indians have now exposure to outbound travel; thus they are directly exposed to different cultures and cuisines.

This has definitely created a demand in India for world class international cuisines. Indians today understand the finer details of food and drink and seek those fine dining experiences. They have also extended their palate to a wider breadth of tastes, flavours and ingredients, thus creating more discerning gourmands in the country,” opined Indrajit Saha, Executive Chef at Sofitel Mumbai BKC. In fact, almost all senior food service professionals this writer spoke to said that as more and more Indians were travelling abroad, they were getting exposed to and eventually interested in international cuisines. “Indians are travelling abroad quite often; and what they see there is what they expect to have in India. Therefore they are demanding

Vinesh Gupta

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international cuisines here,” pointed out Siddharth Manjeshwar, F & B Manager at Alila Diwa Goa. “Indian people are opening up to different cuisines and fusion food. We at Grand Hyatt Goa always try to take our guests out of the comfort zone and encourage them to try different dishes.

You will always have some guests who need their naan bread and butter chicken, but slowly people are opening up to trying new things. Indians are travelling a lot so they are looking for different things. People can always go back to traditional Indian food. But today in the Indian food service industry, it is all about trying out new things,” opined Mark Long, Executive Chef, Grand Hyatt Goa. “Indians are surely appreciating international cuisines. This is evident through the numerous international cuisine restaurants that are opening across the country. The main reason for such transformation is the increase in inbound and outbound travel to and from India.

Another reason is the increasing influence of social media, which is playing a vital role in educating and encouraging Indians to experiment with different cuisines,” expressed Puneet Sharma, F&B Manager, Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon.

“Food lovers in India these days are aware of the ingredients and flavours they want to experiment with. Trends like molecular gastronomy are well appreciated by many Indians. In this age of social media and blogging, people are aware about various cuisines around the world. International cuisines have become favourite among the Indians today as people have also started becoming health conscious and are moving towards healthier food options. Many young hoteliers today have set up their own niche/cult restaurants, which serve international cuisines like Asian, Italian,

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etc,.” elaborated Ganapathy Mallya, Executive Chef, Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort.

“Indians are definitely appreciating international cuisines. Many Indians who travel across the world are exposed to different kinds of cuisines, which help them to develop the palate and taste for them. I can also say that the younger generation of Indians are willing to try new and different cuisines and are not restricting themselves to Indian food alone. Also, with the opening of several restaurants focusing on international cuisines over the last few years, the foundation for the appreciation of international cuisines by Indians has been consolidated,” explained Chef Siddharth Somaiya, Chef & Owner, The Bao Haus Co. Colaba, Mumbai.

The Preferred International Flavours With the growing popularity of international cuisines, several stand-alone restaurants in India have also opened up to cater to the guests’ needs. But then how does one decide on which international cuisine is the most preferred one in India?

“In India, a considerable size of our population is vegetarian and so the cuisines which offer options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians are preferred. Chinese is still the most popular international cuisine in the country, followed by Italian; another cuisine whose popularity is rising in the country is the Mediterranean cuisine, which encompasses cuisine of countries like Morocco, Egypt, Arab world, Southern Italy, Turkey and Greece. This cuisine is also known as healthy because of its cooking methods,” declared Das, after some introspection.

“While traditionally, Chinese and

Deep Ranjana

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C OV E R S TO R Y

Indrajit Saha

Anupam Gulati

Girish Kumar

Thai food have been popular in the country, people are also exploring Indonesian, Korean, Mongolian and even Sri Lankan cuisines. People are also getting more aware towards Chefdriven cuisine. For example, Jamie Oliver’s newly opened restaurant in New Delhi has become a brand by itself and customers visit the restaurant solely for his name. There is also a renewed interest in coastal food from European countries, such as Spain and Italy. At Sofitel Mumbai BKC, we present our guests with ‘40 dishes around the world’ at every Sunday Brunch, that appeals to all kinds of palates,” averred Saha.

“In my opinion, the most preferred international cuisine in India is the Asian cuisine. Food items like sushi, dim sums, stir-fried noodles, smoked fish and salads are now seen on many of the restaurant menus across the country.

My personal favourite is Nasi Goreng, which is a complete meal with fried rice, with an option of meat and/or fish along with veggies tossed in soya sauce,” expressed Mallya.

“The most preferred international cuisines in India, in my opinion, are the Italian and Chinese cuisines. These two cuisines are still ruling the palates among the connoisseurs of international cuisines in India. Italian cuisine comes with a simple recipe, it can be cooked at home, and takes less time to learn and prepare. Also, the right set of mix and spices can make it one of the most favourite cuisines for the Indian palate.

Asian cuisine is also easy to learn and can be prepared at home. This cuisine has a wide variety of choices and is very famous among Gen Y,” stated Sharma.

“After a long stint with Chinese cuisine, Indians are now embracing flavours from South-East Asia and

beyond. Some examples of this can be seen in the last few years, with the launch of several Asian concept restaurants in the country such as PaPaYa, Asian Street Kitchen, Mamagoto, Asia On My Plate & Burma Burma to name a few,” opined Somaiya.

“I think that Italian, Chinese, Asian and Japanese are the post popular international cuisines among Indians.

However Indians are definitely opening up to newer cuisines,” pointed out Long.

“I am sure my grey hairs will play a pivotal role in giving the proper judgment. Over the last few decades there are only two specific international cuisines which have always dominated the preference of Indians; they are Italian and Chinese cuisines. There might be several reasons to this. It may be their easy availability in all price buckets and touch points or may be these two cuisines are closest to Indian palates,” articulated Gupta.

Gulati also agreed when he said that “Chinese and Italian are our all-time favourites among international cuisines,” though in the same breath he conceded that Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Lebanese and Mexican cuisines were also not far behind in this race towards

popularity among Indian palates.”

Deep Ranjana, however, differs.

“Pan-Asian cuisines, including cuisines from Burma, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and Mongolia have become some of the most preferred cuisines in India. The trend of one bowl meal and molecular gastronomy is catching up; India is now beginning to become a one- stop destination for pan-Asian food lovers,” she confirmed.

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Puneet Sharma

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Chinese Cuisine is Passé?

While Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Lebanese, Thai cuisines are gaining in popularity in the country, is preference for Chinese cuisine in the Indian food service industry on the wane? The opinion seems to be divided.

“The Chinese cuisine, which is usually served in India, is modified to suit Indian taste. That is the reason it is now slowly becoming passé. However, authentic Chinese is still admired and relished by many Indian guests. The pan-Asian cuisine is now taking over the Indian food service market in a bigger way. People in India now have got a lot of international cuisine options available on the menu apart from Chinese,” reasoned Deep Ranjana.

Gupta however disagrees with the view that Chinese cuisine is passé in the country. “Chinese cuisine and Indian palate share an eternal love affair.

Chinese cuisine can never be passé in India. From a road side thela to a restaurant in a five-star hotel, every kind of food service outlet in the country serves Chinese cuisine.”

“Honestly what we eat in India is Chindian cuisine, which is more suited to the Indian palate, the palate which requires a certain amount of spice in everything. However, there are specialty

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C OV E R S TO R Y

Raheel Ahmad

Siddharth Somaiya

Ganapathy Mallya

Chinese restaurants, which will always carry on the legacy, and Chinese food can never become passé in the country.

But there are various new international cuisines which are gaining currency in the country, and the focus has shifted from Chinese food as far as popularity of international cuisines in India are concerned,” observed Somaiya.

Girish Kumar also thinks along similar lines. “Authentic Chinese food has still not evolved in India,” he asserted, while adding, “The Chinese cuisine we see in India is highly localised; made to appeal to the Indian palates. And this ‘Chindian cuisine’, so to speak, is very much in demand still.”

“As far as ‘Punju Chinese’ is concerned, it is definitely passé. Many people are really well travelled these days and they understand what an authentic dish tastes and looks like. So they very much want to try dishes which are as authentic as you can get,” averred Gulati.

Yes, authentic Chinese food is being advocated by almost everyone that this writer spoke too. “Chinese cuisine is still the most popular international cuisine

in India. However, the emphasis is now on authenticity of preparations from different parts of China rather than the Hong Kong styled typical Chinese food which we are so used to eat. New era Chinese food in India revolves around different cooking methods (rather than deep frying or stir frying), variety of ingredients, regional specialties and authenticity of preparation,” iterated Das. “Chinese cuisine is loved by most Indians and in my opinion a plethora of restaurants today has a special section dedicated to it in their menu. Dishes like soups and noodles are popular among almost all age groups in India, especially among children. Chinese cuisine has retained popularity for a very long time in the otherwise dynamic Indian food service industry, where new trends and creative food concepts do emerge almost every quarter. I would say, Indian restaurant guests are open to experimentation but at times they prefer the tried & tested food, especially Chinese,” analysed Mallya.

“After spending three years in China, I don’t think Chinese cuisine can be regarded as passé. It has a rich gastronomic culture,” asserted Long.

“Chinese cuisine has a certain cultural imprint in India and is almost considered one of the local options. As we have known over time, this cuisine in the Indian context has morphed itself into an Indian-Chinese version, which has stood the test of time. From that perspective, Chinese cuisine may never be passé in India,” aired Saha. “Having said that, there is room for authentic Chinese cuisine to be brought in to India. This is in fact a gastronomic opportunity yet to be explored, which will showcase a variety of authentic Chinese dishes from different parts of

the country. Just like the Indian cuisine, Chinese gastronomy is an exciting and eclectic mix of different regional cuisines,” he elaborated further.

Raheel Ahmad, the Executive Chef at Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield, too does not believe that Chinese cuisine has become passé in the Indian food service industry. “But,” he added, “I am of the opinion that other Asian cuisines, such as Korean BBQ, and Japanese cuisines are in demand.”

“With so much innovation happening, I don’t think that the Chinese cuisine will ever be passé in India. It is the most loved international cuisine in the country, especially in North India,” concluded Sharma.

Leaving aside the Chinese cuisine, are the other international cuisines which are being served in India do reflect fusion food to satisfy the palates of Indians? Which cuisine is proving to be the most popular in different hotels in the country? Yes, there are several other aspects of international cuisines in the Indian food service industry, which will n be discussed in our next issue.

Ruban Das

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Siddharth Manjeshwar

Oct-Nov ’15

Block Your Space for AAHAR, Delhi 15-19 March, 2016

Oct-Nov ’15

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BUSINESS

India Needs to Bolster

Cold Chain Infrastructure India produces not only a large quantity of the world’s agricultural products but also takes a position of pride as far as meat, fish and many other food products are concerned. There is thus ample scope for earning high revenues by exports of these items. But due to lack of proper cold chain a large quantity of this produce gets destroyed in the country. Ashok Malkani delves on the need for improving the country’s cold chain infrastructure and also on the potential for investment opportunities in the cold chain sector. For investors, developing cold chain infrastructure is an avenue that could be explored fruitfully in India.

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Oct-Nov ’15

BUSINESS

I

ndia’s exports of fruits and vegetables have grown in the last three years as a result of growing demand from Pakistan, Kuwait, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Overall, India’s exports of fruits and vegetables have increased to around 1.4 billion USD in 2013-14, which was an increase of about 36 percent from that of the previous year, according to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

But on the other side, we must look at how much loss in exports India has to incur annually due to wastage. India annually suffers a mammoth amount of around Rs.550 billion worth of wastage of fruits and vegetables due to inadequate cold storage and supply chain infrastructure and paucity of food processing in agri-sector, according to Dr. Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Chairman and Secretary of APEDA. In 2012, Indian farmers produced 240 million metric tonnes of horticultural produce, almost equal to its grain and cereals production.

Various studies indicate that 18 percent to 40 percent of this produce was lost

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due to supply chain inefficiencies.

During 2011, the vegetable output of the country was approximately 147 million tonnes, which comprised close to 11 percent of the planet’s vegetable production. But the available cold chain capacity of the country during 2011 was only a dismal 9 million tonnes. This easily indicates that a focused effort to promote the development of the cold chain infrastructure in the country is needed.

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The PHD Chamber expects that India’s logistics sector, which is valued at 13-14 percent of its GDP, to reach a figure of 200 billion USD by 2020.

Presently India has 6300 cold storage facilities with over 3500 companies in the value chain, but states like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal account for nearly 65 percent share of this number.

Most of these facilities are located in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Punjab, Maharashtra, and West Bengal.

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BUSINESS and port of destination.

Some of the major industries which have a dire necessity for improvement of cold chain infrastructure in the country are agriculture, horticulture & floriculture, dairy, confectionary and poultry and meat processing.

But before proceeding further, let us take a look at what the two basic logistics wings of cold chain are. A cold chain network consists of surface storage and refrigerated transportation.

Surface Storage

That shows how lopsided our cold chain infrastructure growth has been.

Presently, the Indian cold chain market is highly fragmented with more than 3,500 companies in the whole value system. Moreover, organised players contribute only 8–10 percent of the cold chain industry market in India.

Wasted Potential The economy of India is agriculture based. India has the capacity to be one of the largest food suppliers in the world as evident from the fact that 52 percent of India’s total land is cultivable. India was the world’s second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, at 91.29 million tonnes and 163.39 million tonnes respectively, during 2014-15, next to China. However, an insufficient and inept cold chain network results in the invariable wastage of approximately 40 percent of India’s total agricultural products per annum.

Inadequate cold chain infrastructure means that a significant part of our perishable produce goes waste or suffers quality deterioration. Both farmers and end-consumers incur loss as a result of this. The farmers don’t get a wider market and better prices, and the end consumers have to pay more for lower quality produce.

A recently released report by NABARD Consultancy Services Private Ltd (NABCONS) states that although the country has managed to create an estimated 31.82 million tonnes of cold storage space, much of these represent stand-alone capacities. About 79 percent of cold stores in the country have

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neither refrigerated transport vehicles nor associated pack-houses where raw produce needs to be first sorted, graded, washed, dried, weighed, packed, precooled and staged before being chilled.

This leads to great deal of wasted potential for the Indian economy, both in its exports and as well as in its domestic food processing sector.

Moreover, limited cold chain infrastructure gives rise to a monopoly in the sector and makes the sector vulnerable to unilateral price hikes in the country. According to Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI), shipping lines operating from Indian coasts sometimes increase freezer container freight rates by up to 1500 USD, irrespective of the size of the container

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This comprises of storage of temperature sensitive products in refrigerated warehouses. However, the bottlenecks faced by the installation of such a facility in our country are numerous.

A minimum of one million cubic feet of storage area is necessary for such an integrated refrigerated cold storage, in order to meet international standards.

This would necessitate a plot of land of at least one acre, which is rather rare for individuals in our country.

The energy cost for such an infrastructure is also fairly high, because the refrigeration units consume considerable power, accounting for about 30 percent of the net cold chain expenses in our country, whereas it is a known fact that India is always suffering from a power deficit of 17 percent to 18 percent.

Hence there is the need for a backup power supply system. The cold chain network service providers in India are,

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BUSINESS by and large, unable to invest such considerable amounts necessary for the establishment of a proper cold chain network, and as a result of which cold storages in India are largely limited to cater to only one kind of commodity, whereas, ideally, different commodities require different temperature controls.

It is alarming that just two years back more than 75 percent of the cold storage capacity in India was suitable only for potatoes. I am sure that the situation hasn’t improved drastically within this small time frame.

It is estimated that even to set up a 100-tonne single-commodity cold storage, an investment of about Rs. 50 crore is required, including Rs. 15.8 crore on plant and machinery, Rs. 24 crore on land and Rs. 9.12 crore for construction. That kind of investment is not easy to come by in India.

Refrigerated Transportation This essentially constitute of reefer trucks, container ships and trains for the transportation of temperature sensitive products. The success of a cold storage network provider

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depends on the transportation of temperature-sensitive products from one destination to another without any viable loss. However, once again the poor investment capacity of the service providers affects the quality of the produces. The standards of temperatures for such transportation being Chiller(-20 degree C), Frozen(-180 degree C) and Deep Frozen(-250 degree C), the reefer trucks as well as the container ships and trains need to be fitted with much high grade and costly refrigeration equipments which, once again, is a matter of considerable investment.

Transportation Lacuna As per the latest report by the National Centre for Cold-chain Development (NCCD), the country needs about 70,000 packhouses (or packing houses), each equipped with a pre-cooler and dispatch room for onwards transport links, to fulfill the current consumption at urban clusters. Currently, the country only has about 250 such pack-houses.

As per recorded data of 31 March 2014, the country has cold stores of 31.8 million metric tonnes in holding

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capacity. However, to match this storage, the country is said to have less than 10,000 refrigerated vehicles, whereas the requirement is estimated at 62,000 vehicles.

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BUSINESS

According to industry estimates, approximately 104 million metric tonnes of perishable produce is transported between cities in India, each year. About 100 million metric tonnes moves via non-reefer mode and only four million metric tonnes is transported by reefer. India has about 250 reefer transport operators (mostly small & non integrated firms) that transport perishable products and less than 30,000 refrigerated vehicles currently ply in India. It has been observed that majority of the refrigerated vehicles (about 80 percent) in the country are utilised for transportation of milk and milk products. It is very clear that the high cost of transportation is a major challenge for refrigerated vehicles market in the country.

Paucity of packing houses and transport connectivity results in a breach in the integrity of cold-chain infrastructure in India. This also results in most of the cold storage capacity in the country being used to store only crops like potato, dried chillies, pulses, etc. which do not need onwards coldchain connectivity.

All these information display that India’s cold chain industry is still at the developing stage. It is not well organised and does operate below capacity. It may also be added that most equipment in use in the domain of cold chain infrastructure in India are outdated and single commodity based. Most of the cold storages in India are concentrated in the private sector.

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Private Investor Interest But visions for the future are bright.

Indian cold chain industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 28 percent over the next four years, and reach a market size of 13 billion USD in 2017 though it is largely unorganised in nature. The Indian cold chain infrastructure presents a great opportunity for foreign companies to explore and invest more in this sector.

There are indeed ample opportunities in cold storage sector in the country, for private investors. It may be mentioned that the market value of Indian temperature-controlled warehouses is expected to grow at 26 percent, compounded annually, till 2017. By volume, the total capacity of cold chain warehouses in the country is estimated to reach about 47 million tonnes by 2017, going by the current rate of capacity addition.

In India, cold chain has become one of the prime areas of interest for private equity funds, for the last few years now.

However, despite this sustained interest, India has not witnessed too many deal announcements in the sector because there are only a handful of players with any reasonable degree of scale.

An interesting example here would be that of Tuscan Ventures, a leading logistics-focused private equity fund, which had been looking to participate in the Indian cold chain story, but evidently did not see a sizeable investment opportunity in the sector.

They went on to incubate their own in-house third party cold chain business instead, investing in both surface and

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transport infrastructure.

For those who are desirous of investing in this sector, it may be mentioned that the major business opportunities related to the Indian cold chain industry lie in cold storages, refrigerated transport, training institutes for refrigeration technicians, material handling solutions, logistics management software, dock management equipment, vehicle monitoring equipment, equipment service and maintenance, and temperature controlled display cabinets.

Despite the impediments, there is expected to be enormous room for further investment and business opportunities in the Indian cold chain sector, in the backdrop of spurt in the output of horticulture products and growing export of processed food and frozen food items in the country.

Huge opportunities are also awaiting investors in the temperature-controlled vehicles sector, with the increasing demand for such vehicles from the retail and food services sector expected to come in the years ahead. During 20102013, the revenue generated by these vehicles enhanced from Rs. 400 crore to Rs. 500 crore. Assocham-TechSci believes that the revenue could jump four times from the 2009 levels to reach Rs. 16 billion by 2017, while the number of vehicles could reach 52,000.

Government Intervention The Government of India has undertaken some praiseworthy initiatives to develop the Indian cold chain industry and supports private participation through various subsidy schemes and grants. Investment in cold-chain in India was also opened under the automatic route for 100 percent FDI participation.

Moreover, the fact that since 2011-12, cold chain has been given infrastructure status can give a fillip to this industry. Subsidy of over 25 percent to 33.3 percent on the cold storage project cost, establishment of National Centre for Cold Chain Development are some other state initiatives to promote this sector that is brimming with great potential. With all these facilities there is enough reason for the potential investors to get attracted to build cold storage infrastructure in India, which the country badly needs. n

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CELEBRITY DINING

A Fluid Evening

By Swarnendu Biswas

V

isiting Flluid at Mosaic Hotels in Noida, with the nationally renowned past life regression therapist and psychologist Dr. Trupti Jayin was a revelation to me. Dr. Trupti Jayin, who shot to national renown after conducting the past life regression sessions at the television show titled Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka, which was being aired on NDTV Imagine, kindly gifted me some wonderful insights about my personality and provided priceless advice on how to improve my faulty lifestyle (all free of cost, of course, for I don’t have the money to pay for her vision) on our

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journey to the hotel. Her gentle but firm admonitions to me were laced with kindness. She also scientifically explained the basis and role of our past lives in our present lives.

Besides these wonderful revelations and advice, I also got to taste some wonderful food at Flluid. The gastronomic journey at Flluid even managed to impress Trupti’s highly refined, globally exposed and evolved palate.

Flluid in its Rebirth Flluid was a simple bar in its past life, which began in 2006. It got rebirth

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through thorough renovation in 2012, where it was evolved into a restrobar.

These days, in its rebirth, Flluid has the twin identity of a multi-cuisine restaurant as well as a bar within its ambit, which have amalgamated beautifully. It provides all day dining facility to guests, all seven days of the week. The restrobar with 72 covers is functional from 11am to 12pm. DJ facility is available on every day of the week, except Tuesday.

“The footfalls at Flluid have also increased as it has become a restrobar with buffet and Sunday brunch facilities.

There are almost 100-125 footfalls at

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CELEBRITY DINING Flluid on an average weekday, and 175 – 200 footfalls during an average day on a weekend,” asserted Anish Srivastava, Operations Manager, Mosaic Hotels, Noida.

According to Srivastava, the corporate segment within 30-40 age group is the target clientele of Flluid.

“They are loyal to us, and have always shown interest in our culinary offerings and services,” he proffered. Srivastava believes that the USP of Flluid is its ambience, comprising plenty of Fuga lights and its attached pool, and also its unique cocktails and mocktails.

The decor of Flluid in its new avatar can appeal to those who have love for modern design elements.

Here metallic tear drops cascade from the ceiling. “The exclusive Private Area section of Flluid simulates an Arabian Nights like ambience, with intricate patterns of soft shadows cast from exotic candles,” the Operations Manager averred. Overall, the ambience and décor of Flluid manage to strike a right balance between opulence and casualness.

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The Writer with Dr. Trupti Jayin

The Gastronomic Journey The restrobar has a gamut of delectable offerings for the vegetarians and as well as for the non-vegetarians. Trupti being a vegetarian and me being an aficionado for chicken and mutton delights, our respective gastronomic journeys with Flluid began with vegetarian and non-vegetarian starters.

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

The Tandoori Seekh Boti Kebab, Chicken Pudina Tikka, Black Pepper Fish Satay, and Garlic Prawns were delicious and went down very well with the Johny Walker Black Label.

Trupti congratulated the Chef on Paneer Tikka, Haryali Chilli Paneer, and Challe Matar Ki Seekh. She also immensely liked the Vegetable Tempura and promptly asked the Chef for the recipe of the dish. The Executive Chef of the hotel, Vijayant Rawat, who was with us at the dinner, gave an uneasy smile, and equally promptly changed the topic. Trupti who doesn’t drink alcoholic spirits, went for Lychee Paradise; a mocktail comprising lychee crush, grenadine syrup, pineapple juice, topped with Sprite.

Our dinning progressed as Trupti, following our persistent pleadings, narrated a wonderful and jaw-dropping incident of past life regression session that she had with one of her clients. In a single session with Trupti, the person traversed through selective incidents from three of his past lives whose

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CELEBRITY DINING

secrets were locked in the dark recesses of his subconscious, to arrive at the root cause of his fear in his present life.

I toyed with the idea that in this age where visiting restaurants is not only about having great food and drink but also to have a holistic, fulfilling and novel experience, and when themed restaurants are gaining momentum in the Indian food service industry, it would not be ridiculous to have a restaurant themed on the idea of past life regression, and para normal experiences. Though Trupti laughed it off, but Srivastava and Rawat sounded serious and interested.

The Executive Chef of the hotel, Vijayant Rawat suggested the pairings of Rarra Gosht Spaghetti with Red Wine and Amritsari Masala Baked Fish with Single Malt. “These pairings can give the connoisseurs of non-vegetarian delights a heavenly experience,” he said. I tried the former combination and it matched up to the Chef ’s opinion. For want of time and paucity of space in stomach, I couldn’t try his second recommendation, despite my ardent wish to do so. I promised to try it on my next visit to Flluid, which made his smile took rebirth on his otherwise smiling face. Rawat told that he had specialisations in Indian &

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Continental cuisines. “There are about nine Chefs engaged with Flluid,” he informed.

“Being a business hotel, Mosaic receives many well travelled guests whose taste buds are quite evolved.

They are ready to try their taste on every unique flavour. On the one hand they look for authenticity of the cuisine, on the other hand they prefer innovative presentation of the dish,” Rawat explained while discussing the challenge of satiating the discerning taste buds of guests at Mosaic Hotels, Noida, which of course, also includes guests at Flluid.

Our main course included Butter

Anish Srivastava

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Chicken, Chicken Biryani, Dal Latitude, Paneer Makhani, Vilapi ki Sabzi among others. I concentrated on Butter Chicken and Chicken Biryani which Trupti avoided. “The dal is really ethereal, and so is the Paneer Makhani,” gushed the great psychologist, as she asked a pertinent question on the health quotient of the dishes on offer at Flluid. Rawat told that they did not use Monosodium Glutamate (in common parlance it is known as ajinomoto), colour and preservatives in their dishes, which seemed to satisfy the wise lady.

Full of Spirits Like the wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, the repertoire of spirits on offer at Flluid is also fairly impressive. A glance at the bar menu revealed this to me.

From Regular, Premium and Deluxe Scotch whiskies, and single malt whiskies(J.W. Red Label, J.W. Black Label, Chivas Regal, J.W. Blue Label, Royal Salute, Cutty Sark, Laphroaig 10, Glenmorangie 10 are some of the highlights of these whisky categories), to gins(this section includes brands like Beefeater and Bombay Sapphire among others)… from quality vodkas (Grey Goose, Skyy, Absolut and

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CELEBRITY DINING Smirnoff are some of the brands adorning this section) to Rum(includes names like Baccardi Black and Old Monk)… and from imported and Indian beers to taquillas to cognacs to an exhaustive list of cocktails and shooters, the lovers of spirits are expected to be flooded with choice at Flluid.

Those who not want to be heady, or prefer to become heady without intake of spirits, can choose from a range of delightful mocktails.

Promotions to Revenues Mosaic Hotels, Noida has been introducing promotions to garner more revenues. “Very recently, in November, 2015 itself, we organised Children’s Day and Diabetes Day in Flluid, which were great success,” informed Srivastava. “There was kid’s special lunch buffet for the Children’s Day, whereas on the other hand their accompanying parents got the privilege of flat 40 percent discount on a’la carte menu,” he added further. For the Diabetes Day promotion, Flluid

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offered a wide range of sugar free savouries that grabbed the attention of health conscious people.

According to Srivastava, summer months comprise the lean season for Flluid and during that period Flluid hosts various F&B promotions at the pool side with mist fan or sprinkler water facility to attract more guests. October to January is the peak season at Flluid.

with Tiramisu and Gulab Jamun. The dessert list at Flluid also has a variety of options. Trio of Crème Brulee, Cream Cheese Brownies, Chocolate Mud Cake, and Warm Cinnamon Doughnut with Coffee Icecream are some of the array of sweet delights to conclude a sumptuous treat at Flluid.

“The food was great, but you should have done some more research before coming for a food review.

Your questions, like your attitude towards life, were Vijayant Rawat pretty immature,” Trupti Just Desserts declared with a ravishing While savouring great food and drink smile as we proceeded towards the car. along with meaningful conversation, I pleaded her to accompany me to dine we didn’t realise when and how two out whenever she would visit Delhi, hours had become history. Trupti in the future. “Next time come better had to hurry, as she had some private prepared for the review, and learn a bit more before writing,” she commented, sessions in the morning, for which she without answering to my request. This needed research on a particular aspect is what happens when eruditeness of Indian philosophy. We concluded meets ignorance. our evening or rather twilight at Flluid n

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AGRI

The Healthy Root

By Swarnendu Biswas

C

arrot is a root vegetable. Root vegetables are the plant roots, which are consumed as vegetables. Generally, carrots are orange in colour, though one can find red, yellow, and even white and purple carrots. Taproot is the most commonly eaten part of carrot. However, the greens of this vegetable are also used in salads.

Today’s carrot is a domesticated evolution of the wild carrot, which was native to Europe and south-western Asia. The history of carrots is a long one. In Switzerland and south Germany, the evidence of carrot seeds dates between 2000-3000BC. They were initially cultivated for their aromatic leaves and seeds and not for their edible roots.

Cultivation of Carrots Carrots are grown from seed and their maturation process takes about four months, on an average. Carrots grow best in full sun though exposure to some shade is not expected to harm the production of carrots. The ideal temperature for the growth of carrots ranges between 16 and 21 degree centigrade. The cultivation of carrots requires low levels of nitrogen, moderate phosphate and high potash. Rich soils are not good for carrots.

The ideal soil composition for the cultivation of carrots should be deep, loose and well-drained soil, which is sandy or loamy, having a pH varying between 6.3 to 6.8.

Carrot is regarded among the top ten most economically

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important vegetable crops in the world. China is the largest producer of carrots in the world, followed by Russia and the US. During 2012, about 62 percent of world’s carrot production happened in Asia. Here it deserves a mention that according to Wikipedia, the rate of increase in the global production of carrots has been greater than the world’s population growth rate, and greater than the overall increase in world vegetable production. So carrots can be ideal food or ingredient in today’s times amidst looming threat of global food scarcity staring at us from the not so distant future.

Carrots are also not bogged down much by the storage problems. In refrigerator, carrots can be stored for several months. They can also be stored in winter season, in a moist, cool place.

Carrots in Dishes Carrots are extensively used in various dishes. In India, carrots are used in salads and lentil. They are also used in vegetable dishes. Gajar Ka Halwa is a very popular carrot-based sweet dish of north India. In bakery, carrot has widespread applications.

Carrot cakes and carrot puddings are also delicious dishes, where grated carrots are being used. Carrot and pineapple cake can be a wonderful delicacy for bakeries. Similarly, cinnamon carrot muffins can enhance the value of a bakery.

Carrots can also be used in jams and preserves. Carrot jam

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Oct-Nov ’15

AGRI can be an uncommon option for breakfasts as compared to the more predictable mixed fruit and pineapple jams, etc. It should be marketed well by our food industry. Carrot pickle is a favourite meal accompaniment in Punjab, especially in the winter months. And of course, carrot juice, which is known as Gajar Kanji in India, is known for its health benefits.

This drink can sharpen your eyesight and help one to get good skin. Carrot and cashew coleslaw is a wonderful dish to savour. Carrot soup can also be a healthy beginning to a hearty meal.

The Health Benefits Besides having wide applications across recipes, carrot happens to be a very healthy vegetable. Carrots are spruced with beta carotene, which facilitates good vision, especially night vision. Furrthermore, the consumption of betacarotene has been associated with a reduced risk of several cancers. Some British researchers have found that increasing beta-carotene consumption from 1.7 to 2.7 milligrams per day gets the risk of lung cancer reduced by more than 40 percent.

However, beta-carotene is not the only health attribute of carrot. This root vegetable is also endowed with wide variety of antioxidants and other health-supporting nutrients. The amounts of antioxidant phytonutrients varies from one variety of carrot to another. For example, red and purple carrots are rich in anthocyanin, whereas the orange carrots are exceptionally strong in terms of beta carotene. About 50 percent of the composition of carotenoids of yellow carrots can be sourced from lutein.

The carrots are rich in vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, vitamin B8, pantothenic acid, folate, potassium, iron, copper, and manganese. This root vegetable also helps to tackle health-damaging free radical activity. Furthermore, carrots can improve the health of skin, and boost the immune system.

Moreover, daily intake of carrot greatly reduces the risk of stroke.

Besides facilitating to reduce the risk of cancer, carrots also have cardiovascular benefits. Being a rich source of antioxidant nutrients is believed to make carrots endowed with cardiovascular benefits.

According to the findings of a study by Wolfson Gastrointestinal Laboratory in Edinburgh, Scotland, cholesterol level plummets by an average of 11 percent if seven ounces of raw carrots are partaken per day for three weeks. And it is a well-known fact that high cholesterol is an important cause of heart disease. A group of Swedish scientists had also unearthed that intake of carrots can reduce the chances of getting affected by heart attack. Furthermore, as carrots are rich sources of potassium, these vegetables can reduce the stress on the cardiovascular system.

That is not all. Carrots are rich in dietary fiber which can help maintain good digestive health. Carrots can also lower the risk of macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a common eye disease among the elderly that compromises the function of the macula. So it is wise for our food service industry to have more creative application of carrots in their menus. This healthy initiative will facilitate restaurants and other food service outlets in India to gain more popularity in n these health conscious times.

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bEVERAGE

Coffee in

Capsules

By Swarnendu Biswas

R

ecently, the beverages market in India is expected to witness a new trend. It is the trend of coffee and tea capsules. Bonhomia claims to be India’s first coffee and tea capsule brand, which emerged in the market in earlier this year. The brand has germinated from the company named Indulge Beverages, which came into being in 2012.

Bonhomia offers single serve coffee and tea capsule variants, which are compatible with Nespresso machines, to satisfy a varied range of tastes. The six coffee variants under the brand of Bonhomia include exciting names like Free Love (Intensity 5), Dark Deeds (Intensity 8), Organic Bliss (Intensity 4) and Black Veil (Intensity 9), all comprising of 10 capsules per pack. The tea capsules of Bonhomia come in two variants, comprising 10 capsules per pack.

According to Tuhin Jain, Director — Sales & Marketing, Indulge Beverages, Bonhomia’s beverage offerings in capsuled format are of very high quality but they can attract the connoisseurs as well as the amateurs. The quality blends of Bonhomia, according to Jain, are sourced from

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select tea and coffee estates in India. “We prefer to source our coffee beans from high altitude shade grown regions, and then the green beans are roasted by the master blenders to achieve the desired quality and aroma,” he elaborated further.

Impressive Presence Bonhomia’s tea and coffee capsules are retailed through Foodhall, Nature’s Basket, Le Marche, Good Food, Needs and Modern Bazaar. They can also be brought online through portals such as Bonhomiaworld, Amazon, FabMart, etc.

As far as the institutional sector goes, Jain informed that these capsules had already found presence in rooms of hotels embodying prestigious brands like Taj, The Oberoi and Le Meridien.

“Our capsules are used in all the rooms of The Ritz Carlton, Bangalore, The Oberoi, Bengaluru, and across the Vilas properties of Oberoi, which are The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Ranthambore, and The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur. Overall, our capsules are used in more than 20 hospitality properties across India,” averred Jain. Besides having presence in these hotels, the tea and coffee capsules of Indulge Beverages are also being used in various restaurants and embassies and in sleek corporate offices.

These capsules are compatible with Nespresso brewer machines, but now Bonhomia has come up with its very own user-friendly brewing machine, which is expected to give these capsules greater marketability. In the recent past, Bonhomia has come up with its very own brewing machine, named as BOHO. The

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machine is an innovative one, and does have the potential to revolutionise tea and coffee consumption in India, at least in the short-run. “One just needs to place the capsule inside BOHO and press the long or espresso button to get the perfectly brewed cup of coffee or tea,” expressed Jain.

Indulge with BOHO While talking of how the innovation of BOHO and coffee capsules have the potency to give a fillip to the fast evolving retail coffee market in India, Jain said, “The BOHO gives you another reason to go the capsule route — our state-of-theart coffee capsules marry the convenience of an ‘instant’ with the indulgence of a freshly ground brew and enable any individual to create a perfect cup of coffee in the comfort of her/his home — with consistent quality each time.” Moreover, according to him, “Our innovative one touch technology with adjustable setting allows you to choose the strength of your tea & coffee with BOHO.” “The BOHO machines are equipped with an extraction system that works at a very high pressure. Each parameter of BOHO has been calculated with precision to ensure that flavour notes of each variant can be expressed,” pointed out Kunal Bhagat, CEO, Indulge Beverages.

Jain is delighted but is not surprised by the quick popularity of Bonhomia’s tea and coffee capsules and of its brewing machine in the Indian hospitality and food services industry. “We have brought an international trend in the Indian hotel and food services sector, where we now have more guests with international

Oct-Nov ’15

exposure than before. It is therefore not surprising that they would love to see the replication of the international trend of coffee capsules in the Indian hotels and restaurants too,” analysed Jain.

Available online on bonhomiaworld.com as well as in select outlets of Westside, Modern Bazaar, Needs and Barista, Tuhin Jain the BOHO machines are being retailed in two colour variants - Midnight Black and Passion Red. Moreover, BOHO machines are already having presence in restaurants and a couple of hotels. They are being installed in a few restaurants across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. “Our tea and coffee capsules are also already in usage across a few restaurants in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad,” confirmed Bhagat.

Jain also informed that buoyed by the popularity of its extensively research-based products, Indulge Beverages would soon expand the portfolio of its coffee capsules to 20, by as early as the end of 2016. “More tea capsule variants are also in the offing,” he informed confidently.

Gauging the Future The gourmet coffee capsules of premium quality, the likes of which are being produced and marketed by Indulge Beverages, complemented with user-friendly brewing machines, does have the possibility to make the connoisseurs of coffee in India to savour wonderful coffees without feeling the need to go out and visit a sleek coffee café outlet. This can entail quality with convenience, which seems to be need of the times.

However, whether they can diminish the appeal of coffee cafes in the country in the near future or not is a debatable point. The coffee café chains would have to tackle the future challenge of high-end coffee capsules possibly by sprucing up their snacks offerings.

The future coffee capsule players thinking of invading the Indian coffee market, which seems to be brimming with possibilities, have to maintain high quality of roasted coffee beans. If they can’t maintain the quality at par with those offered by coffee café chains operating in the country, it is unlikely that their offerings would be savoured by the high-end segment of consumers, in the retail and institutional sectors of the country. So at the end of the day, quality is likely to be the key, and convenience will be a facilitator in influencing the connoisseurs of coffee to incline towards coffee capsules. n Kunal Bhagat

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t h e m e cuisine

The Timeless Tastes from

Awadhi Cuisine

By Sharmila Chand

W

hen you talk of Awadhi cuisine, you immediately conjure up images of hot flavoursome biryanis and succulent kebabs. However, there is much more to this royal cuisine that originates from the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, than just kebabs and biryanis. Some of the special dishes of Awadhi cuisine are kebabs, kormas, biryanis, kaliyas, nahari kulchas, zarda, sheermal, and warqi parathas.

The cuisine of Awadh reflects the lifestyle of the erstwhile Nawabs of Awadh or Oudh, and you can find the reflection of their culture, tradition and behaviour in this cuisine. Awadhi cuisine

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draws inspiration from the Mughal style of cooking, and includes a rich array of delicacies and unique ingredients.

The people in Awadh used to believe that cooking food with a slow method is more delicious, and the taste of authentic Awadhi dishes lies in their secret ingredients and cooking methods.

The same tradition is continuing in some places…one of them is The Oudh at The Ashok, New Delhi.

What makes the cuisine from Awadh special? The answer lies in its style of cooking as well as in its chosen ingredients. “The style of cooking as well as the richness of ingredients makes

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each dish of Awadhi cuisine special,” explained Jitender Himral, Sous Chef at The Oudh restaurant, The Ashok, New Delhi.

“Tender meat is a major feature of Awadhi cuisine. Most of the dishes in this cuisine are slow-cooked, in a lower temperature for a longer period, on top of charcoal, which is popularly known as the Dum style. This adds a distinctive flavour and tenderness to meat and makes it wellmarinated too,” he pointed out. Dum is the art of cooking over a slow fire.

Let us take a look at some of the culinary terms and techniques of Awadhi cuisines, which will help us to understand

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t h e m e cuisine the timeless appeal of this cuisine in a better way.

Ghee Durust Karna This is an important process in Awadhi cooking tradition. It entails seasoning the cooking medium (oil or ghee) with flavourings like cardamom and kewra water.

Dhungar This is a unique procedure where burning coal is placed in the middle of marinated meat, and hot ghee, sometimes mixed with aromatic herbs, is poured over it and then covered immediately.

This marinated meat is covered for about 15 minutes to allow the smoke flavour the ingredients.

Chandi Warq In this process small pieces of silver are placed in the middle of paper and then beaten continuously with a hammer until the silver becomes papery thin. This thin silver paper or warq is used to decorate sweets and dishes.

Ittr or Perfumes Ittr or perfumes are used in Awadhi dishes to enhance the fragrance of the dish.

Galavat This is the process of tenderising meat using raw papaya as softening agent.

Dum Pukht It is an important feature of the Awadhi cuisine, where meats, herbs and spices are placed in a pot that is then sealed with dough and slow-cooked over a very low flame. The meat cooks in its

The Haven for Kebabs

T

he 100-year-old Tunday Kababi, located in the Chowk area of Lucknow, can be easily regarded among the most famous outlets for kebabs in India, even today. The outlet got its unique name because it was started by a one-armed Chef.

The Tunday Kababi claims to be unique because of the zealously guarded family secret recipes for the masala (homemade spices), prepared by women in the family. Now Tunday Kababi is a national brand and has a chain of outlets within India, within its ambit.

Tunde Ke Kabab, a dish made out of minced meat, happens to be the high point of the gastronomic culture of Lucknow, and the hallmark of Awadhi cuisine.

The dish is believed to amalgamate 160 spices to create its ethereal taste.

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Menu Planning at The Oudh, The Ashok, New Delhi Nosh-é-Shuruaat (Starters) Jal Zeerã Lassi Manpasand Ras Bahãr Ibtedaa-é-Shorbã (Soups) Lucknowi Yakhni Shorbã (having flavoured extract of mutton) Dal Shorbã — Lentil soup tempered with garlic Surkh Shorbã — Tomato soup flavoured with cinnamon and coriander Khazãnã-é-Kabãb (Kebãbs) Non-vegetarian Jhiñgã Mehrunnisã Mãhi-e-Gulfãm Lehsooni Malãi Tikkã Tangri Malihãbãdi Murgh Surkh Añgaar Murgh Lazeez Seekh Nakhãs Ki Boti — Chunks of lamb marinated with spices and herbs, cooked on a griddle Vegetarian Tohfã-é-Noor Hariyãlí Kabãb Pudínã Kabãb Sunehri Seekh Nazrãnã Hãndi Sé (Curries from the Oudh) Mallikã-é-Dariyã Murgh Fãtimí

Murgh Rihãnã Murgh Siddam Pukht Koh-é-Dãliganj Oudhi Qormã Husainãbãdi Gosht Nemat-é-Zameen (Vegetarian Fare) Paneer-é-Hazrat Mahal Paneer Karhãhi Sé Noor-é-Chaman Dahi Ké Koftey Shabnam Curry Biryãni Aur Chãwal Murgh Biryãni Teh Biryãni Gulnãr Biryãni Sãdey Chãwal Rotiyan Dawat-é-Shahi (Indian Breads) Gilãfi Kulchã Sheermãl Warqi Parãnthã Oudhi Naan Pudinã Parãnthã Roomãli Roti Tañdoori Roti Sheerini-Ka-Daur (Desserts) Khush Zaiqã Mãlpúã Rabri Muzãfar Qulfi Fãloodã Barfeeli Mehek

own juices, taking on the flavours of the seasoning, and resulting in a hearty and aromatic cuisine.

We would also briefly dwell here on some of the delicacies of the Awadhi cuisine. Of course, among the famous dishes of Awadhi cuisine, kebabs take the cake.

Delectable Kebabs Kebabs are integral part of Awadhi cuisine. Lucknow is well-known for its kebabs. There are several varieties of popular kebabs in Awadhi cuisine viz. kakori kebab, galawat ke kebab, shami kebab, boti kebab, patili-ke-kebab, ghutwa kebab and seekh kebab.

The kebabs of Awadhi cuisine are prepared in a different way from the kebabs in Punjab as Awadhi kebabs are grilled on a chulah and sometimes in a skillet whereas kebabs being prepared in Punjab are grilled in tandoor. Awadhi

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kebabs are also called chulah kebabs whereas the kebabs of Punjab are called tandoori kebabs.

The seekh kebab has long been considered a high point in Awadhi cuisine. Introduced by the Mughals, it was originally prepared from beef mince on skewers and cooked on charcoal fire.

Now lamb mince is preferred for its soft texture.

Shami kebab is made from mince meat, usually with chopped onion,

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t h e m e cuisine coriander, and green chillies added. These kebabs are in the shape of round patties, filled with spicy mix and tangy raw green mango. The best time to have them is May, when mangoes are young.

A variant of shami kebab made without any admixture or binding agents and comprising just the minced meat and the spices is the galawat kebab.

Boti kebab is lamb marinated in yoghurt and cooked on skewers, in a tandoor oven.

Vegetarian kebabs from Awadhi cuisine include dalcha kebab, kathal

ke kebab, arbi ke kebab, rajma galoti kebab (kidney bean kebab cooked with aromatic herbs), zamikand ke kebab (Lucknowi yam kebabs), etc.

Classy Korma Korma is actually the Indian name for the technique of braising meat. It originated in the lavish Moghul cuisine wherein lamb and chicken were braised in velvety, spiced sauces, enriched with ground nuts, cream and butter. While kormas are usually rich, they are also mild versions of korma, containing little

Recipe Portion: 02 No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Garnish:

Murgh Rehana by Jitender Himral, Sous Chef, The Oudh, The Ashok, New Delhi Ingredients Chicken tikka (roasted) Cashew nuts Refined oil Cream Khoya Butter Tomato puree Ginger garlic paste Cinnamon Cardamom Clove Salt Red chili powder Garam masala powder Jaiphal Javitri powder

Quantity 300gm 50gm 75 ml 100ml 80gm 20 gm 100gm 5 gm 2gm 1gm 1gm To taste 3gm 2gm 2 gm

Coriander sprig Cream Grated khoya

05gm Few drops 02 gm

Preparation: 1. Fry the cashew nuts to light golden brown colour, remove and drain off excess oil. Grind the cashew nuts and khoya to a fine paste with water.

Remove and reserve.

2. Strain tomato puree. Keep it aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Add the ginger garlic paste dissolved in a little water. Add salt and red chillies.

4. Add the tomato puree. Cook till the oil bubbles are out.

5. Add the khoya paste and cashew nut paste. Add the cream and butter.

6. Cook on a slow fire, stirring continuously till the gravy has cooked and thickened and the oil bubbles are out.

7. Add chicken tikka (roasted in tandoor), salt, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and jaiphal javitri powder.

8. Finish with cream. Place into the serving dish, garnish with coriander sprig, ginger juliennes, grated khoya and swirl of cream.

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or no cayenne or chillies. There are both vegetarian (navratan korma) and nonvegetarian (chicken, lamb, beef & fish korma) varieties of korma. Murgh Awadhi Korma is a classic from Lucknow.

In Murgh Awadhi Korma, the chicken is boneless and the curry is neither too thick nor too thin. It is not a tomatobased curry and that is why this dish is different from your average chicken curries. Cashew provides an important ingredient in this delectable preparation, endowing both texture and taste to the dish. In the days of Awadh Nawabs, they used large quantities of saffron and almond in this dish’s preparation. Also in earlier days, the grinding of cashew used to be a fine art.

Nawabi Chicken Dum Biryani In this Awadhi delicacy, pulao is made by cooking meat in ghee with warm aromatic spices, until the meat becomes tender. Then rice is added and then cooking in the sealed pot over low heat is being done. With biryani, the rice is boiled or parboiled separately in spiced water and then layered with meat curry or marinade (depending on the type of biryani). Following that, cooking in sealed pot over low heat is being done to prepare this great dish. The vegetarian version of this biryani is called tehri. n

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R estaurant

Get the Authentic Flavours of Awadh

By Sharmila Chand

T

he Ashok, New Delhi has added another dimension to its F&B repertoire — The Oudh. The Oudh promises a culinary fare that embellishes royalty, mysticism and an exclusive plethora of dishes.

Oudh cuisine, synonymous for its high standard of gastronomic refinement, is still preserved in erstwhile aristocracy.

Here it deserves a mention that Awadh or Oudh is a central Indian region around Lucknow. It is characterised by skilled bawarchis and the Dum Pukht style of cooking (dum means to breathe and pukht to cook) that involves placing ingredients in a traditional degh or handi, sealed with a layer of dough (to trap the steam) and cooking it over a slow fire, thereby allowing the ingredients to simmer in their own juices until they are tender and delicious.

The Oudh restaurant brings to you the true essence of this magnificent cuisine.

Here you can get delectable Awadhi cuisine, wrapped in exotic spices and aromas. To suit the palate of the present generation, the rich ingredients have been toned down; cooking time and methods too have been re-engineered and adopted to the needs of today’s times, without affecting the taste and flavour of the

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dishes, while maintaining the feel of the regal times of the Nawabs of Oudh.

“The Oudh is popularly known for its flexibility in delivering services as

“We owe our commitment to the highest level of quality of food and culinary standards, and to the uncompromising team of experts who help us in delivering flawless services and thus facilitate us to achieve high customer satisfaction index.”

Mukesh Rana, Restaurant Manager, The Oudh

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per the customers’ expectations. Apart from providing a personal luxury dining experience our PDRs also serve a handful of purposes, ranging from formal meeting and conferences set up to social gatherings, etc. Time and again, we have hosted high level of dignitaries of which many are now in the list of our loyal guests,” asserted Mukesh Rana, Restaurant Manager, The Oudh.

The menu has been thoughtfully created with vegetarian, non-vegetarian, vegan, egg less markings guiding you through. All the dishes in the menu are prepared in trans-fat free oils. The option of stevia-based desserts (stevia is a 100 percent natural herbal substitute for sugar) is also on offer for the health conscious and diabetics.

Open for both lunch and dinner, with a well-stocked bar and overlooking a grand garden and pool, The Oudh is an ideal venue for food lovers.

Dal Shorba, Jhinga Mehrunnisa (prawns flavoured with saffron and roasted in a tandoor) and the Tangri Malihadadi (tandoor grilled chicken legs) are some of the culinary highlights of the restaurant. Murgh Rehana (barbecued chicken simmered in a gravy of cashew nut, tomato and cream) and the

Oct-Nov ’15

R estaurant

Hussainabadi Gosht (mutton and potato roundels simmered in spicy massallas) with the Teh Biryani are bound to satisfy even the most discerning gourmet of Oudh cuisine.

Vegetarians need not be disappointed for there is a selection of vegetarian kebabs and curries at The Oudh, including Tohfa-e-Noor (tandoor grilled cottage cheese in a spicy marinade), Dahi Ke Koftey (curd balls simmered in a saffron flavoured gravy), Paneer-e-Hazrat Mahal (chutney stuffed cottage cheese in a rich gravy of tomatoes, cashewnuts and almonds) and the Gulnar Biryani.

The Gilafi Kulcha and Sheermal are the multi-grain breads, which can be the perfect accompaniments to a heavenly gastronomic experience. The feast can best be concluded with a truly royal Muzafar (vermicelli with nuts) or Shahi

Oct-Nov ’15

Tukra in a brown bread and stevia variant.

“The Awadhi cuisine comes from the royal courts of the Awadh, and was an all time favourite of the Nawabs of Lucknow who were great food connoisseurs. With frequent food promotions and several other initiatives, this cuisine is fast gaining popularity among the younger generation as well,” affirmed Rana.

The menu at The Oudh has been created in French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese besides in English and Hindi, which gives The Oudh’s fare an international fillip that it truly deserves.

With private dining options and both host and guest menus, The Oudh with its marble interiors comes across as a wonderful dining venue. The live ghazals in the evenings simulates the ambience of a royal court.

The Oudh presents its Deewane Khaas, comprising exclusively done salons, which overlooks the lush green lilly pool lawns, which are ideal for both private and personal rendezvous. Deewane Khaas is ideal for business meetings, meeting with friends or for the family crowd.

To sum up, if you wish to experience the culinary fare of the bygone royal era of Awadh, do visit The Oudh at the The Ashok, New Delhi.

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“The most exciting style used in Oudhi cooking is the Dum Pukht style. Dum Pukht involves placing ingredients in a traditional clay pot, which can be degh or handi, which is sealed with a layer of flour dough. The sealed pot is placed on a coal fire so that the ingredients simmer in their own juices until tender and delicious. The Oudh at the capital unfolds to its esteemed guests the true essence of this magnificent cuisine.”

Asad Fayyaz, Food & Beverage Manager, The Ashok, New Delhi.

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c h e f voice

Consistent, Innovative and Enthusiastic

By Sharmila Chand

During his career, Chef Richard B, Executive Chef, b-bar, located at Saket, New Delhi, has worked with various international brands like Buddha-Bar Dubai, Metropolitan Hotel Dubai, Grand Millennium Dubai, Le Royal Meridian Hotel Dubai, Cama Hotel, Ahmedabad among others. Apart from winning medals in various cooking competitions in Dubai during his 19-year-long career till now, he also holds certification of ‘Emirates Salon Culinaire’ from Emirates Culinaire Guild, associated with World Association of Chefs’ Societies. Chef Richard specialises in Californian-Asian fusion cuisine. His Misoyaki Black Cod, Gochujang Lamb Chops, Angry Roasted Chicken and Misoyaki Eggplant are must try at b-bar. The excerpts of the interview follow: How do you describe yourself?

I would like to describe myself as consistent, innovative and enthusiastic. I am always looking to create value. I try and find opportunities where others see none; turning ideas into projects and projects into success.

What is the meaning of life for you?

It is to follow your dreams.

What would you like to say on your work?

A Chef ’s life revolves around pots & pans so never part with them!

What is your philosophy of cooking?

It entails cooking with love and with all the five senses, and being passionate about what you are doing.

Had you not been a Chef, then what would you have been?

Then I would have been a football player.

What or who is your source of inspiration?

Inspiration is everywhere in the kitchen.

What you are passionate about?

I am passionate about football and cooking.

What would you consider as your strength/s?

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It is my ability to learn from mistakes.

What is your philosophy at work?

Being flexible and accepting challenges.

What is your greatest desire, professionally?

My greatest desire, professionally, is to have my own restaurant or food joint.

What is your favourite holiday destination?

It can be any quiet sea beach accompanied by my fishing tools.

How do you de-stress yourself?

I de-stress by listening to music.

What is your favourite cuisine?

My favourite cuisine is Bengali cuisine.

What is your favourite spice?

It is Kosher Sea Salt.

What is your favourite dish?

It is Shorshe Hilsa. Hilsa is a fish, which if cooked with mustard becomes a delicacy.

An d wha t is y our fa v our ite equipment?

My favourite equipment is BBQ Grill.

Whom would you consider your favourite diner, that is the kind of guest you would most like to feed?

She/he can be anyone who is ready to try Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

something new and share her/his feedback openly and inspire me to innovate/create something new.

What is your hot selling item?

Devil Chicken with Angry Sauce/ Lobster Dumpling happens to be my hot selling item.

Can you talk about any important lesson learnt in the kitchen?

I have learnt that while working in commercial kitchens one needs to keep calm, listen more and understand the requirement of the situation one is in.

Where do we see you 10 years from now?

Then you can most probably see me as having my own restaurant, dishing out my own creations…

What is the position of Chefs these days, in India?

Chefs in India are gaining popularity and social stature day by day.

What are the problems and challenges faced by Chefs?

There seems to be no end to the number of problems that can crop up at a moment’s notice in a commercial kitchen but a good Chef should be almost always in command and should remain calm while handling crisis situations. It is no surprise that Chefs are today looked up to for some of the best leadership lessons.

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p ro f ile

Guided by Passion and Vision

By Swarnendu Biswas

A

mbrosia Bliss can be simply described as a multi-cuisine restaurant located in Connaught Place. But many a time, simple definitions are not enough to evaluate the grand scale of vision which is being translated into the reality of Ambrosia Bliss, a unit of Felicia Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. The huge restaurant or rather the restaurant complex, which can accommodate 300 guests at a time, can be more aptly described as merging of different eating out options within its 14,000 sq.ft. of area, which can easily cater to different profiles of eating out crowd from Delhi and outside.

Ambrosia Bliss reflects Moroccan, Persian and European influences in its contemporary décor that is elegant and unobtrusive in character. However, more than its stately décor and aesthetic ambience reflecting understated opulence, the sheer size of Ambrosia Bliss amazed me at a first glance.

The Man Behind the Show

He is correct. From a group of housewives hosting a kitty party, to fun loving young partying crowd to serious corporate personnel hosting business luncheon, varied sections of guests can feel at home with Ambrosia Bliss, and that is not only to do with the restaurant’s delectable gastronomic offerings.

Ambrosia Bliss is the maiden venture of this dynamic entrepreneur in the Indian food service business, who has interests in real estate and export-import business. He developed the interest to enter the food service business during his extensive travels abroad.

When he met Rajesh Mohan Bhardwaj, the Co-Founder and CEO of Ambrosia Bliss, their mutual interests matched, which then evolved into a passion to create a difference in the Indian restaurant business. The initial reflection of this passion is Ambrosia Bliss. According to Bhardwaj, the business vision behind this establishment was to create a comprehensive eating out destination which would attract the varied interests of the niche segment of urban Indian society with decent disposable incomes, at the same time. Bhardwaj is an industry veteran with 19 years of rich experience as a hotel and restaurant consultant.

And the vision of Ghanshyam Dass Sharma, along with the experience and expertise of Bhardwaj, has already proved to be a success story. “Already we are attracting 500 people on an average per day, on weekends, and 250-300 people on an average per day, on weekdays,” stated Ghanshyam, while adding, “We aspire to provide the guests the best of fine dining and casual dining.”

It is natural to have an interest about the man behind the show.

Ghanshyam Dass Sharma, the Managing Director of Felicia Entertainments Pvt. Ltd., is the major financial muscle behind this ambitious project, which entailed an investment of Rs.10 crore. However, it was his powerful vision coupled with his untiring passion to make a difference in the Indian restaurant industry, which induced him to create such a wonderful expression in food service, right at the heart of Delhi.

His aim is precise and simple. Providing international food service standards with Indian affordability is his motto. “I want to create an enduring difference in the Indian restaurant business, by creating restaurants of massive scale and grandeur, which will cater to diversified target profiles at the same time, from the same venue. We also want to provide top-notch food and service without greatly compromising on Ghanshyam Dass Sharma the affordability factor,” Ghanshyam proffered.

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Ambrosia, Bliss and the Boardroom One of the eating out sections of Ambrosia Bliss caters to conventional dining experiences in an opulent setting; whether with family, friends or alone. This section, which is named as Ambrosia, further includes a sub-section which simulates an informal private drawing

Oct-Nov ’15

room like ambience. This sub-section has seating capacity for 15-20 people. This sub-section of Ambrosia Bliss is targeted towards a large family gathering.

The section named Ambrosia also includes two terraces which could be ideal for guests who would like to dine in the open air or would like to have a smoke as part of their dining experiences. Especially, a guest who is new to Delhi may appreciate the view of Connaught Place in the sunny afternoon or twilight while having dining experience at Ambrosia. The total seating capacity of this section named Ambrosia, including the two terraces associated with it, is 130.

For the partying crowd and also for those who want to unwind with a drink after a hard day with soothing music playing in the background, Ambrosia Bliss also houses a lounge bar which is targeted at the young but not the very young crowd.

The target crowd of the lounge bar are people between 30-40 with decent disposable incomes; who are young enough to party and old enough to enjoy the fine things in life with maturity and composure. Bollywood music and Sufi music along with western music is being played at the lounge bar, which are likely to appeal to the divergent musical tastes of the guests. “From time to time Ambrosia Bliss has been hosting various musicians and musical bands who play at the lounge bar,” asserted Ghanshyam.

The lounge bar, which is aptly named as Bliss, brims with crowd during Saturdays, where Ambrosia Bliss hosts its weekly musical nights. Then the musical in-vironment at the Bliss gets a tad too loud. The lounge bar also has a terrace associated with it where one can wine and dine while indulging in smoke.

That is not all. “Besides these spacious and divergent eating out options, Ambrosia Bliss also has a private dining room with a formal seating capacity of 32. Informally, about 40 persons can be accommodated here. This segment is known as Boardroom,” informed Ghanshyam. “From the glass partition of the Boardroom one can enjoy the entertainment extravaganza at the Bliss, without mingling with the crowd,” he elaborated further.

Future is Present However, Ghanshyam doesn’t believe in resting on his laurels.

Despite creating a magnificent and mammoth restaurant which began garnering impressive footfalls soon after its inception in October 2014, the savvy and bold entrepreneur is already mulling over his new restaurant projects within a year of his maiden venture in the Indian food services industry. “As far as our short-term plans go, under the brand of Ambrosia Bliss we would come up with one multicuisine restaurant each in Bangalore and Kolkata, which I am confident will become realities soon after 2016,” he informed with confidence. They will follow similar models of amalgamation of fine and casual dining, as the present Ambrosia Bliss is undertaking in its daily operations.

Though the exact seating capacity of these future restaurant projects of Felicia Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. has not been finalised as yet, but Ghanshyam is sure that they would be restaurants having more than 100 covers, each entailing sizeable investment. He doesn’t prefer to think on a small scale. n

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h ygiene

Measures to Get Clean Kitchens

I

ncreasing health awareness among guests in the Indian food service industry, comprehensive legislative measures of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the growing power of social media have together made the role of kitchen cleanliness gather increasing importance in the Indian food service industry.

Kitchen cleanliness, a crucial segment in the broader issue of food safety, can go a long way in ensuring international standard of food, and avoiding several diseases related to the contamination of food.

Building the Right Kitchen Keeping the kitchen clean, however, is not a simple task even for a sleek high-end restaurant in a star-rated hotel. Neither it is for a roadside dhaba either. Right from the architecture of the building to the education and awareness of the staff, maintaining exacting hygiene standards in the kitchen of a food service outlet involves a complex process, strict monitoring and complete dedication of the personnel involved.

Building the kitchen that properly ventilates air and make regular cleaning easy and simple is very important. Kitchens should be well lighted & ventilated. The room temperature and the exhaust system also matter a lot in preventing perspiration.

Green pest management is very important in kitchens as conventional pest control systems often maintain the risk of contracting harmful pesticides with food items. Most importantly, one cannot foresee a clean kitchen without planning a proper drainage system.

This is especially important as the kitchen drain is susceptible to clogging due to heavy flow of peel, grease, food, oil and waste water. But one has to be circumspect in using commercial drain cleaners as the acids and enzymes in them can cause gradual damage to the pipes. Some preventive measures like not allowing any solid materials to go down the drain, or occasionally using a mixture of baking powder and vinegar, may do wonders to the drain and the dishwasher.

Preferably the cooking area and the area used for washing utensils should be clearly demarcated in kitchens of food service outlets. Moreover, these areas should not be connected to the bathrooms or any other source of potential faecal matter.

Cleanliness is in the Hands Keeping the commercial kitchen clean, however, is not limited simply to sparkling utensils and clean uniforms. In fact, the secrets of a clean kitchen in a food service outlet often lie in the hands of the food service professionals of that outlet.

Sometimes even an innocuous act like sneezing can compromise with the hygiene of a high-end restaurant. People working in kitchens of food service outlets should always hold their hands before their mouth, before sneezing, and then

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immediately wash their hands before handling the food items.

Taking proper precaution is very important for preventing the staff from sneezing away bacteria to the valued guests of the restaurants.

As hands are used umpteen times to practically do every activity in the kitchens, a strict routine needs to be followed to ensure the hand hygiene. The kitchen staff needs to follow the habit of washing hands after touching the bins, pets and raw meat. And of course, kitchen staff should instinctively wash hands with soap and water after going to the toilet, and after handling the pets. One should also wash hands before starting the process of food preparation.

Those professionals who reach the apron or look out for the tea towel after washing their hands should immediately amend their habit and switch to disposable kitchen towels to keep everyone safe. As the kitchen staff in food service outlets has to perform the unsung heroics of serving safe food, most Chefs recommend keeping extra care for hands after smoking, shaking hands or touching other parts of one’s own body with hands. Poor hand hygiene can invite infections from bacteria such as salmonella and E-coli. A pair of clean hands also plays an important role in preventing any unintentional transfer of food items to the kitchen equipment or to other food product/s.

Other Facets of Kitchen Cleanliness Regular cleaning of all kitchen appliances is an essential prerequisite for serving safe food. For example, cleaning the chopping boards and worktops needs to become a habit before starting the process of food preparation, in order to prevent the spread of bacteria. Having separate chopping boards for meat and poultry products also helps in maintaining long-term hygiene.

Using hot water for washing out bacteria from the worktops and chopping boards should be the general practice in kitchens.

Despite the widespread use of disposable napkins in the kitchens, use of cloths and sponges becomes often unavoidable.

Dirty and damp cloths can play the perfect spoiler to safe food as they breed bacteria, which can then easily travel to the plate. All kitchen cloths therefore need to be regularly washed and dried before using. Keeping different cloths for separate purposes also goes a long way in keeping the kitchen hygiene intact. Special care needs to be taken in not touching the tea towels after handling meat. It is preferable for the food service professionals operating in food service outlets to keep their nails short and clean. Moreover, hair should be tied while cooking.

Restaurants of star-rated hotels generally have their own SOPs (standard of cleaning process) in place. The Sous Chefs of many hotels monitor the personal hygiene of the staff and cleanliness of all kitchen equipment on a day-to-day basis. Some hotels entrust the Chef on duty to check the nails, hairs and cleanliness of the

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To Another Great Year uniform of the personnel.

In order to prevent a delicious dish to turn into a recipe for multiple diseases, keeping wooden spoons, knives, spatulas, tongs and other utensils spic and span is very essential. For achieving that, washing such utensils at a very high temperature, with good quality detergent has critical importance. A dishwasher comes very handy to make the tedious task of cleaning the utensils easy and effective. Of course, covering food, whether they are cooked as well as uncooked, is always mandatory for maintaining a hygienic kitchen.

Following the age-old adage that prevention is better than cure, some hotels prefer to keep a wash station outside the receiving area of the kitchen for cleaning food stuffs such as eggs, vegetables and fruits. Stringent norms are specially followed for meat, fish, and seafood products.

Floor cleaning is another aspect of kitchen hygiene that often goes unnoticed. Different cleaning schedules need to be adhered to for maintaining the cleanliness of every nook and cranny of the kitchen of a food service outlet. However, comprehensive cleaning of the kitchen floor of a food service outlet should take place generally at night, when all the movable furniture can be shifted and every corner of the kitchen can be scrubbed with disinfectant.

Adequate and constant supply of electricity and water are other two very important aspects of kitchen hygiene.

Sufficient supply of hot and cold water is as important for a clean kitchen as oxygen is to life. Correct lighting is important not only for the Chef for checking the colour of the food, but also goes a long way in maintaining hygiene in the kitchen.

Proper food storage is another important facet for a clean kitchen. Maintaining the required temperature for food products and cleaning the fridge on a regular basis is important for preventing contamination from rotten food items.

The Cost Factor A safe, clean and properly equipped kitchen in a food service outlet not only facilitates health and hygiene of the guests, but it can also work as an inspiration to the Chefs and other kitchen staff to put their best foot (read hand) forward while preparing a dish. Another factor that often surfaces in any talk of clean kitchen is the cost. While proper upkeep of a kitchen demands loosening of your purse strings by only a bit, an unclean kitchen may make many of your kitchen equipment dysfunctional rather early, eventually leaving a heavier burden on your food outlet’s budget.

And compromise of kitchen hygiene can lead to compromise on food safety standards of the food service outlet, which in turn can lead to bad publicity and loss of business (bad publicity and loss of business of a food service outlet because of falling short of guests’ hygiene standards is very much a possibility in this age of powerful social media and various other online platforms), and may also lead to legal hassles. So the costs of not adhering to kitchen hygiene in a sustained and scientific manner can be huge for food service outlets, especially in today’s Indian food service industry. n

Oct-Nov ’15

13 -15.03.2016 International Trade Fair for Wines and Spirits

Düsseldorf, Germany www.prowein.com

INTERNATIONAL WINE BUSINESS ProWein 2016 is the leading show for the international wine and spirits industry. It is the most important date for trade visitors from the retail and gastronomy sectors. This is what you can expect: some 6,000 exhibitors from 50 countries under one roof the largest international selection of wines and spirits wines from more than 320 wine-growing regions throughout the world various tasting zones an attractive ancillary programme with more than 500 informative events Online tickets at: www.prowein.com/ticket2

Messe Duesseldorf India Pvt. Ltd. Centre Point 7th floor Junction of S.V. Road & Juhu Tara Road Santacruz West _ Mumbai 400 054 Tel. +91 (0)22 66 78 99 33 _ Fax +91 (0)22 66 78 99 11 messeduesseldorf@md-india.com

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www.md-india.com

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p roduct p revie w

Skillfully Roasted with Passion

Creating Designer Products

Tandoor being an integral part of kitchens in hotels & restaurants, specially for serving Indian & Middle-Eastern cuisines, cannot be ignored in terms of its quality and make. Kanhaiyalal Tandoor offers tailor-made solutions for tandoor needs in any kind of foodservice establishment.

The company has years of experience in offering solutions to multiple needs of tandoors. With more than 31 years of expertise in manufacturing and marketing tandoors, Kanhaiyalal provides quality tandoors, made in different sizes & shapes, in various institutions. Made

SKI established itself in 1984 i.e. over 30 years ago, with a group of well-qualified and competent professionals, comprising hotel executives and engineers. Today the company has modern wellequipped plant to produce quality products, varied spectrum of design for customised usages and timely delivery. The company’s range of products includes banquet table & chairs, cocktail tables, stage blocks, parquet dance floor, buffet tables, tray jacks, partitions, mobile bars, trolleys, food warmers and outdoor furniture. After sustained hard work and continual research and development the brand SKI, which is known for its quality, durability, reliability and environmentfriendliness, was created. The company has a long list of clients in India & abroad. Repeated orders from clients prove that SKI’s range of products is one of the finest available. All products manufactured by SKI are engineered to exceed consumer expectations.

S K International sanjay.skinternational@gmail.com

with strict adherence to high quality and precision, the tandoors are available in copper, stainless steel, mild steel, and brass. There are also simple clay tandoors in the portfolio of the company.

Kanhaiyalal Tandoor Pvt. Ltd sales@kanhaiyalaltandoor.com

Blending Aesthetics with Quality ‘VENUS’ a leading manufacturer of stainless steel cutlery, hotel ware, tableware, barware, trolleys, etc., has introduced a new range of ‘Counters’ to cater banquets and caterers. The entire range is the combination of ‘Rose Gold and Stainless Steel’. An exquisite journey headed to luxury living where beauty blends with quality. Venus industries is today an established name in manufacturing and exporting premium quality of stainless steel items, hotel waresflatware, tableware, chafing dishes, laufeen dish & others, bar ware, and kitchenware. The company also offers exclusive Zebra table accessories. Venus as a brand is today synonymous with the art of the luxury dining in the hospitality industry. The “SUNEV” range of products from Venus Industries are fusion of stainless steel with ceramic, stainless steel with glass, stainless steel with wood, & stainless steel with acrylic. The products are available at retail stores like Lifestyle, Westside, @ Home, Reliance and other major stores across India. The successful combination of professional experience, creativity, and unparalleled know-how ha s thrust Venus Industries in to a leadership position in the supply of stainless steel wares to the hospitality industry, since over 50 years.

The consistency and superior quality of the products along with innovation of international standard and its commitment to provide customer’s satisfaction has earned it an unenviable position in the hospitality segment.

Venus Industries v_khurana@venusindustries.in 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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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY A d v e r t is e r ’ s Company

I n d e x Page No.

akasa international

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allied metal works

55

apple bakery machinery pvt. ltd.

13

archii 41 BMS ENTERPRISES

27

bunge india pvt. ltd.

19

cremica food industries ltd. fic dabon international pvt. ltd.

07, 15, 37

edt expo 2016

47

edward food research and analysis centre limited

29

fha 2016

26

gcmmf ltd. (amul)

11

hindustan refrigeration stores

45

hospitality appliances pvt. ltd.

65

ifb industries ltd.

23

king metal works

13

loom crafts furniture (india) pvt. ltd.

32, 33

MANISHA INTERNATIONAl BIC marim bula

31

mm fisheries pvt. ltd.

09

mod kitchen equipments pvt. ltd.

17

m.p enterprises

21

munnilal tandoors pvt. ltd.

22

neena enterprises

22

nutech 18 pan to plate hospitality

05

primo foods p. ltd.

25

prowein besucher 2015

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rajkiran kitchen equipment

16

rapidex advertising

71

rans technocrats (india) pvt. ltd.

bc

remington steel arts

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shamsons foods

43

solutionz consulting PVT. LTD.

70

STEC STAINLESS STEEL PVT. LTD.

53

symega savoury technology ltd.

51

tarini hygiene india

61

thaifex 2016

59

The new india electric & trading co.

70

the scs agribusiness consultants pvt. ltd.

39

ths consulting pvt. ltd.

24

tropilite foods pvt. ltd.

49

unitas foods pvt. ltd.

20

venus industries

01

PRODUCT PREVIEW

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business opportunity

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* FIC - FRONT INSIDE COVER * BIC - BACK INSIDE COVER * BC - BACK COVER

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intervie w

The Proactive Team Player

By Sharmila Chand

A graduate from IHM Goa, Apoorv Gaur, Assistant F&B Manager, Radisson Blu Kaushambi Delhi NCR, began his career with Le Meridien New Delhi, where he invested 10 years.

During the last 17 years of his continuing career, he has been associated with brands like Radisson and Hilton. He has expertise in designing exceptional menus.

Identifying guest needs and responding proactively to all of their concerns, leading F&B team by attracting, recruiting, training and appraising talented personnel, establishing targets, schedules, policies and procedures, are his other areas of professional expertise.

He also believes in two way communication and emphasises on motivation and teamwork, while complying with all health and safety regulations. The excerpts of the interview follow: What do you enjoy the most about being an Assistant Food & Beverage Manager?

Working with people is a big plus in my job. Being able to mentor and assist people toward their goals is a great feeling.

Relationship building skills help you in this job to take on challenges. I am tagged as the ‘go to’ person because I reach out to everyone, speak to everyone, learn from everyone, and I identify opportunities where I can strut my stuff. This has led to several new initiatives.

What do you dislike the most?

I dislike guests who try to get things for free. They often exaggerate the situation and lie. Every time a complaint comes in over the phone, then invariably I see the same names cropping up for the same reasons. Last but not the least, I don’t like the long and erratic working hours and non-existent personal life that comes with our job.

Can you point out some major challenges in your job?

One of the challenges of our job involves training of employees. Restaurant employees must be effectively trained to have sufficient knowledge of menu items to answer guest questions, and also to understand the flow of operations sufficiently to prioritise an ongoing series of urgent tasks.

This continual influx of inexperienced personnel in the Indian restaurant business is challenging for managers because there are always staff members who must be trained or have not yet managed to get the momentum of work. As a result, there is an ongoing strain on the long-term, experienced employees, creating additional stress.

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Another challenge of our job pertains to unpredictability. Restaurant operations are unpredictable. There is no way to know in advance exactly how many people will eat at your restaurant on a given day, or what menu items they will order. Staffing for unforeseen demand can be challenging; on the one hand excessive staffing can contribute towards increasing operating costs, whereas on the other hand if there is unforeseen number of guests on a given day you cannot afford to be seen to be having inadequate staffing to cope with that challenge. The high attrition in the industry creates unpredictability as well; staff that leave suddenly create additional, unanticipated work for employees who remain.

Cultural and regional differences pose another challenge in the Indian restaurant business. The Indian restaurant business has a high rate of employment from different states. Now having employees from diverse states can be challenging for a manager because language barriers can impede communication, especially in training situations. This is another challenge of our job.

Succinctly, meeting budgeted revenues and costs, hiring the right staff and keeping them motivated in spite of all the stress of the restaurant business are some of the pressures at my work.

Can you suggest tips or insights to the managers in restaurants to strengthen their team?

One should have activities where the team feels good to participate. The best activities are those that the entire team feels proud to participate in. Introducing more sporting Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

activities is also needed. Sports make for great outings which facilitate employees to work in tandem and get physical exercise.

Simple, casual trips such as visiting a park or a museum or going to a zoo work wonders for the team. A manager and her/his team should get engaged in such excursions wherever feasible.

The manager should also introduce good workshops for her/his team. Quality workshops can give team members the opportunity to stay up to date with education and develop professional relationships in new settings.

Furthermore, eating regularly with your team allows for casual conversation in a comfortable environment, letting team members get to know each other outside of work. This measure should be practiced by the manager handling F&B operations across food service outlets.

What is the USP of your hospitality brand?

The USP of our brand is Yes I Can! Attitude among employees, which is must these days for the hospitality industry. If hotel personnel present a smiling Yes I Can! Attitude to the guest, most of the issues/ worries of the guest can be solved or alleviated.

What is your take on the hospitality business in general?

Hospitality can be ranked among the most interesting and challenging industries to work for. It offers wide career opportunities and awesome variety of places to work in.

Hospitality is all about making guests feel welcome and relaxed and to facilitate them to enjoy themselves.

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