Food & Beverage Business Review (June-July 2019)

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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

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EDIT ORIA L

Publisher cum Editor Rajneesh Sharma rajneeshhammer@gmail.com

Resident Editor Sharmila Chand (Delhi) Ashok Malkani (Mumbai)

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Layout & Design Hari Kumar. V Abhishek Singh Rathore

ndian food service industry has evolved in last decade largely due to changing consumer behavior. It is now at the cusp of an upward growth. Today the consumer is well informed and demand for innovative concepts for renewed experience. With changing consumer habits, increase in disposable income the industry will further evolve and will become bigger and better. The industry has seen a paradigm shift with consumers opting for dining out experiences.

With more consumers preferring varied dining out option, it will reflect on ethnic regional cuisines coming into mainstream organised food service business. They are rarely available in metros and several other cities, but will be more sought after cuisines, once get organised and start providing ambient and hygienic set-ups. Cover story finds out the different regional cuisines and their complex nature and how they are the preferred cuisines of future. Also business story discuss the need for cleanliness & hygiene in the kitchens to ensure that the food served is healthy. Before opening a restaurant several factors need to be taken into account. Feature story stress upon the challenges faced when opening a restaurant. The other story in the section finds out how to generate interest amongst local diners for the restaurants.

Watermelon is endowed with impressive water and fiber content.

Agri story talks about the rich legacy of the fruit to match its rich red interiors. Having a predominant summer season, it is natural for India to have a long tradition of summer beverages. Beverage story discusses the concept of summer coolers. With time and the changing of lifestyles to this current most modern of all ages, the restaurant has become a necessity. Profile story goes back to history and evaluate what innovation went into the conceptualising of the space. The human body hosts more microbes than body cells. Health & Nutrition article finds how human-associated microbes are responsible for health. According to a recent World Bank study, food-borne illnesses in low and middle-income countries cost at least $100 billion a year. Hygiene story discusses how to store food, maintain clean surroundings while cooking, techniques and personal cleanliness.

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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review is a bi-monthly magazine, printed, edited, owned and published by Rajneesh Sharma from 302, Himgiri Apartments, J-Block, Vikaspuri, New Delhi. Printed at Print Creations, C-112/3, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-1, New Delhi.

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Contents J U N E - J U LY 2 01 9

Cover Story

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Departments

Regional Cuisine Event 04

Business

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Hygiene in F&B outlets: Essential to attract Diners

FEATURE

News 12

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Appointment 26

Making Success out of Your Restaurant Report 28

agri

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Sweet, Cool and Healthy

beverage

New Launches

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Restaurant 74

Cool Beverages for Sweaty Summers Interview 78

PROFILE 70 A Natural Evolution of Design & Experience in Restaurants

Chef Voice

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and Bars Hygiene 86

health & nutrition 82 Diet and Gut Microbiota: Implications in Health and Disease

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Product Preview

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IHE FOOD 19 to usher in the future of Food and beverage food & Gastronomy to be an indispensable part of the show

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ndia Exposition Mart is setting the stage for the country's premier food show. IHE Food 19, being organised in conjunction with the second edition of India International Hospitality Expo 2019 (IHE19) at India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida from August 7-10' 2019.

IHE Food 19 will be a show that aims to bring everyone - from stalwarts to the mavericks of India's food industry - on the same platform, embracing the latest trends and charting a way forward to the future of Indian gastronomy. The objective is to create an all-inclusive ecosystem for the f&b industry which is integrated with the hospitality industry to have them both drive the country's economic growth.

The event is being held in partnership with AIFPA, HOTREMAI, ARCHII, EPCH, supported

by NSIC, PPFI, HPMF, IFCA, ICF; under the patronage of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, MSME, Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Ministry of Commerce & industry.

IHE Food 19 has also joined hands with Latin American Embassies in an effort to celebrate their culture and cuisine. On April 24, 2019, the team met with ambassadors from 10 South American countries, including Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Panama, Peru, Colombia, and Argentina, with the proposal of dedicating a complete day for Latin American Food celebration at the show.

Taking a cue from a glorious past edition, IHE 18 also acted as a visionary show that appealed to food connoisseurs. It was inaugurated by Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Government of India and had as the guest of honour, Sh. Amit Burman (Vice Chairman, Dabur India Ltd. and Chairman, Litebite Food Pvt Ltd).

IHE Food 19 is ready to tap into the massive potential that the industry promises and bring to fore numerous opportunities for maximising the visitors & exhibitors growth: Michelin Star Chefs, The Asian Gourmet Safari, Culinary Theatres & Masterclasses, Food Awards, Trial By Fire, Start-up Mentorship & Pitch, B2B Meet-ups, Launchpads, Wine Tasting the Investment Decks. Along with this, the biggest hotel chains from the country will set up their famed restaurants where you can just walk in and dig into their delicacies. The Asian Gourmet Safari will showcase the rich culinary history and variety that Asia presents. This is going to be the ultimate spread of the best that the region has to offer, with chefs coming from across the region to celebrate their culinary heritage. From Vietnam to Myanmar, Thailand to Indonesia, this is going to be the ultimate showcasing of the best Asian food that the country has seen in one place, ever.

Another stellar spectacle at IHE Food 19 would be the IHE Food Conclave on Food Processing & Safety. This will encompass panel discussions bringing food maestros on stage and charting a way for the future of Food Processing and Safety with a detailed discussion over an array of topics.

IHE Food 19 will also be attended by the creme de la creme of the hotel & restaurant industry and serious players keen on leaving behind a mark. From top tier representatives from the Ministry of Food Processing, CEOs of major food conglomerates & MNCs, hotel purchase heads, executive chefs, restaurant owners and so many more, IHE Food 19 will host the best of the industry under one roof. Additionally, students & researchers from reputed institutes will also be present.

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SIAl India 2019 19-21 September 2019, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

SIAL 2019, the 2nd edition of one of the leading Indian food innovation show, will be held on 19-21 September 2019, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The event is inspired by path breaking exhibitions, such as SIAL France (since 1964), SIAL China, SIAL Jakarta, SIAL Abu Dhabi and SIAL Canada wherein 15,000 exhibitors from 119 countries have participated to grow their business. All over the globe SIAL network represents a forum for exchange, meetings and discussions and is truly unique.

The first edition in 2018, Food India by SIAL, witnessed more than 150 exhibitors from 13 countries and visited by more than 5,000 potential buyers, making it an ideal networking & business platform for the food & beverage industry stakeholders.

SIAL India 2019: A bigger source of inspiration The current edition of SIAL 2019 will have representation from more than 15 countries, presenting their products to retail and food service professionals. The exhibition will showcase vide range of food products from national and international companies, ranging from Processed Foods, Dairy, Meat & Meat Products, Bakery, Beverages, ingredients etc. There will be larger international representation this year from the countries like: China, France, Indonesia, Italy, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, UK and USA. More innovative platforms has been created to have larger integration between product, seller & buyer,

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New Features for 2019 SIAL Innovation A unique celebration of innovative food and beverage products! All finalists will be displayed within the dedicated Innovation Area at SIAL India, and the 3 most innovative products will be awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze winners according to the jury appreciation.

Alternative Food Forum When it comes to healthier food, more respectful of nature and of animal wellbeing, this is definitely the place to be!

Thanks to conferences and round tables, discover the future of the food industries and seize new opportunities.

SIAL Conference Industry experts and leaders will be providing insight into the latest food market trends prevailing in Indian market and on the future trends and innovations.

La Cuisine The special area will see the best chefs performing live culinary demonstrations.

Drinks Theatre This event is dedicated to wine & spirit makers and retailers. Take part and share about opportunities and showcase innovations through exclusive tastings and talks!

There is special initiative by SIAL international this year to promote India worldwide wherein SIAL team will be bringing international buyers from ASEAN, Gulf and other countries to explore Indian made goods and finalise their merchandise.

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TOMATO SOU

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Trends at Anuga 2019

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hat is coming, what is staying and what is new? The entire diversity of the world of food and beverages will be on display again from 5-9 October 2019 in Cologne. Around 7,400 exhibitors from 100 countries are using the world's most important industry meeting for the food and beverage industry to present their latest trends and innovations.

The trend themes reflect the current developments within the industry. Beyond this, Anuga places a consistent focus on the industry trends of the future. In addition to diversity and internationality, the "10 trade shows under one roof" trade fair concept, offers top buyers from all over the world also a close interlinking with the respective trend themes. Each of the individual trade shows is unique in itself and in some cases also the leaders of their segment. The following trends will play a key role at Anuga 2019: Functional and free from products "Free-from" is becoming an increasingly more popular category. In 2018, 23% of all new foods carried a "free-from" notice.

Gluten-free products stand out within this group. In 2018, 58% of all free-from products were gluten-free products, whereby vegan products with an average annual increase of 30% since 2014 (annual overall growth 2014-2018) recorded excellent growth.

Europe ranks first in terms of introducing new free-from products, whereas in North America compared to Europe just under half as many new products of this category are introduced.

Halal Food Halal-certified food that corresponds to the Islamic dietary rules, is gaining significance. The increasing demand for halal ready-made products in the Near East, combined with the growing demand in the West, is leading to a strong growth in the segment of halal-certified food.

Kosher Products The demand for kosher products is increasingly strongly. The distribution of these foodstuffs, which correspond with the Jewish dietary rules, is increasing according to data provided by Innova Market Insights on product introductions.

Non-GMO Products In 2018, over 5% of the newly introduced products worldwide carried a "non-GMO"

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notice, which corresponds to an average annual growth of 14% since 2014. Over the past years, North America has taken over from Europe as the leading market region for "non-GMO" notices. Most of the newly introduced non-GMO products fall under the categories bakery products, dairy products and snacks.

Organic Products The percentage of new products that fall under the organic segment grew from 8.8% of the new introductions in 2014 up to 10.5% in 2018. In Europe with an average annual growth of 15.5% the share of organic seals among the newly introduced European foodstuffs is even more significant. In 2018, 58% of all new introductions with an organic seal occurred in Europe, 22% were introduced in North America.

Products with protected designation of origin The interest in and awareness about the origin of their foodstuffs is being expressed by the fact that the consumers want to know how their food is produced, where exactly it comes from and which quality the ingredients have. Locally and regionally produced foods appear to be more trustworthy to the consumers.

Ready-to-eat Products Traditional meal times and situations are becoming less and less common and the consumers are looking for fast, convenient and yet nevertheless healthy solutions that suit their busy lifestyles better. Consumers are increasingly looking for healthy, tasty to-go snacks in practical packing. For snacks the priority lies on the sense of taste and authentic aromas, whilst the demand for global aromas is increasing fast Superfoods Foodstuffs that are of especially favourable nutritional value can be classified as superfoods. These are nutritious foodstuffs that have a special added value for the health and well-being. The number of newly introduced foodstuffs that are marketed as superfoods, has recorded an average annual growth of 12%.

Products based on fair trade Fairtrade focuses on the international development, social equity and fair economic profits. Although it is still a niche market, less than 1% of all newly introduced foodstuffs displayed a "Fairtrade" notice, these recorded a stable average annual growth of 6%.

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

EVENTS’ CALENDER India International Hospitality Expo (IHE 2019) 7-10 August 2019 India Exposition Centre, Greater Noida (Delhi, NCR) www.ihexpo.com

Hong Kong International Tea Fair 15-17 August 2019 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hongkong www.hkteafair.com

Annapoorna Anufood India 2019 29-31 August 2019 Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai www.worldoffoodindia.com

Asiafruit Logistica 2019 4-6 September 2019 AsiaWorld-Expo, Hongkong www.asiafruitlogistica.com

Food & Hotel India 2019 18-20 September 2019 Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai www.foodandhotelindia.com SIAL India 19-21 September 2019 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.sialindia.com ANUGA 2019 5-9 October 2019 Cologne, Germany www.anuga.com

Fi and Hi India 2019 21-23 October 2019 Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai www.figlobal.com/india

International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) 7-11 October 2019 Las Vegas convention centre, NEVADA www.ibie2019.com SIAL Middle East 10-12 December 2018 Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre ADNEC, Abu Dhabi, UAE www.sialme.com

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THAIFEX-World of Food Asia 2019 Concluded with Greater Success THAIFEX 2019 - A leading food exhibition in Asia concluded its 16th edition on 1 June, 2019 at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok. The dedicated industry trade show in the region showcased 2,745 exhibitors, including 28 start-ups and had over 67,000 visitors from 134 countries. It played host to representatives from countries such as China, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia and the USA amongst others. The show has been rebranded from 2020 edition as THAIFEXAnuga Asia.

Th e s h ow h a d a n u n p re ce d e nte d participation showcasing innovative concepts and future foods like plant-based meats, dronebased food delivery, an edible coating solution that prolongs the shelf life of fruit, smart packaging for traceability and authentication, and insect-based protein powder.

Hosted Buyers Programme Business and commerce continued to be the main focus of THAIFEX-World of Food Asia. It hosted over 2,000 international buyers from various countries during its five day schedule.

Out of this, 152 handpicked top hosted buyers participated in a 2-day closed-door business matchmaking program exclusively organised for international exhibitors to discuss trade deals. Across the program, over 1,300 successful meetings took place. The meetings were pre-arranged through an online business matching platform, which allowed top buyers from across Asia to select the international exhibitors they wanted to do business with in the weeks running up to the event.

Trends & Innovations THAIFEXfuture Food Experience+, introduced future of food to the visitors. It received overwhelming response from attendees, evident from the huge participation.

Demonstrations at Future Food Live! - a unique cooking show hosted by the ASEAN Food and Feed Insects Association, where Le Cordon Bleu Chef Frederic Legras created well-loved desserts with a twist - incorporating cricket powder and whole insects, much to

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countries display their skills to 47 judges from all over the world to win the coveted championship titles.

the audience’s bewilderment and excitement.

In addition, the THAIFEX Startup Zone boasted a contingent of 28 start-ups, which engaged in networking sessions with investors and venture capitalists from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, US and Thailand. Through this specially curated program, the budding companies received a tailored experience to encourage business matchmaking.

Another new program this year, the Leadership in Food Innovation Conference series, was attended by more than 300 participants, who listened to the talks given by leading trade professionals providing insights into the future of the F&B industry. Speakers at the show gave presentations on how food is changing, across several different topics, such as innovation and growth in 2019, accelerating business in food and technology, sustainability, consumer insights and marketing strategies, and a greater focus on nutrition.

New countries bring local tastes to global platform THAIFEX-World of Food Asia 2019 welcomed 6 new country groups, Australia (AUSVEG), Brazil, Poland, Spain, USA, and Sri Lanka. Spain provided a unique experience at their pavilion with seminars and a tapas-style networking lunch, while Sri Lanka arranged a lunch buffet with a selection of local delights for visitors to sample.

Thailand, the Kitchen of the World The 8th edition of the Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge (TUCC) saw over 1,300 professional and budding chefs from 13

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Improved Identity THAIFEX-World of Food Asia 2019 was made possible through the unique privatepublic synergistic collaboration between Koelnmesse, the leading trade fair organiser for food and food technology, Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion, and the Thai Chamber of Commerce. Now, after 16 years of this strong partnership, the organisers will be elevating the trade fair to the next level with a rebranding to THAIFEXAnuga Asia.

The refreshed name will further emphasise the strong relationship between THAIFEXWorld of Food Asia and Anuga, the world’s largest F&B trade show, as well as affirm the global standard of the fair, with Anuga’s 100 years of history and experience backing THAIFEX-World of Food Asia.

Koelnmesse will continue to work with the Department of International Trade Promotion and the Thai Chamber of Commerce to grow the show and bring an unprecedented business matching platform and experience to the industry.

“As organisers, we’re constantly fine-tuning our programs based on feedback from exhibitors, buyers and visitors, and aligning them with the latest industry trends. We were delighted to hear that our new programs such as the THAIFEXfuture Food Experience+ and the THAIFEX Startup Zone were very well received. The future of the F&B sector is always evolving as consumers’ tastes, considerations and preferences progress, and we hope to continue refreshing and creating new programs that will deliver the ultimate trade show experience to keep attendees even exhibitors and buyers - ahead of the curve,” said Mathias Kuepper, Managing Director, Koelnmesse Pte Ltd. THAIFEX-Anuga Asia 2020 will continue to focus on the Future of Food and will take place from 26-30 May.

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'Ministry of Food' Awarded at 'World on a Plate' Event Ministry of Food, the all day dining restaurant at Hilton Bangalore Embassy Golflinks was awarded silver in the “restaurant of the year” category at the World on a Plate event held in Bengaluru in June.

Twelve different outlets competed to win the “restaurant of the year” title at World on a Plate, a culinary event that brings together chefs and gourmands from across the world on one platform.

“It's indeed a great honour as well as a reflection of our food and beverage offerings at Hilton Embassy Golflinks. Our culinary team led by Chef Anand are really at par with the best in the world and this just goes to prove it,” said Manish Garg, General Manager, Hilton Bangalore Embassy Golflinks.

The award was presented to the Ministry of Food team by Marco Pierre White, who is known as the first celebrity chef.

The team was recognised for their signature dish - ghee roast boti, a succulent dish of mutton cubes roasted on a slow heat with ghee and home grounded spices, topped with cheese, gratinated, and garnished with curry leaves . “It’s a clever dish” remarked White.

Lord of the Drinks Debuts in Noida Multi-cuisine restaurant Lord of the Drinks has set its foot in the city of Noida. With the launch of this new franchise restaurant, the city has received its first brewery, which will serve freshly made beer starting August this year, First Fiddle F&B Pvt. Ltd., which runs the restaurant chain said in a statement.

Spread across 6000 sq. ft. area, this restaurant opened in Noida-Garden Galleria Mall, Sector 38.

Celebrating its grand opening in the second week of May, this restaurant boasts of global cuisine, splendid interiors and promising selection of music. The menu includes contemporary Indian, European, Western and Oriental food.

“With the launch of Lord of the Drinks in Noida, the national capital region has received its fifth outlet. Keeping up with the pace, we endeavour to expand massively winning hearts all over India,” said Priyank Sukhija, MD & CEO, First Fiddle Restaurants.

Kerry Group Opens New Production Facility Leading taste and nutrition company Kerry Group has announced the official opening of its new 20 million euro production facility in Tumkur, Karnataka. The new 40,585 square metre facility is located 120km from Bengaluru.

This newly launched production facility is Kerry Group’s fourth significant investment in India and supports 150 new jobs in factory management and production, with further expansion and an additional 150 jobs planned when running at full capacity in the future.

"Our Tumkur facility will enable Kerry to offer a broader range of technologies, and more comprehensive scientific research and innovation and application expertise across Kerry’s Taste & Beverage Systems, to our customers with unrivalled speed," said Scott Scharinger, Kerry’s VP and General Manager, South West Asia.

The new site was officially opened in June by Irish Ambassador to India, Brian McElduff who reinforced Kerry’s commitment to the South West Asia region.

“The investment serves as a welcome vote of confidence in India, and further supports growing business relations and bi-lateral trade between the two countries,” said McElduff.

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Dadu's Launches its First Masala Republic Restaurant Dadu's, known for its hand-crafted, traditional Indian sweets and snacks, announced the opening of its new chain of restaurant Masala Republic at Himayatnagar, Hyderabad. Masala Republic is specially designed with an eye for the young and urban people who can enjoy and relish incredible food.

Masala Republic will have various vegetarian cuisines for people to satiate their taste buds with gastronomies from all across the world. The menu includes a selection of Asian, Thai, Chinese, Arabic and Egyptian cuisines. The restaurant has separate sub-brands for Ice creams & Pastries named “CRÈME” & “PANCO”.

The restaurant is spread over two levels and has the seating capacity of 125 Pax. “We are proud to foray into vegetarian fine space by introducing our modern contemporary brand Masala Republic. With its beautiful ambience & eloquent service we will give more room for our guests to chill, enjoy, unwind and have a relaxed time. Masala Republic will enhance the overall offering of the Dadu’s Group and provide the best vegetarian fine dining experience in Hyderabad,” said Rajesh Dadu, owner of Dadu's.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Refreshes Global Cocktail Programme Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has revealed a new spin on its global line-up of cocktails known as Classics Perfected 2.0: ‘The Decades’. Created as a new spin-off to the first Classics Perfected menu released in 2015, the revitalised menu pays homage to some of the most fascinating cocktails in history, and was designed by a team of award-winning mixologists known as the Fairmont Tastemakers.

In April 2019, the tastemakers gathered at New York City’s The Dead Rabbit to ideate, collaborate and create the new cocktail collection, available to guests at Fairmont bars and lounges worldwide. The new menu made its official debut at The Plaza, a Fairmont-managed Hotel in New York City in June.

“Cocktail culture has always been about more than just imbibing,” said Sharon Cohen, Vice President, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

“Throughout the decades, Fairmont bars around the world have historically been amongst the coolest watering holes; special places where the most in-the-know locals gathered to socialize, where landmark deals were celebrated with a toast and where history was made,” Cohen said.

The new collection celebrates ten of the most iconic cocktails crafted throughout the decades of the 19th and 20th centuries. Modern takes on the French 75, the Mai Tai and the Old Fashioned are just a small sample of what guests can expect, all created with luxury and premium spirits and mixed with exquisite, house-made syrups, juices and bitters.

Global spirit partners included in the programme include: Remy Martin XO, Veuve Clicquot, Cointreau, Mount Gay, Botanist, Gentleman Jack, Bombay Sapphire, Grey Goose Vodka, Woodford Reserve, Casamigos Tequila & Mezcal and The Glenlivet 12 Year Old.

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London Bubble Co Unveils its 50th Store in India In line with its expansion strategy , bubble waffle franchise brand London Bubble Co unveiled its 50th store on May 24 at Charni Road, Mumbai – a feat the company achieved in just 18 months since the opening of its first store in Juhu, Mumbai.

London Bubble Co. celebrated the milestone with a range of delicious waffles at only Rs 59 across all outlets. Highlights of the menu include bubble waffle wraps, pocket waffles and bubble teas, and the first-ever “Black Jack” – black waffle with black charcoal ice-cream.

“Waffles are something that have always been perceived as a premium product in India. After personally relishing in the joy of having waffles every day in London, I wanted to share the experience and make waffles a staple here too,” said Saurabh Rathore, Founder and CEO, London Bubble Co. “We understand that a major chunk of India’s population follow vegetarianism and therefore, have made our menu 100 per cent vegetarian so that they can enjoy the dessert as well,” Rathore added.

London Bubble Co now has outlets across seven Indian cities and the brand set for itself a goal of opening 200 outlets by the end of next year.

Billionsmiles Launches Upsouth’s 8th Outlet in Pune Billionsmiles Hospitality Pvt Ltd. recently opened in Pune its eighth outlet of Upsouth, a popular South Indian food destination. The new outlet was opened in Undri, Pune. Other than Undri, the brand’s outlets have been successfully operating in seven other locations in Pune — Viman Nagar, Pune Airport, Wanowarie, Aundh, Wakad, Chandini Chowk and Phoenix Market City.

“We decided to come up in Undri, after the huge success of the two new outlets that were recently launched in Chandani Chowk and Wanowarie. Undri is a perfect target market for us due to the mix of bachelors, IT professionals, students and families living in this area,“ said Kumar Gaurav, Vice President, Billionsmiles Hospitality Pvt Ltd. Known for its famous South Indian fusion signature dishes such as the South Indian burger - uthly, Malabari parota sandwich, sabudana cheese vada, mango moksha, healthy super grain paratha, etc., the brand plans to position itself as India’s best South Indian fusion restaurant.

“The dishes are priced very competitively with the average spends per person ranging between Rs 80-90 only,” said Corporate Executive Chef Manu R Nair.

Wagh Bakri Group's Instant Tea Gets a Makeover As a part of its centenary celebrations, Wagh Bakri Tea Group introduced the new packaging for its instant tea range in four exciting flavours masala, elaichi, ginger and lemongrass. It is also available in “no added sugar” variant for the health conscious consumer. For those who prefer their coffee on-the-go, an ‘instant-coffee’ product has also been launched.

“Indians carry their culture, wherever they are travelling - the Instant Tea Pack comes handy and satisfies the urge of drinking a cup of homelike tea. The product, with its optimum mix of tea, sugar and milk serves Wagh Bakri Tea’s homelike experience even when someone is far away,” said Parag Desai, Executive Director, Wagh Bakri Tea Group.

The new packaging comes in a contemporary look and a new tamper-proof lock designed to ensure genuine product and safe delivery to the end consumer.

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Vahdam Teas Launched in Duty Free Outlets Vahdam Teas, which became the first Indian brand to be a part of Oprah Winfrey’s favourite things list in 2018, has launched an exclusive range of premium unblended singleestate teas and gourmet in-house blends for duty free outlets. These products are targeted at the discerning global travellers passing through the five mega junctions – Indira Gandhi International airport, Delhi; Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai; the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad; Chennai International Airport, and the Dabolim International Airport, Goa. Vahdam Teas said it has registered a growth of more than 200 per cent compound annual growth rate in the last two years and the brand has emerged as one of the the fastest growing tea brands.

“We are excited to finally launch in India, via the exclusive travel retail channels. In order to better cater to the travelling consumer, the brand’s line of travel retail products have been tailored to be more compact, travel-friendly, and can be used for gifting purposes to loved ones as well as professional contacts,” said Bala Sarda, Founder & CEO, Vahdam Teas.

“Going forward, we plan to also enter India’s modern retail and select general trade stores aggressively in top cities,” Sarda said.

Mango Chili Restaurant Opens in Bengaluru Le a d i n g A s i a n r e s t a u r a n t operator, Mango Tree Worldwide, has launched the Mango Chili restaurant in Bengaluru which will focus on serving authentic Thai street food in a stylish and social setting.

Lo c a t e d i n t h e Fo r u m Shantiniketan Mall, in the upmarket Whitefield area of the city, Mango Chili Bangalore celebrated its grand opening on July 5.

Indoor and outdoor seating is available, including hanging rattan cocoon chairs, and guests can order dishes to take away. The store will be operated by HMSHost International, a leading provider of food & beverage locations at high traffic locations worldwide.

“We are very excited to introduce our Mango Chili concept to India. Bengaluru is a dynamic metropolis with a youthful population, and our new Thai street food concept will satisfy the growing Indian appetite for contemporary and convenient cuisine, especially among millennial diners,” said Trevor MacKenzie, Mango Tree’s Global Managing Director.

The Mango Chili menu combines classic Thai flavours with playful presentation.

Guests can choose from a series signature Thai grilled meats, such as marinated chicken, satay sticks and sai oua sausage with signature sauces, plus stir-fried dishes like phad ga-phraow (minced chicken with basil and chili) and phad Thai (noodles with tofu and beansprouts), and Thailand’s famously spicy salads, soups and curries, including som tam (papaya salad), tom yum goong (spicy and sour shrimp soup) and gaeng khiew wahn gai (green curry with chicken). A wide range of appetizers, side dishes and vegetarian options are also available.

Then for dessert, guests can cool off with the traditional taste of Thai ice cream, just like they serve at Bangkok’s bustling Chatuchak market, or discover the fresh flavour of sweet ripe mango with Thai-style sticky rice.

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Sushi Trails with Swiss firm Firmenich Acquires Majority Chef Suriya at The Stake in VKL Seasoning Lalit Lalit Suri Hospitality Group organised a 'Cookoff with Chef' event at OKO, the Pan Asian Restaurant at The Lalit, New Delhi on May 24.

Chef Suriya Phusirimongkhonchai, an expert in pan-Asian delicacies, hosted this cook-off.

The event presented an opportunity for home cooks to learn the tricks of preparing sushi from the renowned chef himself.

"I equate making sushi with an artist's eye of detail. It requires a mix of precision, delicate hands, an understanding of aroma and taste.

Sushi is one of my favourites for the flavourful punch it packs and yet how light it is on the stomach. I really enjoyed the enthusiasm with which everyone learnt the art of making perfect sushi." he said.

Novotel Pune Introduces Meal in a Bowl For all those who enjoy not just appetizing meals, but also love feasting on healthier options while on the go, Novotel Pune has introduced a healthy concept 'Meal in a Bowl'. It allows c o n s u m e rs t o pick and choose their preferred ingredients – both vegetarian and nonvegetarian — and toppings to create a perfect wholesome meal.

'Meal in a Bowl' could be a quick, fresh and satiating meal for anyone looking for healthier options on the go.

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Swiss fragrance and flavour company Firmenich has agreed to acquire a majority stake in VKL Seasoning Pvt. Ltd, a leader in seasonings and flavours in India, from True North, an Indian private equity company.

With this venture Firmenich is broadening its capabilities and customer reach in India, a key growth market for the group, while expanding its raw material palette for clean label ingredients.

Founded in 1996, VKL Seasoning Pvt. Ltd is renowned for its strong understanding of taste and its leading reputation among Indian customers.

“India is a critical market for Firmenich and we are committed to investing in our business here both for short and long-term growth,” said Patrick Firmenich, Chairman of the Board, Firmenich.

“VKL and Firmenich are extremely complementary to one another and together will offer one of the broadest and most innovative portfolios available to food and beverage companies in India,” he added.

“In a world of increasingly label-conscious consumers, VKL’s unique blends of spices, extracts and other natural ingredients will enrich our portfolio of authentic taste profiles to delight Indian consumers,” said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO Firmenich.

VKL Seasoning will retain its brand identity and will operate as a stand-alone business within the company. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

“With Firmenich’s excellence in the science of taste, my team and I are excited to build the next chapter of growth for VKL,” said Ajay Mariwala, founder of VKL Seasoning Pvt. Ltd.

Fonterra Future Dairy Launches Dreamery Brand in India Fonterra Future Dairy, the joint venture between the New Zealand-based dairy nutrition company Fonterra and the Future Group, has unveiled dairy brand Dreamery in India.

The company is targeting five per cent share in the country's dairy market in seven years.

Fonterra announced the joint venture partnership with Future Consumer Ltd in 2018 to produce a range of c o n s u m e r a n d fo o d service dairy products that will help meet the growing demand for high-quality dairy nutrition in India.

“The launch of dairy brand Dreamery is in line with Fonterra Future Dairy’s strategy to strengthen its value-added dairy portfolio in India and cater to the discerning Indian consumers, who increasingly prefer high-quality dairy nutrition,” said Sumit Chopra, Consumer Research Director at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s 2018 Q4 consumer survey revealed that 35 per cent of Indian consumers often like to experiment with new dairy products while 70 per cent are willing to pay premium price for better quality dairy products.

“Although the company is trying to crack the relatively high margin valueadded milk-based products space and targeting the market share of five per cent in seven years, there are questions about how the company will hunt ground in a dairy beverage business as every region in the country has two to three wellentrenched and well-established market players ranging from Amul, Mother Dairy, Nestle and regional players such as Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali, Nandini Co-op Credit Society, Parag Milk, Vijaya in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala co-op’s Milma, among others,” Chopra said.

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Grover Zampa Vineyards Grabs 4 Medals at 'Sakura' Awards Grover Zampa Vineyards has won four medals at the prestigious “Sakura” Japan Women’s Wine Awards 2019.

At this unique competition, the brand won a gold medal for their Art Collection Shiraz Rose 2018. In addition, Grover Zampa also won three silvers for their Soiree Rose Brut 2016, Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection Red 2016, and Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection White 2017 respectively, underlining the superior wine producing capabilities of the Indian terroir.

Established as a reliable indication of wine distinction, the Sakura Japan Women’s Wine Awards is an international wine competition held in Japan, where female experts from the wine business unite to judge the best the world has to offer.

This year, the winners were selected from among 4326 entries from 34 participating countries, after a tasting assessment where wines were appraised on the basis of their performance in a category, aspects such as food pairing and costing and how they appeal to women wine buyers and consumers.

Grover Zampa Vineyards recently extended their offerings by unveiling a new visitor centre at their Bengaluru winery, situated in the verdant Nandi Hills. The new centre is in line with the brand’s efforts to appease patrons, both local and international, with unique experiences to enjoy the many tangs of wine.

Renowned hospitality brand Billionsmiles Hospitality Pvt Ltd. recently launched Ministry of Barbeque, a global barbeque buffet restaurant at Wakad in Pune.

The restaurant boasts of a live kitchen atmosphere and combined with longest lava stone barbeque on each table, the restaurant serves extensive cuisines from Indian, Asian and world fusion.

Besides unlimited global starters, hundreds of vegetarian and nonve g eta r i a n d i s h es , the restaurant serves beverages and desserts.

“Fitness lovers” can choose from a range healthy salads from the menu. It has alfresco and indoor seating along with conference and party room “Wakad is a potential area for hospitality due to the close proximity to the Mumbai-Pune highway along with the huge surplus of young IT and other reputed professionals. It gives us an advantage to target the right audience in terms of global barbeque buffet offerings. We plan to upscale the food culture with a defined environment, lip-smacking food taste and reliable food quality,” said Kumar Gaurav, Vice President, Billionsmiles Hospitality Pvt Ltd.

Middle-Eastern Fine Dine 'Bayroute' on Expansion Spree

Craftsmanship Par Excellence

Registered office: F-53-54, Lane No.8, Jagat Puri, Delhi-110051 Sales Office: 106/440, Extended Lal Dora, Khera Kalan, G T Karnal Road, New Delhi- 110082 Mobile: 9312288723, 9873212869, 9810363900 Goa: 09423319310, Email: aniglass@gmail.com www.aniglass.com

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Ministry of Barbeque Launched in Pune

After opening outlets in Mumbai's Cuffe Parade, Powai and Juhu, Bayroute, a Middle-Eastern fine dining restaurant, has now opened another outlet in the city – all within a year's time. The new outlet is located at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) which is dotted with top-end offices and residences.

“The runaway success of our outlets has been heart-warming. This is our fourth outlet in just a year’s time. We are sure our new BKC outlet will be showered with as much love as our other ones, and hopefully, we keep spreading our wings deeper into the city,” said Arjun Raj Kher, Brand Head – Bayroute.

Bayroute combines Middle East inspired exteriors with modern, minimalistic interiors. The standout tables are inspired from Morocco’s quaint street side cafes. The chic rose-gold cutlery spells royalty. The menu features cuisines of Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey, Greece and Egypt.

Appetizers and mains include Turkish gozleme, Moroccan lemon olive chicken, pastilla, snapper Tripoli, and exotic range of desserts as well as sheikh and shakes.

The bar offers cocktails like Turkish madness, drunken marshmallow kebab, mango chilli rum punch, old fashioned, and gin-itos including blue breeze, pollinated, kale & arugula ginito.

“Mumbai lacked a genuine Middle Eastern fine dine that went beyond hummus and falafels. People here are well travelled and it was time they got the true blue Middle Eastern cuisine in their city,” Kher said.

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Elior India Wins Transformational Brand Award Standalone food services company Elior was recognized as India’s 50 transformational brand

by WCRC International+ (WCRCNT+) in UK India Business Awards, a platform which witnessed the participation of global corporate giants at Church House, Westminster in London on June 25. Elior India’s CEO & MD, Sanjay Kumar, also received an award for being one of the most transformational leaders in the country.

A holistic research, evaluation and shortlist process was undertaken by WCRCINT+ in association with The Malcolm McDonald Academy, one of world’s foremost brand research and consulting firm based out of England, Elior India said in a statement.

Elior India said it found its place in the ecosystem by providing food solutions using various technologies and a modernized approach while maintaining the authenticity of food.

“It is a great honour for Elior India to be selected amongst the top 50 transformational brands of India, and personally for me to be recognized as a transformational leader. We have always strived to sustain and enhance our customer experience, and our focus will be on continuing to invest in improving their experience and to reduce food wastage. We believe this can be done by bringing in new technologies and innovations, transforming the business every step of the way,” said Sanjay Kumar, CEO & MD, Elior India.

Under the aegis of Kumar, Elior India paved its way into the Indian food services industry in 2017 by acquiring MegaBite Food Services Companies and CRCL. It currently has operations in all major metros across the country.

Storia Introduces Coconut Water Packs Storia Foods & Beverages has introduced coconut water that contains no added sugar, flavour or preservatives. The water is packed using aseptic technology, thus maintaining all the health benefits from natural coconut water, the company said, adding that the product is available in aseptic brick packs and PET bottles.

The “100 per cent natural” coconut water is prepared by extracting fresh tender coconut water from the richest belts of the country to promote healthier lifestyle, the company added.

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Budweiser Crowned Most Valuable Beer Brand Budweiser has claimed the top spot as the world’s most valuable beer brand for the first time, overtaking long-standing leader Bud Light, according to the latest report by Brand Finance, a leading independent brand valuation consultancy.

Budweiser’s brand value has increased six per cent to $7.5 billion, following the success of its global sponsorship campaign of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The campaign, the brand’s most expensive to date, reached 3.2 billion football fans globally, facilitating accelerated growth in new markets including South Africa, Colombia, China and Australia.

Budweiser and Bud Light (down five per cent to $7.0 billion), the flagship brands of Belgian brewing giant AB InBev, have had to contend with the changing consumer drinking habits across the US, according to the Brand Finance report.

The general decline in beer consumption across millennials, and the preference for healthier alcohol-free alternatives have contributed to the slowdown in their brand value growth compared to previous years.

The AB InBev portfolio still dominates the rankings, however, with 11 brands claiming spots in the top 25, down from 13 last year. The brewer closed the third largest acquisition in history in 2016, after merging with SABMiller, and has since been tackling its mountainous debt pile, predominantly through sales drives.

China’s Snow is the fastest-growing brand in this year’s “Brand Finance Beers 25” ranking and has broken into the top 10 for the first time, with an impressive 52 per cent rise in brand value to $3.7 billion.

Snow is the best-selling beer in the world, clocking up 101.2 million hectolitres of beer sold per year, more than double that of Budweiser’s sales. The brand, which historically has only been sold in China, has made a number of strategic partnerships in order to raise its global presence, notably with Dutch brewing giant Heineken and America’s Molson Coors.

Tsingtao (up 49 per cent to $1.7 billion) has jumped up nine places in the ranking, more than any other brand. The brand continues to retain its loyal customer base in its home country and is also the most exported Chinese beer, sold in over 100 countries and regions globally.

Innovative Scottish craft beer brand, BrewDog, is the highest new entrant in the ranking in 19th position, with a brand value of US$1.5 billion. Its flagship beer, Punk IPA, is already the number one craft beer in the UK and the brand is striving to make it the beer of choice internationally.

Alongside revenue forecasts, brand strength is a crucial driver of brand value. According to this criteria, Colombia’s Aguila, part of AB InBev’s portfolio, is the world’s strongest beer brand with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 88.41 out of 100 and a corresponding AAA brand strength rating.

Society Tea Launches 'Spice Secrets' for Chutneys, Pickles Society Tea has announced expansion into a new category with the launch of Spice Secrets.

The new brand will focus on Chutneys and Pickles to begin with.

The current portfolio comprises of three variants of chutneys - dry garlic, tamarind-dates and onion; and four variants of pickles - mango, sweet and spicy mango, mixed, and green chilli lime.

“Spice Secrets marks our entry into a new category. The brand firmly believes in bringing back the art of Chutneys & Pickles to every household; recipes our grandmothers used and passed on to our mothers over years,” said Karan Shah, Director, Society Tea.

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APPOINTMENT Sidney Dcunha Conrad Pune recently appointed Sidney Dcunha as the hotel’s new Executive Chef. At Conrad Pune, he will be responsible for all day to day operations of the kitchen.

Chef Dcunha comes with over 15 years of culinary experience in established hotels to pre-opening ones. Prior to joining Conrad Pune, Chef Dcunha worked with J W Marriott Mumbai Sahar. Prior to that, he had worked with the Taj group of hotels in Mumbai, Delhi, New York, Boston and Ritz Carlton Bangalore.

Vikas Pant Pride Plaza Hotel Aerocity, New Delhi, has appointed Vikas Pant as Executive Chef.

He brings to the new role over 22 years of culinary management expertise. Chef Pant started his career from Hyatt Regency Delhi and accepted Executive Sous Chef position at Crowne Plaza Gurgaon, Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa and Hilton New Delhi, Radisson Blu Greater Noida and Hilton Garden Gurgaon. Prior to joining Pride Plaza Hotel Aerocity, New Delhi, he was the Director of Culinary, The Suryaa, New Delhi.

Anurudh Khanna The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi & The Westin Sohna Resort and Spa recently appointed Anurudh Khanna as Multi Property Executive Chef. With a career spanning over 21 years of working with renowned luxury hotels like The ShangriLa Bangalore, Hyatt Regency Delhi, The Taj Mahal Hotel New Delhi, The Park New Delhi and The Westin Pune, he brings with him understanding of the evolving hospitality industry and food trends. He will spearhead both hotels’ diverse dining venues..

Vibhav Verma Grand Mercure Bangalore has appointed Vibhav Verma as the new Executive Chef.

In this role, Verma's primary responsibilities include leading the culinary team at the hotel.

Verma brings to the new role over 14 years of skilled experience in the hospitality and culinary industry. Having begun his career with the Taj Group of Hotels, Resorts and Palaces as a Chef trainee, Verma worked Soneva Gili Six Senses, Maldives before joining AccorHotels as an Executive Chef at ibis Gurgaon.

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report

Banjara -

A place to satiate your appetite

I

f you are looking for delectable food outlet in Mumbai, with an ambience and style, traverse down MIDC Main Road, Andheri (E) to Banjara Restaurant, located in Goldfinch Hotel. As you open the ornately designed glass door of the restaurant, you are awed by the lavish ambience and décor of the place.

The ornamental design of the shimmering chandeliers takes your breath away. A huge boat laden with the traditional spices of the south is another highlight of the interiors. In Kerala these legendary silhouette boats slip silently through the backwaters giving you a glimpse of the spices grown in the state.

The Restaurant in Andheri, which is a branch of the 25 year old restaurant in Bangalore, with its well spaced seating, exudes a warm vibe that makes you comfortable instantly. The friendly and impeccable service gives you a relaxing and contended feeling.

Subhadeep Datta, General Manager of Goldfinch Hotel, informed us that the hotel is owned by Bengaluru-based MRG Hospitality and Infrastructure, which owns a chain of boutique hotels under the ‘Goldfinch’ brand. K. Prakash Shetty is the chairman and managing director of the MRG Group.

Sanjay Solanki, the restaurant manager of Banjara revealed that the name of the

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restaurant is derived from the Tulu dialect which is widely spoken in South Karnataka.

Banjara literally means ‘a satiated stomach’.

The restaurant started in Bengaluru in 1993, soon spread to other cities like Delhi Mumbai, Mangalore, and Goa. In Mumbai, it has several branches.

Banjara is one of the few restaurants that boasts of buffet service for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The multi-cuisine spread is vast and there is something for every palate. It offers a delicious spread of Indian, Chinese and Mediterranean fare. The lavish spread has over half-a-dozen starters, several dishes – veg and non-veg – for the main course and a variety of desserts. Sunday is their seafood day.

And if you are in the mood to relax over a drink and opt for the a la carte menu, there is a vast array of dishes – from starters to desserts – which is sure to appease the appetite of the most fastidious diner.

If you would like to sip on a glass of wine, they have a wide variety of them. From champagne and sparkling wine to rose, red and white wine, you will find them all here. The whisky lovers can relax with scotch or single malt whisky. There is an array of drinks from whisky to vodka, rum, gin, cognac and brandy,

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

tequila and cocktails.

For the non-alcoholics there are a wide variety of beverages. One can sip on the Elaneer Shunti (fresh coconut water with a hint of pressed ginger and lemon) or Sol Kadi (Mangalore’s favourite drink comprising of chilled coconut milk with dried kokum and burnt garlic). There is a range of South India, North Indian and oriental veg. as well as non-veg. starters. For sea food lovers, there is a choice of prawns, Surmai, Pomfret, crab, clams and squid.

There are numerous soups to sate the appetite of soup lovers. For the main course too you will find it difficult to choose from the appetising South Indian, North Indian and Oriental dishes. One can try the Bukhara Kofta Curry (cottage cheese and potato dumpling cooked in rich yellow gravy), or Diwani Handi (diced vegetables and peppers in red gravy cooked in a Handi). For the non-vegetarians you have the South Indian Crab Karavalli Curry (Banjara Special – curried fresh sea crabs cooked in a spicy gravy Karavalli style) or the North Indian Murgh Dhaniya Mirch Phudina (char grilled cubes of chicken cooked in Kanthri chilly and coriander and mint based gravy) or Jhinga Malai Curry (Prawns cooked in coconut milk and cashew flavoured with an authentic Bengali spice). If you are in the mood for oriental food ask for the Fish/ Prawn/Chicken Thai Curry (deboned or whole, they are cooked in red, green or yellow curry).

You could have these with north or south Indian biryani or rice or any of the Indian breads (roti, naan or paratha).

And to satiate your sweet tooth you could try any of the South Indian, North Indian or Western Style Desserts. Try the Elaneer Payasam (A finest payasam. Secret recipe) or the Banjara Surprise (deep fried ice cream).

As you step out of the restaurant the receptionist offers you mouth freshener as a digestif.

June-July ’19

Food & Beverage Business Review June-July ’19 Meet us at IHE’2019, Hall No. 03, Stall No.Hammer 04/10, India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, 7th to 10th August29 2019

report

Tappa: Winning Hearts!

By Sharmila Chand

T

here are very few places which are suitable to visit any time of the day and evening. Tappa, the latest addition from The Lite Bite Foods kitty is one such restaurant which exudes cheer, fun, vibrancy and happiness. After all, it is ‘Tappa’ meaning ‘bounce’ and it does bounce the right vibes!

Strategically located in Aerocity, Tappa has been envisioned to make it the perfect place for all occasions, thus beautifully transforming from a relaxed daytime Bistro to a Fun NightTime Bar and Lounge.

I stepped in and fell in love with the restaurant’s pleasing décor in yellow and blue tones. I felt it is just right for a cosy date or a group outing. The place looks elegant with the stylish interiors, taking you down the memory lane with interesting props and the bar looks impressive.

Coming to food, the menu is thoughtfully curated with dishes from across the globe and various regions of India having a signature ‘Tappa’ twist. Some of the signature dishes are: Rum-soaked Raisin & Palak Crumbled Naan, Kulcha stuffed with Duck Gassi and Red Wine Prunes. The menu also has inventive small plates such as Sloppy Joe- Badal Jaam sliders, Old Monk Soaked Roasted Lamb Boti, Jim Beam Pork Ribs with Grilled Orange, Nude Lamb Kathi and more while their large plates include dishes like Haleem Khow Suey, Pork Short Rib Nihari, Chilgoza Kofta, The Thar Platter etc.

There is a very popular ‘Tappa’s Haleem KhowSuey’- Tappa’s take on the Burmese Khow Suey preparation where the main dish is the Hyderabadi Haleem, with six

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Chef Sareen Madhiyan condiments that come along in similar fashion as a KhowSuey. Then there is Tappa’s take on the Kashmir’s very own ‘Kaladi Cheese Kulcha’ - Kaladi Kulcha stuffed with Red Bean and Kashmiri Cheese. It has a Flaky Crust but is soft on the inside with the stuffing of red beans and Kaladi cheese. Moving on to Rajasthan, taking inspiration from Jodhpuri Mirch Pakoda, you have ‘Jodhpuri Chilli Poppers’ with Goat Cheese Mousse and Jaggery Chutney, a fusion of Jodhphuri and Mexican cuisine. This dish is a visual delight as much as it is in taste, perfectly crumbed fried stuffed with Goat Cheese and served with Jaggery Chutney.

For Chicken lovers, there is ‘Chicken Tikka Trio’ - Creamy, Spicy, Super Spicy. The Tandoor preparation uses three different marinations for the Chicken ensuring three different spice

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levels, perfect for a table with different spice level preferences. ‘Tawa Tiger Prawns, with Pickled Yuzu Glaze’ are very special. Three pieces of griddled Tiger Prawns cooked to retain texture and flavours for the prawn lovers. The prawns are then glazed with the highly aromatic and citrus japanese yuzu lemon.

For me the show stopper was ‘Tappa Dosa’ – crisp and folded like a roll, served with cheese dip. I simply loved its crunchiness and potato filling. I also loved contemporary healthy version of Sev Puri. Multigrain Sev Puri with Guacamole, taking Indian Sev Puri one notch higher replacing the base with the healthier multigrain papdi and guacamole as the body, making it a healthier yet tasty alternative. For a light meal, ‘Cream Cheese Dim Sum with Water Chestnut’ is perfect.

Mouth Melting Cream Cheese with Crunchy Water Chestnut are great in texture and served with three tasty Dips. Do not miss ‘Ghee Roast Soya Boti, Roti Canai Tacos’.

Taking Inspiration from the Mexican Taco Preparation, this is great appetizer, which replaces The Tortilla with soft and Flaky Roti Canai, and the filling is Ghee Roast Soya Boti Cooked in Traditional Indian spices.

Round off your meal with Avocado & Naan Khatai Cheesecake and you will love the innovative twist and flavour.

Care for a drink? Let the bartender suggest classics with the TAPPA twist. They take pride in their signature cocktails like Intermission, a smacking mix of Dark Rum, Coke and Salted Caramel popcorn; Talli Botanist, a delicious spin of Gin, Jamun and Black Salt; or Malgudi, a heady cocktail of Tequila, Mango and Chili Spice. Sit back and sip a refreshing cocktail, and enjoy the in-house concoctions over long conversations. With a flow of enticing small plate dishes and warm service, you have a winning combination here to enjoy your outing as it did mine. Tappa will add zest in good measure, believe me!

According to Chef Sareen Madhiyan, Master Chef, Tappa, “At the heart of the concept of Tappa lie progressive and passionate Indian ideas while retaining a truly global outlook. Tappa is our endeavour to showcase diversity which combines cultures, history and ingredients to bring forth a refreshing take on a culinary expedition”

June-July ’19

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n E W l A U NC H E S

New Launches

By Sharmila Chand

Imperfecto Shor Café & Club - India’s First 24x7 Cafe

women of the Gothic Era. ‘The Abby of Darkness’ suggests the morish spanish black rice with prawns and calamari, ‘King Leopold’s Succession’ the Non-Vegetarian Burger named after the longest reigning Belgian monarch. The Spanish Croquettas served as the ‘The Royal Portal’ for they definitely do take you through the portal of happiness but their shape is inspired by the ‘The Royal Portal’.

To spoil you at most unearthy hours is the Imperfecto Shor Cafe as it holds Fort all round the clock.

‘Daryaganj’ – Paying Tribute to a Legend

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mperfecto is known in culinary industry as a progressive organisation specialising in the development of quality dining and party experiences throughout Delhi NCR. A brain child of Sharad Madan, Naresh Madan, Suresh Madan and Nuria Rodriguez, it was established in 2011 and now operates 9 high-performance restaurants and pubs with exciting projects under development that are coming soon.

The latest baby from their kitty is ‘Imperfecto Shor Café’, tucked in the happening Aerocity. India’s first Gothic and barbaric inspired nightclub, only for weekends, located adjacent to it, is a complete entertainment destination.

The interesting decor of the cafe takes you back in time replete with valiant illustrations and vintage looking furniture. Yet it is characteristically modern and quirky.

Nuria Rodriguez Parra, Director Creative, the lady behind the design of all Imperfectos is a multidisciplinary creator in architectural and creative influences. One of the interesting touches which Nuria used at Shor Cafe is the Charpoy ceilings and the stunningly rustic chandeliers and wall lamps. She says, “This chic cafe pairs rustic decor with industrial detailing. The pointed arch, the canvas paintings on all the walls and the handmade lights like ancient castles give the space a distinctive character”.

Food at the newly launched Imperfecto Shor Café is pure comfort; meant to generate warm hugs and happy smiles. The food menu has been carefully curated by Chef Akanksha Dean, Chef Manager Imperfecto Shor Cafe. The menu travels all through Europe, America, Asian and even India, giving heartfelt comfort food from all over the world. Akanksha Dean believes in fresh produce and has a strong respect for the seasonality and the abundance that Delhi offers. The menu lingers from ‘Martina’s Ensalada’ - a refreshing salad with a sonata of mixed fruits, crispy lettuce, freshly plucked cherries, bononcini, pomegranate and a honey mustard dressing to the ‘Chocolate Mudcake Sunday’ something you can never go wrong with them, hitting all the right places of pure bliss.

The name of each dish has been inspired by stories of men and

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ere is a story of how one man created iconic dishes which became the talk of the town and a sensation among the world’s statesmen visiting the Capital. Recently, his grandson decides to pay tribute to him by recreating the same. Raghav Jaggi is the grandson who was in awe of the iconic dishes that his grandfather, Kundan Lal Jaggi had invented. He decided to carry on the legacy by opening a restaurant called by the same name ‘Daryaganj’, to showcase the history of Tandoori cuisine and its evolution. With the secret recipes of that era, the restaurant has tried to recreate the taste & flavour of 1950’s, most outstanding ones being the legendary Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.

The food at Daryaganj is truly a celebration of robust flavours. And so is the décor. The aim is to transport the patrons to a space that is a fusion between traditional Indian motives and inventive modernism.

The ambience is epic in scale with a fusion of Indian art deco made to fit in a new age restaurant format. The design uses brass and wood for rich tone while laser cut metal latticework on mirrors lends dimension and depth. Printed floor tiles contrast with faux marble flooring is eye catchy. The large double height bar at the end of the space adds to the grandeur and scale of the design.

The menu is nostalgic taking the diners to the bylanes of Old Delhi.

With a selection of tandoor-grilled meats, seafood and vegetables prepared to perfection, there is Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Pakora, The Original Dal Makhani, The Original Butter chicken, Egg halwa, Gatti Pulao and a lot more.

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

June-July ’19

Savour Contemporary Japanese Cuisine at ‘KAMPAI’

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resenting a contemporary twist on traditional Japanese cuisine, young restaurateur and entrepreneur, Avantika Sinha, has launched ‘Kampai’ - the fine dining restaurant in Aerocity, New Delhi.

Sprawling in over 2400 sqft area, the 70-seater restaurant is a firstof-its-kind in the capital with its carefully curated menu. Kampai, which means “Cheers” in English, is a fresh respite, where patrons can look forward to great food & drinks in an understated Japanese ambience. The r e s t a u ra n t i s a sophisticated twist o n t ra d i t i o n a l Japanese Izakaya style of informal eating and drinking.

From a selection of fresh seafood and authentic i n g re d i e n t s , t h e unconventional restaurant décor to the well-trained service staff, the team at Kampai has gone through great lengths to ensure that the dining experience is comfortable, palatable and memorable.

Kampai offers a unique menu consisting of various Japanese specialties such as Sushi, Sashimi, Ramen, Tempura, Yakitori, Udon, Katsu, Tepenyaki, and so on! Combining freshly imported ingredients with creative interpretation of traditional Japanese cuisine with Eastmeets-West culinary techniques, the team at Kampai has designed a tantalizing menu that showcases a carefully curated selection – from mouth-watering salads to fried and grilled treasures from the sea; hearty meats, the freshest of sashimi to irresistible nigiris and rolls.

The signature dishes include delicacies like Black cod miso, Tantan men Ramen, Magurokatsu Maki roll, Asparagus tempura maki, Goat cheese, water chestnut and spinach dumpling, Yurinchi (Chicken sautéed with onion soy sauce), Lamb chops in miso butter, Ome-Rice (Fried rice wrapped in cooked egg omlette) amongst others. If you are a seafood lover then you must try Salmon Katsu roll & Salmon avocado sushi sandwich. The Spider roll (soft shell crab roll) is filled with tender crabmeat. Tuna salad with wafu dressing & Tuna tartare with truffle oil on rice cracker also stand out for its unique preparation.

For those who enjoy pairing good food with their favourite tipple, Kampai’s fully-equipped bar offers a wide range of Japanese sakes; champagnes, whisky, cocktails, beers and carefully-selected wines from different regions of the world.

The restaurant also features a sunken table mirroring those found in Japanese homes. On the other hand, the option of conventional tables and chairs has been provided too for others who find comfort in familiarity. With its soothing color tones and ambience, Kampai is a promising retreat.

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The live kulfi counter serving authentic Kulfi is the highlight for sure.

“The restaurant has been carefully designed to embrace all five senses – sense of Taste through Robust North Indian Flavours; sense of Touch through tables made up of specially selected stones; sense of Sight through interiors designed to walk down the memory lane; sense of Smell through aroma from the kitchen and sense of Hearing through soulful music,” says Amit Bagga, CEO & Co-Founder, Daryaganj.

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C OV E R S TO R Y

Regional

Cuisines

India is a country of diverse cultures and religions. Its terrain too differs from place to place resulting in diversity of soils in different regions. Due to this the produce in each region differs causing a diverse range of cuisines. The regional cuisine differs from place to place and the Indian fare is so wide and varied that several preparations in one region are unknown in the other. Indian regional cuisine relies on the indigenous spices, and growth of vegetables in the local soil. The different regional cuisines like Rajasthani, Kashmiri, Mangalore, Karnataka, Kerala, et al. are rarely available in metros and several other cities. North Indian and South Indian food are the only cuisines which have become popular and they are projected as Indian cuisine not only in most restaurants in India but also abroad. Ashok Malkani, in this first part, finds out the different regional cuisines and their complex nature.

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C OV E R S TO R Y

I

ndian cuisine is one of the world's most diverse cuisines, due to the fact that each geographical region has its own wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically diverse Indian subcontinent. The cuisine is based on the climate of the region and religious practices. For example, Jain cuisine is not only completely vegetarian but also excludes underground vegetables such as garlic, etc. Cuisines from regions like Rajasthan, Sikkim, Malabar, Pondicherry, etc. have their own distinct taste and flavour Yet when one visits a restaurant in metros and even tier II and III cities the dishes listed on the menu are mostly North Indian or South Indian. Even when one visits Indian restaurants abroad for some genuine Indian food one finds only North Indian or South Indian food on the menu.

There are a vast number of regional cuisines too! Why this bias towards these two cuisines and what are the other regional cuisines and what are the favourite cuisines of each region?

Anand Kumar, Executive Chef, Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks explains, “Indian cuisine has been categorised as North and South for a long time, perhaps because of the lack of knowledge on different states, regions and places earlier. However now there is much more awareness. Each state in India boasts of

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a distinct cuisine like Kashmiri, Punjabi, Rajasthani, etc. which offers variety of tastes and flavours. In fact many times within a state say like Karnataka you can find various cuisines like Mangalore coastal cuisine, Uttara Karnataka, etc.

Indian food is rooted in sustainability and produce. Each region would cook food that they grew and harvested. This is why in the dairy farming communities of Punjab and North India paneer and ghee are popular.

Whereas in the south there is more focus on grains like ragi etc. In its food a lot of coconut that is grown in abundance is also used. The influx of different invaders further influenced Indian cooking. There are strong influences of Mughal cooking in the north while Portuguese, French etc. can be seen in the south western part of India.

Spiciness in Indian foods “Foods of India are better known for its spiciness. Throughout India, be it North India

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

or South India, spices are used generously in food. But one must not forget that every single spice used in Indian dishes carries some or the other nutritional as well as medicinal properties.

North Indian Food - Food in the north India: To begin with, Kashmiri cuisines reflect strong Central Asian influences. In Kashmir, mostly all the dishes are prepared around the main course of rice found abundantly in the beautiful valley. Another delicious item cooked here is the ‘Saag’ that is prepared with a green leafy vegetable known as the ‘Hak’. The ‘Wazwan’ prepare dishes which are unique to the Kashmiri culture. But on the other hand states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh show high consumption of chapatis as staple food. Again, these chapatis are prepared with a variety of flours such as wheat, rice, maida, besan etc. Besides chapatis other closely related breads baked in these regions include Tandoori, Rumali and Naan etc. However in the northern region impact of Mughlai food is quite obvious.

West Indian Food : In western India, the desert cuisine is famous for its unique taste and varieties of food. Rajasthan and Gujarat are the states that represent the desert flavour of Indian food. Here an immense variety of dals and achars (pickles/ preserves) is used that simply substitutes the relative lack of fresh vegetables in these areas. In the states like Maharashtra,

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C OV E R S TO R Y the food is usually a mix of both north as well as south cooking styles. Here people use both the rice and wheat with same interest. Along the coastline of Mumbai a wide variety of fishes is available. Some of the delicious preparations include dishes like the Bombay Prawn and Pomfret. In Goa, that is further down towards south, one can notice Portuguese influence in the cooking style as well as in the dishes. Some of the major dishes of this region are the sweet and sour Vindaloo, duck baffad, sorpotel and egg molie etc.

East Indian Food: In the eastern India, the Bengali and Assamese styles of cooking are noticeable. The staple food of Bengalis is the yummy combination of rice and fish.

Usually the Bengalis love eating varieties of fishes. A special way of preparing the delicacy known as ‘Hilsa’ is by wrapping it in the pumpkin leaf and then cooking it. Another unusual ingredient that is commonly used in the Bengali cooking is the ‘Bamboo Shoot’. Various sweets prepared in this region, by using milk include the ‘Rosogollas’, ‘Sandesh’, ‘Cham-cham’ and many more.

South Indian Food : In the southern India, the states make great use of spices, fishes and coconuts, as most of them have coastal kitchens. In the foods of Tamil Nadu use of tamarind is frequently made in order to impart sourness to the dishes.

It simply distinguishes the Tamil Food from other cuisines. The cooking style of Andhra Pradesh is supposed to make excessive use of chilies, which is obviously to improve the taste of the dishes. In Kerala, some of the delicious dishes are the lamb stew and appams, Malabar fried prawns, Idlis, Dosas, fish molly and rice puttu. Another famous item of this region is the sweetened coconut milk. Yet another dish is Puttu, which is glutinous rice powder steamed like a pudding in a bamboo shoot.”

Regions popular for their foods Sanjay T Sutare - Chef de Cuisine of Neel Tote on the Turf - a division of “deGustibus Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai, avers, “The country’s two distinct food philosophies at the fore front, The North Indian – which was centered around Punjabi food culture with influences of North West Frontier Cuisine and the South Indian the South of the Indian peninsula which was the Dravidian food philosophy, were the basis of early days eateries that were operating commercially.

This very basic offering having lived its life, commercial chefs started tapping into the

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intricate flavour nuances of regional food and breaking it down to the state’s, cultures, eating habit’s based on religious preferences and on hyper local, or seasonal ingredients which were earlier restricted to home food.

Some of the popular regions whose cuisines have now gained prominence are: Rajasthan – Being a desert state, it has a predominantly vegetarian section of people.

The use of lentils in various forms, millets, chilies and a lot of clarified butter are its key characteristics. Further to this the princely states also indulge in a lot of hunting and game was included in the food preferences.

Sikkim & the North eastern region: have a very different food preference. Here the weather and the topography narrow it

Sanjay T Sutare

Dev Bose

Anand Kumar

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

down to very light food which has flavourful broths, momos, dried meats and simple curries Pondicherry: has an amazing confluence of South Indian food and French techniques and flavours. It’s a unique example of foreign influence on the native food.

Malabar: is the celebration of all things easily available at the coast line, seafood and coconut are the main stays. The huge Indian coastline does bring different influences to the same ingredients making the variety of regional flavour profiles even more vast.”

Kuldeep – Executive Sous Chef, Holiday Inn Chennai OMR IT Expressway, maintains, “Indian cuisine is one of the most liked Cuisine across globe, the blend of all four regions (North, South, East and West) brings in the cultural mélange of the states in a plate for our Guests.

North and South Indian Cuisines are more prominent because of their renowned Culinary History which makes it distinct and peculiar amongst the Indian as well as foreign nationals. The cuisines from East and West part are also equally prominent but not at par with North and South because of the peculiar taste and ingredients (like more usage of chilies and spices and even the methods of cooking) which makes them distinct from other states.

Rajasthani cuisine is rich, using more of Ghee and whole spices and they create an amazing flavour by using maithanichilli and their unique ways of slow cooking techniques. North east regions like Sikkim, Manipur, etc. use more of chilies, root ginger, dried fish and pickles made out of it which makes their cuisine stand apart from others.

If these cuisines are well presented and defined in front of guests, then it will surely make a mark for itself and guests will want to relish them repeatedly.”

Anil Chabukswar - Executive Chef, Grand Mercure Mysuru, declares, “India is a vast country with varied tastes and cuisines that vary from region to region. Each region is known for their own unique flavours and will vary according to its weather conditions.

At Grand Mercure Mysore, we ensure that guests enjoy a perfect amalgamation of regional as well as international flavours that will enhance their overall dining experience. The North Eastern region of India has rice as their staple food, their hand-fermented food and beverages are also consumed on a large scale. On the other hand, the Southern region of India is partial to coconut and rice with milk and

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C OV E R S TO R Y pepper being widely used. In the Northern belt from Rajasthan to Gujarat gram flour, ghee and pickles are immensely popular.”

Flavours of different regions Saurabh Singh - Executive Chef, Four Points

by Sheraton, Kochi, is more elaborate as he describes the flavours of different regions thus: Rajasthani cuisine was influenced by both the war-like lifestyles of its inhabitants and the availability of ingredients in this arid region. Food that could last for several days and could be eaten without heating was preferred. Scarcity of water and fresh green vegetables had their effect on the cooking.

It is also known for its snacks like Bikaneri Bhujia, Mirchi Bada and Pyaaj Kachori. Other famous dishes include Bajre ki roti (millet bread) and Lashun ki chutney (hot garlic paste), Mawa Kachori from Jodhpur, Alwar ka mawa, Malpauas from Pushkar and Rassgollas from Bikaner, "paniya" and "gheriya" from Mewar. Originating from the Marwar region of the state is the concept Marwari Bhojnalaya, or vegetarian restaurants, today found in many part of India, which offer vegetarian food of the Marwari people.

Malabari Cuisine or the cuisine of Kerala, a state in the south of India, is linked to its history, demography and culture.

Kerala cuisine offers both vegetarian a n d n o n - ve g eta r i a n d i s h es p re p a re d using fish, poultry and red meat with rice a typical accompaniment. Chilies, curry leaves, coconut, mustard seeds, turmeric, tamarind, and asafoetida are all frequently used.

Sikkimese cuisine is the traditional c u i s i n e of S i k k i m , a s tate of I n d i a .

Sikkimese are traditionally Rice eaters.

Nepalese cuisine is very popular in Sikkim because Sikkim is the only state of India with an ethnic Nepali majority.

Pondicherry Cuisines have a great French as well as Tamil influence. Tourists who come from across the globe have really liked the food and wish to visit Pondicherry time and again. One thing that can make Pondicherry cuisine stand different from any other food to try is the common practice that is followed by the locals when preparing food. In the sense, food in Pondicherry is cooked in very less oil, and is easy to digest. Offering a lot, tourists will come across freshly baked baguettes and crisp croissants with a steaming cup of coffee which is considered to be a perfect breakfast of the people living in Pondicherry.

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Other than this, tourists can even try out the popular Indian delicacies that find much favour in Pondicherry including Tandoori Potato, Soya Dosa, Assad, Coconut Curry, Podanlangkai, Curried Vegetables, Stuffed Vegetables, Palpayasam which is sweet milk and a lot more.”

Avinash Kumar, Executive Chef, Novotel Imagica Khopoli, Maharashtra, asserts, “The cuisine of India is one of the world's most diverse cuisines, characterised by its sophisticated and subtle use of many spices, vegetables, grains and fruits grown across India. There is no homogeneity of flavour between North and South or East and West but rather, a wealth of flavours

Kuldeep

that is simply staggering. Culinary diversity is one of India’s treasures.

Doing absolute justice to its culture, Rajasthani cuisine is rich, colourful and unique in taste too. Concoction of Milk, ghee and local spices make up for the most local delicacies here. The Rajasthani cuisine serves a lip-smacking range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options to sweet and savoury dishes. Unlike Rajasthani, the cuisine of Sikkim majorly consists of nonvegetarian specials such as Phagshapa, a pork dish cooked with radish and chillies. Sikkim offers a three dimensional gastronomic affair with cuisines like Tibetan, Sikkimese and Nepali.

Similarly, like Sikkim, Malabar cuisine offers a blend of three styles of preparing food - Arabia, Zamorin and Chirakkal which is unique to the region spanning from Kasargod to Malappuram in Kerala.

Pondicherry cuisine puts across a blend of its neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. Although being geographically distinct, the various delicacies prepared in Pondicherry share a common trait of that being made using very less oil and the food is easy to digest.

Indian culinary diversity generally tends towards the search for a well-balanced symbiosis between spices and herbs, offering very tasty dishes which can boast surprising medicinal properties!”

A mélange of different ethnicities

Ilandhirai Vadivel

Amit Dash

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Neelabh Sahay, Executive Chef, Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences declares, “India is a diverse country and its cuisine reflects that by being a mélange of different ethnicities and flavours. As a result, there is a huge variety of regional and traditional cuisine native to Indian sub-continent.

Because a lot of people from the northern as well as the southern part of India travelled and settled in different regions of the world, their cuisines became popular.

To cite an example, Rajasthani cuisine is savoured by not just the residents in Rajasthan but across India and even by foreigners as well.

However, there are lots of regional cuisines that have not been explored until now due to several reasons. Presently, the new era chefs in our industry are trying to explore these regional cuisines and using them in their menus to not only highlight the vast richness of this country’s food and bring it to the forefront but also to provide customers with something new. Few of them are listed below:

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C OV E R S TO R Y Assamese cuisine is a mixture of different indigenous styles with considerable regional variation and some external influences.

Although it is known for its limited use of spices, this cuisine has strong flavours from its use of endemic herbs, fruits, and vegetables served fresh, dried, or fermented.

Rice is the staple food item and a huge variety of endemic rice varieties including several varieties of sticky rice, are a part of the cuisine in Assam. Fish, generally of the freshwater varieties, is widely eaten. The food is usually served in bell metal utensils.

To conclude the meal, Paan, the practice of chewing betel nut, is offered.

U n l i ke Ass a m es e fo o d , t h e U n i o n Territory of Pondicherry boasts of a sumptuous cuisine that shows strong French and Tamil influences. But the Pondicherry Cuisine reflects a happy blend of the food from the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka too. On one side of the plate you will get freshly baked baguettes and crisp croissants with a steaming cup of coffee and on another side of the plate, you will get south Indian delicacies such as Masala Dosa, Sambar Vada, and Idli. They are equally, if not more, popular food items eaten at the time of breakfast in Pondicherry. One of the famous dishes called Kadugu Yerra is an incredible curry made with prawns cooked in a spicy tomato sauce with potatoes, vinegar, fenugreek and mustard paste and creamy coconut milk.

Now, I will take you to the extreme part of the North East that is Mizo Cuisine. Their cuisine is influenced mostly by Burmese with a hint of Bangladeshi cuisine. Their staple is Rice for every meal period and with that, they generally serve all types of deep-fried, stewed, steamed and boiled preparations of Vegetables, Beef, Pork and Poultry. At times, they use a variety of downstream freshwater fish and shellfish as well. The most interesting part of their meal is that every meal consists of spicy chutney made of fish or shrimp or beef. Spices are not generally used, but their curries get the flavour from locally grown chillies a whole lot of herbs.

Vikas Singh, Executive Sous Chef, Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, claims, “Indian cuisine and its Ingredients vary from one region to another. The way in which ingredients are used across varied methods and styles of cooking makes each dish taste different from the other.

A cuisine’s foundation is based on the ingredients available. For instance,

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Rajasthani cuisine focuses on use of chilies widely as many of its varieties are available locally. Another such ingredient is roasted gram flour (Besan) found in various Rajasthani dishes such as Gatte ki sabzi, Papad ki sabzi and sweets like Laddoos made out of besan.

The use of meat again changes from one region to region - Rajasthani or Kashmiri food uses lamb as its primary meat inclusion whereas preparations from Malabar or Pondicherry are seafood-centric, using different forms of fish on the menu.”

Vilas Dhankute - Sous Chef, Grand Mercure Bangalore, states, “As far as distinct flavour and taste is concerned, Rajasthani cuisine immediately comes to my mind. Gatte-ki-subzi, dal baati Churma, mangodi. Kadhipakoda, papad-ki-subzi, Laal mas etc. all these dishes have its own taste with hand full of ghee. Royal, rich and exotic, the cuisine of this land is a magical mix of flavours, and spices. If you go through the street food then its pyazki kachori, chillipakoda, Jalebi and badam milk the flavours of all are absolutely mouthwatering.

Mayur Ramachandran - Executive Chef, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bengaluru Racecourse, disclosed, “The diversity of our country’s geography brings along with it a diversity in produce and along with it, its influence on the cuisine of every region. India is blessed to have some of the most extensive crop produce, in terms of variety, in the world. This diversity of crop, produce and flora and fauna results into an interesting concoction of recipes and cultures. Hence, the result, is a diversity in the various cuisines of the country.”

Gaurav Anand - Executive Chef, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, states, “As far as distinct flavours are co n ce r n e d , I b e l i eve t h at Ra j as t h a n and Malabar play a major role. Malabar

Ashvini Kumar

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

cuisine is a blend of Arabia, Zamorin and Chirakkal styles of preparing food, unique to the region spanning from Kasargod to Malappuram in Kerala. In my opinion, it is heaven for a food lover, offering some of the tastiest dishes that Kerala has to offer.

How the coconut is best used we can see in the Kerala cuisine and more specifically Malabar cuisine.

The traditional Rajasthani cuisine is heavily meat based. Game such as pheasants, partridges, goose and migratory birds are hunted in season. Rajasthan cuisine has also been influenced by trade, conquest and inter-marriage. Trade flourished across a sweeping arc stretching from Gujarat to the South-West to Nepal in the East.”

Ashvini Kumar, Executive Chef, Four Points by Sheraton, Navi Mumbai, Vashi, says, “We at our hotel, have offered Bengali, Malvani, Coastal, Andhra, Punjabi, Goan, Kashmiri, Mango Saga (Recipes of mangos from Farmer & Farms) and found that the guests have appreciated them.”

Dev Bose, Executive Chef, Crowne Plaza Pune City Centre, opines, “Every cuisine has a distinct flavour & authenticity of the region. Bengal is predominated by mustard, in Goa kokum is widely used in different food. Similarly, Rajasthan is associated with red chili. So, these distinct ingredients can be mixed and matched with the food of another region and served to guests.”

Weather and soil cause diversity in cuisine Amit Dash, Executive Chef, The Westin Pune Koregaon Park, states, “Indian cuisine consists of a wide variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to the Indian subcontinent. Given the range of diversity in the weather condition, soil type, culture, authenticity, and original recipes, these cuisines vary from each other and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits. Indian food is also heavily influenced by religion, in particular Hindu, cultural choices and traditions. It is not only the North Indian or South Indian food, the cuisine is also influenced by Mughal and British who ruled India.

Cuisine like North Eastern, Rajasthan, Malabar and Odisha food has its own identity and flavour. North Eastern people are mostly rice eater with lots of meats.

Fresh water fish, Pork, and beef are the meats they take. Uses of Chilies and fermented bamboo shoots are the unique ingredients. Rajasthan food is mostly very

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C OV E R S TO R Y rich, cooked with Ghee, uses of gram flour is more with lots of vegetarian varieties. In non-vegetarian laal maas and safed maas is very popular. A special type of Chilli is being used in Laal Maas is maithani chilli. Odia food is relying heavily on local ingredients. Food is delicately spiced; people love to have seafood over meat. Crab, Sea fish and prawns are very popular. Uses of Panch potan (5 spices cumin, mustard, fenugreek, fennel and kalonji) are widely used to flavour the dishes. The fermented water rice with yoghurt (Pakhala) is very popular among the odias. Traditional Kerala food is vegetarian except of Malabar, uses of sea fish with coconut milk and whole spices are more. Different types of sea fish such as Maceral, Pomfret, King Fish and prawns are regular dishes of Kerala.”

Rise in popularity of diverse regional cuisines Ashish Choudhury, Chef de Cuisine, Hyatt Regency Pune, declares, “Over last few years, besides North India and South Indian cuisines, other regions across India have gained a lot of popularity which has enabled our guest to expose various new flavours which is new as well as refreshing at the same time.

They offer distinct flavour such as in Malabar there is predominant coconut flavour due to its availability, whereas the Rajasthan cuisine is very rich and loaded with Ghee and butter, also very heavy on snacks items like pyaz kachori, bikaneri bhujia etc.

The North east cuisine has also gained a lot of attention as it offers a very mild and healthy cuisine, very close to Chinese cuisine coming from its geographical influence. Again, Pondicherry has its own French historical influence on its dishes like Stuffed Cabbage, baked beans etc.

So a lot to do is from geographical influences, ingredients availability and historical influences that makes a cuisine distinctive from each other.”

Ilandhirai Vadivel - Executive Chef at Radisson Blu Pune Hinjawadi believes that each region has its own attraction. “The cuisine of Malabar is distinctive due to the deep influence of the confluence of various cultures that have blended into the very fabric of this region. It has incorporated the flavours of Arab, Brahmin, Zamorin and Chirakkal, rendering it fantastic in its uniqueness. Kozhikode and Thalassery are known as the centres of Malabar cuisine.

Malabar cuisine consists of a plethora of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that carry its distinctive flavour and aroma.

The state of Rajasthan is famed for its rich regal culture and heritage. The arid nature of the region, the extreme climatic conditions, scarcity of water and vegetation has witnessed evolvement of unique cooking styles and food habits of the natives that is noticeably different from other Indian cuisines. The Rajasthanis have moulded their culinary styles in such a way that many of their dishes can be shelved for several days and served without heating. The royal heritage of the region

as well as the gastronomic enthusiasm among locals have led to a wide variety of delectable and exquisite Rajasthani dishes starting from main courses to snacks to sweet dishes. Some items like Dal-BaatiChurma and Bikaneri Bhujia have garnered both national and international popularity among foodies.

The food of Sikkim is something that will amaze you with its simple yet relishing flavours. The food of Sikkim is a rich mixture of Nepalese, Tibetan and native Sikkimese food. This blend of the three cultures is very soothing on the taste buds and leaves you craving as soon as you drop your plate.

The Union Territory of Pondicherry boasts of a sumptuous cuisine that shows strong French and Tamil influences. Freshly baked baguettes and crisp croissants with a steaming cup of coffee constitute the breakfast of most of the people in the union territory. This is a French legacy.

This is not to suggest that the many south Indian delicacies--such as Masala Dosa, SambarVada, and Idli--are not savored and enjoyed at the breakfast time. They are equally, if not more, popular food items eaten at the time of breakfast in Pondicherry.”

(There is much more to regional cuisine. Read about the best food regions in the country, preference of regional cuisine over international cuisine and much more in the next issue. Also more recipes)

Recipes Costal Tawa Fried Karimeen Ingredients Karimeen, Pearl Spot - large sized 1nos Ginger garlic paste 1tbsp Lemon juice 1tsp Red Chilly powder 2tbsp Black pepper powder 1tsp Turmeric powder ½ tsp Salt to taste Rice flour 2tbsp Method 1. Clean and make 3-4 slits on each side of the fish. Wash thoroughly and drain the water completely 2. Mix together the red chili powder, black

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pepper powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice and salt 3. Put rice flour in a platter and dust in the fish both side 4. Heat enough oil in a pan, place the marinated fish and fry for about 6-12 minutes on low heat.

5. Then flip the fish to the other side and fry for about 6-12 minutes on low heat.

Saurabh Singh - Executive Chef, Four Points by Sheraton, Kochi

Baby corn KempuBezuleVegetarian Appetizer Ingredients Baby Corn

180gms

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Ginger Paste Garlic Paste Curry Leaves Coriander leaves Red chilli powder Besan flour Rice flour Refined oil Salt Black pepper corn Banana leaf Garlic yoghurt Onion tomato masala

5gms 5gms 5gms 5gms 5gms 10gms 10gms 100ml 5gms 2gms 1nos 60 gms 80gms

Method 1. Cut the baby corn into thick juliennes and marinate it with ginger- garlic paste, red

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C OV E R S TO R Y chilli paste, rice flour, besan flour salt, black pepper powder and then deep fry them.

2. Heat a pan, add oil, crackle mustard seeds, chopped ginger, curry leaves and add the little onion and tomato masala then add deep fried baby corn.

3. At the last moment add the yoghurt and toss again. garnished with curry leaves, coriander and serve hot with garlic yoghurt.

Vilas Dhankute - Sous Chef, Grand Mercure Bangalore

Coorg Pandi Curry Ingredients Pork 1 kg Onion(medium) 2 nos Green chillies 6 nos Garlic pods 5 - 8 nos Ginger 1½ inch piece Coriander leaves 2 - 3 stems Curry leaves 12 nos Cumin seeds(Jeerakam) 1 tsp Salt As reqd Oil As reqd For marination Chilli powder Turmeric powder Salt Black vinegar(Kachampuli) For garam masala Coriander seeds 5 tsp Peppercorns 2 tsp Fennel seeds (Perinjeerakam) 1 tsp Cloves (Grambu) 3 nos Cardamom (Elakka) 3 nos Cinnamon bark(Karugapatta) 1 inch piece Method 1. Cut and wash the pork pieces. Drain the excess water.

2. Add the marination ingredients to it and set aside for an hour or longer.

3. Fry the garam masala ingredients on medium heat.

4. Grind them to a fine powder and set aside 5. Grind the onions, green chilles, garlic, ginger, coriander and curry leaves along with the cumin seeds to a coarse paste.

6. Heat oil in a pan or a kadai.

7. Splutter mustard seeds.

8. Add the ground coarse paste and fry till the raw smell of onion and garlic start leaving 9. Add the marinated pork to this and mix well, till the paste has coated the meat.

10. Cover the vessel and allow to cook for 10 - 15 mins.

11. Open the lid, mix the contents once again thoroughly 12. Add the freshly prepared garam masala (1 - 2 tsp) and stir well.

13. Cook for another 10 mins keeping the

44

container opened or till the dish becomes dry.

14. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Can be served with hot rice, dosa, chappathis, bread Mayur Ramachandran - Executive Chef, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bengaluru Racecourse

Butter Chicken Ingredients Readymade chicken tikka pieces 12-16 Butter 3 tbsp Oil 2 tbsp Mace 1 blade Green cardamoms 3-4 Garlic finely chopped 1 tbsp Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon Fresh tomato puree 1 cup Salt to taste Readymade tomato puree 2-3 tbes Garam masala powder 1 tsp Honey 2 tbsp Fresh cream 1 tbsp Dried fenugreek leaf (kasurimethi) powder 1 tsp sprinkle Fresh coriander sprig for garnish Method 1. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and oil in a non-stick pan. Add mace, cardamoms and garlic and sauté well.

2. Add chilli powder and fresh tomato puree and mix well. Add salt, mix and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add readymade tomato puree and mix well. Cover and cook till oil begins to rise to the surface.

4. Add garam masala powder, honey, 2 tablespoons cream and ¼ cup water, mix and bring the mixture to a boil.

5. Take the pan off the heat and strain the gravy in another non-stick pan placed on heat. Add chicken tikka pieces and mix well.

6. Add 1 tablespoon cream, fenugreek leaves powder and remaining butter and mix till the butter melts.

7. Transfer into a serving bowl, drizzle some cream, sprinkle dried fenugreek leaves powder and garnish with a coriander sprig.

Serve hot.

Gaurav Anand - Executive Chef, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

Fish Telangana Curry Ingredients 4 Pomfret Fish (Cleaned and cut into 3 pieces each) Green chilli - slit lengthwise 1 Water 200 ml Finely chopped onion 2 tbsp

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Salt to taste Grind to Fine Paste: Fresh Grated coconut 100 gms Red chillies – whole 6 Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp Tamarind pulp (Keep ½ for fish curry) 1 Spoon Peppercorns 10 Coriander seeds 1/4 tsp Water 1 cup Method 1. Marinate the fish with salt and set aside. Grind all the ingredients with the coconut as listed with water.

2. In a pan, heat the oil. Add the onion and the slit green chillies and fry until softened.

Add the finely ground coconut paste along with water and bring it to a boil.

3. Add the fresh fish and the tamarind pulp. Let it simmer on low flame for about 5 mins. Season with salt as necessary 4. Avoid stirring too vigorously as that tends to break and disintegrate the fish.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Ashvini Kumar, Executive Chef, Four Points

by Sheraton, Navi Mumbai , Vashi

Alleppey Aloo Ingredients Baby potatoes 1 kg Ghee/Coconut Oil 10g Medium onions, finely sliced 100g Mustard seeds 20g Ginger paste 50g Garlic paste 50g Kashmiri red chilly powder 50g Kashmiri red chilly paste 50g Green chilly chopped 50g Curry leaves 5g Tomato ketchup 50g Coconut milk powder 10g Fried/Toasted coconut flakes 10g Black pepper 10g Salt to taste For garnishChopped fried fresh coconut pieces Fresh curry leaves Juice of 1 lime 4-5 Dried whole Madras chilly Method 1. Blanch the potatoes, Peel, Toss with Chilly, Salt, Pepper, Lime Juice, half the oil 2. Roast the Potatoes in the Oven at 350 degree Celsius 3. Once you see charring, take the potatoes out of the oven 4. In a wok, mix all the other ingredients and spices on medium heat and toss the potatoes in this mixture until well incorporated.

5. Garnish with fresh curry leaves, lime

June-July ’19

juice, chopped fried fresh coconut and chopped whole dried Madras chilly.

Sanjay T Sutare - Chef de Cuisine of Neel - Tote on the Turf

Chettinad Meen Kuzhambu Ingredients Small onions Tamarind Tomato Green chillies Ginger Garlic Red chilli powder Crystal salt To Temper Sesame oil Mustard seeds Fenugreek seeds Curry leaves To Marinate Fish pieces Turmeric powder Rock Salt To roast and grind Sesame oil Red chillies Coriander seeds Black peppercorns Cumin seeds Fennel seeds Curry leaves

200 gms 1 big lemon sized 2 medium sized 2 ½ inch piece 3 cloves 1 Tsp 2 Tsp 1 tbsp 1 tsp ½ tsp 2 sprig 350 gm ¼ tsp ½ Tsp 1 Tsp 8 4 tsp ½ Tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 2 sprigs

Preparation Wash the fish pieces well and marinate with turmeric powder and rock salt and keep at least half an hour outside or keep in the refrigerator for one hour. Soak the tamarind in warm water for ten minutes and extract the juice. Keep aside. Peel small onions. Make ginger garlic paste in a mortar and pestle using ginger and garlic.

Chop the tomatoes roughly and slit the green chillies. Keep all the ingredients ready.

Roast red chillies, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, curry leaves and fennel seeds in a tsp of oil until nice aroma comes and grind with water to make a coarse paste. Kuzhambu masala is ready. Set this aside.

Method 1. Heat a kadai with oil and add the items to temper. Once mustard cracks, add curry leaves and saute for a minute. Add small onions and green chillies now & fry it well for 5 minutes.

2. Once the small onions become brown here and there, add tomatoes in and fry it till turns mushy and soft.

3. Once tomatoes become soft, add the ground kuzhambu masala paste, red chilli powder and ginger garlic paste. Fry them until the raw smell leaves from the masala for 5 minutes. Then add the tamarind water along with salt. Mix everything for a minute. Adjust with water if needed.

4. Boil the Kuzhambu in medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes or until the raw smell completely leaves and the curry becomes little thick.

Then add the fish pieces in and cook it for 5 more minutes and switch off the flame once the fish pieces are cooked well. Fish cooks faster so switch off the stove accordingly.

Kuldeep – Executive Sous Chef, Holiday Inn Chennai OMR IT Expressway

June-July ’19

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

45

BUSINESS

Hygiene in F&B outlets:

Essential to attract Diners Kitchen hygiene, which involves receiving and storage of raw material, besides the overall cleanliness of the kitchen has become an essential element of food and beverage outlets as people have become more health conscious. To attract guests it is, therefore, necessary to adhere to strict quality control methods. Besides, for getting a license for operation of a restaurant, you have to observe the rules and regulations of FSSAI and other bodies which make it mandatory to observe hygiene in the kitchen environs. Ashok Malkani finds details of how the restaurants observe cleanliness in the kitchens to ensure that the food served is healthy so that the diners can relish their food without fear of falling sick due to unhygienic victuals.

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M

aintaining hygiene in the kitchen is not only essential for ensuring customers health and safety but also for building the brand image. Customers are keen to dine in a restaurant that serves hygienic food. This has become all the more important since there have been several cases of food poisoning while dining out. Hygiene is probably the second most important aspect, after food quality, for the success of a restaurant. Restaurant hygiene is also essential for acquiring FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India).

Neeraj Rawoot, Executive Chef, Sofitel Mumbai BKC, declares, “Kitchen cleanliness and hygiene are two important aspects in the hotel business and have a direct impact on guest experience. These parameters create the first impression for guests, based on which their judgement is formed whether to return or not to the hotel.

Hence, for a Food &Beverage outlet to succeed and grow, it must pay adequate attention to its tidiness. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, develops different kinds of food hygiene legislations in India,

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

June-July ’19

BUSINESS including regulations surrounding the ideal location, neighbourhood, design and layout of the food establishment, equipment and operations along with personal hygiene norms. Eating safe and hygienic food is everyone’s right.”

Rana Mukherjee, Executive Chef, Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort & Convention Center, Chennai, states, “There is a saying that cleanliness is next to godliness but in the kitchen, cleanliness is godliness. The highest standard of hygiene and cleanliness is the only thing that distinguishes good hotels from any other hotel or eatery. It is said that, bad hygiene could lead to food poisoning, which is not only bad for business, but also ethically unacceptable for a chef. Authorities have set minimum standards of cleanliness and hygiene for all establishments, which includes maintaining the temperature of food, cleanliness of the kitchen and hygiene of staff. We at Marriott have rules that are more stringent than the local authorities.”

Vikas Sharma, Head - F&B Production, Travel Food Services, asserts, “A clean kitchen is essential to maintain food safety and quality of the products served

June-July ’19

to our consumers. It is as important as the perfect ingredients in a recipe or the right skills of a chef while preparing a dish, as it directly affects the products we serve. Any lapse in maintaining hygiene could lead to food spoilage and even make dishes unsafe to consume. FSSAI has defined very clear guidelines for catering and hotel industry

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

such as standards of cleaning and hygiene in kitchen under Schedule 4 guidelines, Safe and Nutritious Food.”

Priyanka Prabhakar, Hygiene Manager, Hilton Bangalore Embasssy GolfLinks, states “Hotels run a commercial kitchen which includes a multitude of manpower, processing of multiple food items. This is

47

BUSINESS quite different from home kitchens. One has to be extra careful to prevent illness and food poisoning. Good kitchen hygiene can greatly minimise possibility of pest infestations. We adhere to HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) standards. We pay special attention to the 4 Cs – Cross contamination, Cleaning, Cooking and Chilling.”

Gaurav Anand, Executive Chef, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, avers, “It's important to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in the kitchen as we have to keep knives, wooden spoons, spatulas, tongs, and the like clean to help stop bacteria spreading to food. It's especially important to wash them thoroughly after using them with raw food, because they could spread bacteria to other food.”

Meththa Ekanayake, Executive Chef, Mӧ v enpick Hotel Colombo, claims, “Maintaining hygiene and cleanliness is a crucial aspect in order to create a safe environment in the kitchen. Proper hygiene standards must always be observed especially when handling ingredients and during the food preparation process.

E ff i c i e nt h yg i e n e p ra ct i ces s u c h as cleaning, sanitizing, maintaining personal hygiene, maintaining required temperature and process controlling during the food preparation prevents food borne diseases.

At Mövenpick Hotel Colombo, we ensure all record keeping and monitoring of the above, which is a mandatory requirement of HACCP /ISO22000 protocol.”

Ajay Khanna, Executive Chef at Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park, affirms, “When it comes to preparing food, it is extremely important to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in the kitchen. Diseases may easily get spread if a thorough washing of hands and kitchen tools are not practiced. Since cross-contamination is a major cause of food poisoning and can transfer bacteria from one food item to other foods, it is crucial to be aware of how it spreads so you will know how to prevent it.

Food poisoning spreads when one food, mainly raw food, comes in contact with other types of food. Bacteria can also be transferred indirectly, for example from hands, tools, surfaces, knives, and clothes.

One thing you can do for preventing crosscontamination is, keep separate chopping boards for raw and cooked foods.

We follow certain rules of authorities to maintain hygiene standards. They are: • Wear a clean apron

48

• Wash your hands before and after handling food • Keep food preparation surfaces clean • Tie back long hair • Store food appropriately • Wash vegetables and fruit under cold water before use • Wipe up food spills immediately • H a n d l e k n i ves a n d ot h e r s h a r p equipment with care Sheriyar Dotivala, Executive Chef, The Resort Mumbai, asserts, “Maintaining a clean work environment is critical to prevent food borne illnesses. Bacteria can

Vivek Kalia

Gokil Anandham

Priyanka Prabhakar

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

grow on unsanitary surfaces and then contaminate food. Always ensure that you clean and sanitize a work area before starting to prepare food.”

Daniel Koshy, Executive Chef, JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru, contends, “Hygiene and cleanliness are very important in kitchen.

In its absence food poisoning could be caused, affecting the reputation of the hotel or food outlet. In kitchens, the employees have to practice good personal hygiene.

This would ensure that they have short hair, cut nails, clean uniforms and are not sick. Since kitchens are areas where food handling takes place, the role of the associate becomes very important.

A brightly lit kitchen and good clean equipment to process food would ensure that there is no cross contamination of food. As per the local authorities, food has to be processed and maintained at set temperatures, in order to ensure that it is safe to consume it. Temperature between 5C and 65C are classified as danger zone, since bacteria tends to multiply between the temperatures mentioned.”

Chef Sugata Sengupta of Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant, disclosed, “Maintaining a clean and hygienic kitchen at all times is very important for any F&B outlet. Since we are into the bulk cooking format, where keeping the kitchen is always a challenge, our main aim is to educate the down line staff about ways to maintain cleanliness in the kitchen. We conduct weekly training sessions, comprising of small batches to ensure that everyone understands the importance of hygiene and cleanliness in the kitchen.”

Gokil Anandham, Food & Beverage Manager, Gokulam Grand Hotel and Spa, Bengaluru, says, “Hygiene & cleanliness in Kitchen is the first mantra for all of us here as it is the base which prevents food contamination and makes it 100% safe to consume. FSSAI has laid down the guidelines to be maintained and we ensure that all those aspects are covered and monitored by our Hygiene Managers.”

Ashvini Kumar, Executive Chef, Four Points by Sheraton, Vashi, Navi Mumbai, avers, “Food hygiene is vital and for this we keep all the kitchen areas and utensils meticulously clean. We follow Marriott Guidelines internationally. We also observe the local Municipal Corporation and FSSAI Guidelines.”

Mr Avinash Kumar, Executive Chef, N ovote l I m a g i ca K h o p o l i , d i s c l o s e d , “Kitchen is the heart of any hotel and that

June-July ’19

use in hoction u d pro

Serving the nation since 2008

Melamine Range

Glass Racks

SnaCkS/ChaT DinneRWaRe PlaTTeRS G. n. Pan SeRvinG Pan

WiTh 36, 25 exTenDeR

WheRe exquiSiTeneSS MeeTS DuRaBiliTy made-up of high performance polycarbonate

Storage Containers

Trays

Glasses & Tumblers

Tableware

Squeeze Bottle & Food Cover

Bowls

Salad Platters

Gastronorm Pans

Risers

Disposables

MP Enterprises

B-2/21, Mohan Co-operative, industrial area, new Delhi - 110 044 +91 11 41652020 info@kenford.in www.kenford.in June-July ’19

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

49

BUSINESS makes it all the more essential to keep it clean always. Given the fact that the kitchen is the place where germs are most likely to be found, not maintaining it clean and hygienic will invite insects that would lead to unhealthy cooking. This will further give rise to food borne diseases like food poisoning and stomach infection that would tamper the guest’s health. To avoid all of these, Kitchen’s hygiene and cleanliness is really important.

Our hotel has these basic and worthy rules for maintaining hygiene in the kitchen: • Maintain personal hygiene • Keep your work area clean and sanitised • Raw material should be kept below 5 degree celsius in the freezer • Periodic pest management to be done • Equipments kept clean, washed, dried and free from moulds and fungi Vivek Kalia, Executive Chef, Indore Marriott Hotel, adds, “Poor cleaning and personal hygiene habits, especially in a kitchen, can cause food contamination, food poisoning, and spread of infection. The fundamentals of maintaining hygiene are to wash hands and use clean kitchen tools such as knives, wooden spoons, spatulas, tongs, trays, and any other utensils that are in contact with food.”

and deep freezers to ensure stability in shelf life. They should also be properly cooked to a min. temperature of 75-82 C to eradicate microbes.

The checklist to be followed should include all food handling areas for their cleanliness, temperature monitoring, and maintenance of storage areas, Hand wash facilities, usage of sanitizers, pest management, food received procedures, etc.”

Neeraj says, “As far as Sofitel Mumbai BKC is concerned, we have established va r i o u s m e as u res a n d fo l l ows h ote l

Rana Mukherjee

Keeping raw material fresh and observing kitchen hygiene While maintaining the kitchen surroundings clean and hygienic is necessary it is equally essential to ensure the quality of the raw material. They must not only be bought fresh but it should be ensured that they remain fresh.

All F&B outlets have to take measures to make sure those steps are taken to acquire fresh raw materials and maintain their freshness as well as to keeping the kitchen environs clean and hygienic.

Priyanka declares, “Hotels should only purchase food (not just raw materials) from reliable sources. Regular assessments of the supplier’s ability to demonstrate quality assurance/control procedures and inspection of supplier premises and/ or processing plant should be performed to eva l u ate : Q u a l i ty as s u ra n ce a n d control point programs, Quality control testing, Reputation for selling clean, fresh, uncontaminated food products, Food safety policies, Maintenance and cleanliness, Delivery equipment and refrigeration etc.

The F&B outlets must ensure that the materials are kept in facilitated cold rooms

50

Ajay Khanna

Meththa Ekanayake

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

standards to constantly check hygiene and maintain the required level of freshness of raw materials. We have daily rounds taken by our supervisors along with the microbiologist, who in turn takes samples; not only of the food but also of the equipment used for cooking. We also have a yearly Hygiene and FLS Audit conducted

by Diversy. Raw materials and goods are purchased from reputed vendors and regular audits are done at the vendor’s site. All goods coming in are checked to see that they comply by the hotel standard and protocol.

About 80% of the kitchen produce is perishable and has a short shelf life. Hence, it becomes imperative to clean and store the same at the appropriate temperature, monitor them regularly, ensure they are pest-free until utilisation.

A t S of i t e l M u m b a i B KC, w e t a g ingredients with day tags and follow the FIFO (First in – First out) method. The checklist that we follow to maintain hygiene in the kitchen is as follows: • Check the cleanliness and condition of floor, wall, ceiling, door, drain and fixtures • C h e c k t h e s t o ra g e a n d c o r e temperature of food - chiller and walk-in, as also freezer and deep walk-in • Check the dry storage • Check Cross contamination • Using proper colour coding chopping boards • Check the reheating food and leftover rule • Check condition of equipment • Check pot wash station and three sink method • Check the cleanliness and condition of waste bin • Check hand wash station • Check personal hygiene as it needs to be maintained at all times Meththa maintains, “To ensure raw materials are fresh and healthy – we, at Movenpick Hotel Colombo, conduct supplier evaluations and supplier audits, purchase products from approved suppliers only.

One must also conduct regular awareness sessions for the approved suppliers, and carry out incoming raw material inspections by the receiving officer under the supervision of the hygiene officer or the chef In-charge.

For maintaining the freshness and hygiene of the raw materials we observe the following methods: • Store raw materials in chillers, freezers or in other appropriate places with proper

June-July ’19

BUSINESS temperature monitoring.

• Use clean containers and plastic crates to store the raw materials • Use suitable and clean covering materials (plastic lids or cling wraps) to cover the materials when the original package is opened.

• Practice proper date labeling and placing date tags inside the chillers as well as the freezers.

The checklist to observe Hygiene in kitchen should include: • Personal hygiene/grooming records • Night cleaning • Deep cleaning • Dishwashing temperature monitoring • Vegetable sanitizing • Chiller and freezer temperature monitoring • Cooking temperature monitoring • B u ffet h ot h o l d i n g / co l d h o l d i n g temperature monitoring • Deep frying temperature monitoring • Re-heating temperature monitoring • Cooling temperature monitoring • Thawing temperature monitoring Sugata disclosed “To ensure that delivery of raw materials is fresh the receiving area

June-July ’19

should have purchase specifications and guidelines that are set by the production department. Purchase personnel should make sure that all receiving’s done using the guidelines.

Receiving of raw materials, at Khandani Rajdani, is always overlooked by a senior chef along with the outlet purchase executive. Our vegetables are first of all received as per purchase specifications which makes sure that the quality & consistency of the product received are as per our set guide lines. All green & leafy vegetables are washed in a chlorine based solution before it is processed further.”

Sheriyar says “For fresh delivery of raw materials we, at The Resort Mumbai, maintain our SOPs as well as our receiving guidelines. To ensure their freshness till they are utilised they are sanitized at the time of receiving. This is maintained by refrigerating them at less than 5 degree Centigrade.

The checklist that we maintain for kitchen hygiene includes: • Daily Cleaning Schedule • Dishwashing Procedures • Routine Equipment Maintenance

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

• Drinking Water Tank Cleaning Schedule • Chopping Board Trolley Sanitization Trolley Gaurav declares, “For maintaining the freshness and hygiene of raw materials like vegetables, meat, seafood, etc. we should observe the following steps: • Keep them in a Cool, Dry Place. Keep bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, lemons, and limes in a cool, dry area, not in the fridge.

• Always store raw food in sealed or covered containers at the bottom of the fridge. Keep raw foods below cooked foods, to avoid liquid such as meat juices dripping down and contaminating the cooked food.

Make sure your food storage containers are clean and in good condition, and only use them for storing food.

The checklist to maintain hygiene on the kitchen: • Follow the First In First Out procedure • Label Everything • Cold Storage to be done to ensure that food temperatures are maintained between 0 -8 degree Celsius.

• Storing raw and ready to eat food separately to avoid cross contamination • Ensure a thorough cleaning of surfaces

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BUSINESS before each food item is prepared.

• Wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw food • Cook thoroughly so that it kills all the harmful bacteria of the food • If cooking food in advance, cool and chill it quickly. Discard the food if not chilled within 2 hours Ajay asserts, “At Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park, to ascertain that the raw material that we receive is fresh certain set standards are followed. The food suppliers are advised, either in writing or verbally, that they should maintain high standards of food safety in supplying food products to the hotel. We accept potentially hazardous food only at right temperature. Food must deliver at the recommended temperature.

The hotel takes the following steps: • Ascertains that frozen food is received and maintained at -18 degrees C • Washes and sanitizes fresh vegetables before storage • Ensures that packaging of chilled and frozen food is not damaged • Does not accept rusted, damaged, blown or leaking cans • Ensures that food products were not transported with chemicals • Ensures that all food products are properly labeled For maintaining food freshness we take

the following steps: • Keep the refrigerator temperature at 4 degrees Celsius • Cool food down within a short time after cooking or consuming it to 4 degrees Celsius • Avo i d ke e p i n g fo o d o u ts i d e t h e refrigerator for more than an hour • Cooked food is cooled down by various method of blast chiller or ice bath method • Clean Cutting boards that come into contact with raw meat, fish and poultry with soap and hot water after each use • Clean kitchen utensils with a scrubbing sponge or brush, hot water and dishwashing fluid; and air-dry them after rinsing in water • Wash your hands with hot water and soap immediately after handling raw food: vegetables, fruit, raw meat, poultry, fresh eggs or fish The checklist for maintaining kitchen hygiene includes: • Regular Inspection of Kitchen Areas, Dining Areas • Guidelines for Staff for Maintaining Personal Hygiene • Re g u l a r S a n i t i z at i o n of K i tc h e n Equipment • Ensuring Proper Ventilation Daniel iterates, “We, at JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru, have purchase specifications of raw materials, which have been shared to

the vendors during the time of contract and they are supposed to follow that. We also ensure that baskets are earmarked for vegetables and meats separately, which ensure that cross contamination does not happen. The produce once received goes into walk in chiller and are stored below 5C temp. The thawing temp of meats and the cooking temp of vegetables are noted down for each dish.

Vegetables, once received, are washed in a tank with anti-bacterial wash. They are then stored in chillers. They get processed as per the requirement of the kitchens and events of the day. The meats are processed and kept in freezers. They get thawed in the chillers and then issued out to the respective kitchens.

We have a checklist which we follow, ranging from kitchen cleaning cycles, to pest control schedules, chopping board policies. We have temperatures records which we maintain, which ensure that t h e fo o d i s m a i nta i n e d at t h e r i g h t temperatures. We also have food cooking temp logs and dispensing logs as well.

These all ensure that the proper hygiene is maintained in the kitchens.”

Gokil asserts, “To ensure freshness of raw material each F&B outlet must have designated spaces in the receiving area for Ready to Eat, Perishable, Frozen and

Temperatures in Celsius

Temperatures in Fahrenheit

Receiving of cold foods

1°C to 5°C

33.8°F to 41°F

Receiving of frozen foods

-18°C or colder

5°F or colder

Storage of cold foods

1°C to 5°C

33.8°F to 41°F

Storage of frozen foods

-18°C or colder

5°F or colder

Defrosting

1°C to 5°C

33.8°F to 41°F

Cooking

75°C or above for beef and lamb

165.2°F or above for beef and lamb

Cooking beef burgers

75°C or above

165.2°F or above

Cooking of eggs

71°C or above

159.9°F or above

Cooling (Total six hours)

60°C to 21°C within 2 hours

140°F to 69.8°F within 2 hours

21°C to 5°C or colder within a further

69.8°F to 41°F colder within a further

period of 4 hours = 6 hours

period of 4 hours = 6 hours

Reheating

75°C or above (2 minute hold)

165.2°F or above

Hot Hold

60°C or above

140°F or above

Cold Hold

5°C or colder

41°F or colder

Hot display

60°C or above

140°F or above

Cold display

5°C or colder

41°F or colder

Wash cycle for dish/glass washer

55°C or above

131°F or above

Rinse cycle for dish/glass washer

77°C or above

170.6°F or above

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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

June-July ’19

Dry ingredients. All the materials received should be inspected carefully by following the guidelines. For example Vegetables have to be thoroughly checked for the freshness. Meat and seafood can be accepted only if it is received below 5 Degree Celsius. Apart from colour and odour other important criteria to be checked for seafood is freshness of the gills and eyes should be crystalline. Preferable weight of a chicken has to be between 700 grams and 900 grams.

Gokulam Grand Hotel & Spa Bengaluru follows all the guidelines laid by FSSAI and we will accept the raw materials only from the approved vendors who have been carefully chosen by our Food & Beverage experts. We receive the products only after checking the quality of material by a panel of Chefs & Hygiene Managers monitored directly by our Executive chef.

Our storage area is designed and constructed in such a way that the frozen food is stored in a temperature below 18 Degree Celsius, Refrigerated food is stored below 4 Degree Celsius, Dry food items are stored at 18 Degree Celsius. All the stored food items are labelled with the date received and expiry so that the FIFO (First In First Out) process can be followed without any hindrance. We also follow the storage sequences for all the stored food. Most importantly our Chefs and Hygiene managers regularly monitor the cleanliness and Hygiene of the storage areas.

In India FSSAI is the licensing authority for the commercial food establishments and it has to be renewed in regular intervals. FSSAI Kitchen Hygiene audit checklists comprise the following: 1. Design & Facilities 2. Control of Operations 3. Maintenance & sanitation 4. Personal Hygiene 5. Training & Records keeping Ashvini disclosed, “Four Points by Sheraton Vashi, Navi Mumbai, follows Great Food Safe Food procedure’s 43 points check list, which is part of all hotel food handler training.

To maintain hygiene in the kitchen Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is the most widely used and comprehensive food safety program in the world. It is a staged approach to identifying hazards in all steps of food production including: Receiving Storage Preparation Cooking Cooling Reheating Food Display Transportation Food Service Cleaning” Avinash states, “It is often been proven that raw materials have high chances of being contaminated by harmful pesticides and insecticides. To keep them fresh and healthy, washing them thoroughly before consumption is the most fundamental measure to be taken. In our kitchen, at Novotel Imagica Khopoli, all the fruits and vegetables are washed with disinfectants before being processed.

There are SOP’s in place which are helpful in identifying the correct product at the time of receiving. In addition, procuring

Regd. Office:/Showroom: C-207, 1st Floor, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-1, New Delhi-110028 (INDIA) T +91-11-26169771, 26177232 F +91-11-26169233 E info@makrey.com W www.makrey.com Visit us at: India

June-July ’19

International Hospitality Expo (IHE 19) 7-10 August, at Hall No: 01, Stall No: H01-03/10 Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review 53 India Expo Mart, Greater Noida

BUSINESS raw material from FSSAI approved vendors will also give an assurance that the supply chain is not contaminated. To ensure that they remain fresh optimum storage temperature for all processed and unprocessed food material should be maintained at all times.

As far as kitchen hygiene is concerned, the following check list should be followed: • Personal hygiene • Storage at proper temperature • Equipments and work area to be cleaned • S a n i t i ze t h e fo o d i te m s b efo re consumption • Cooking area should be well lighted and ventilated • Refrain from Cross Contamination • Cooking should always be done above 75 degree centigrade • Keep the kitchen sink cleaned always • Maintain the Fridge, Freezer, Oven and other storage spaces in proper working condition • Dispose of leftovers immediately in a good kitchen bin and follow the waste management system Vikas affirms, “Selection of the right vendor through a well-defined vendor qualification and QA audit process is one of the important steps in ensuring consistency and quality of the supplied product. At the time of receiving the raw material they should be checked for quality parameters such as Temperature, Packaging, Date of Mfg., Freshness, et al.

At Travel Food Services we follow rigorous process of quality checks at every touch point. Our production staff, QA team and internal audit teams perform meticulous verification of products received from the approved vendors by going deeper to check the temperature logs during its intermediate storage and transport.

To keep the raw materials fresh at all times every recipe ingredient, from spices to vegetables, is maintained in the optimum environment to ensure that their taste and freshness remains intact.

As far as maintaining overall hygiene of the kitchen is concerned following the Hygiene rating checklist issued by FSSAI is a good starting point. There are also other prevalent industry standards such as ISO 22000, HACCP and IFSA world food safety guidelines. The latter could also be referred while maintaining the hygiene standards in the kitchen for in-flight catering checks.

Vivek maintains that raw materials a re t h e fo u n d at i o n of f i n i s h e d fo o d

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products. “Therefore,” he adds, “they must meet regulatory requirements and their specifications. Some of the points that we need to take into consideration are: • Adopt the concept of FIFO • Handle the raw materials, in-process and finished products appropriately and ensure that the finished product is safe and stored in a healthy environment • Ensure the kitchen hygiene and quality safety measures are at par.

I believe that the checklist that will help you maintain hygiene of kitchen and end product is: • Pest control • Waste Management • Cleanliness Programmes • Maintenance • Personal Hygiene • Food Storage Hygiene • Staff training Stick to the following procedures: 1. Keep the refrigerator temperature at 4 degrees Celsius, as it will prevent any development of pathogenic bacteria in food 2. Avoid placing any food outside of the refrigerator for more than an hour 3. Use disposable paper towels in the

Gaurav Anand

kitchen.

4 . To c l e a n k i tc h e n u te n s i l s u s e scrubbing sponge or brush, hot water and dishwashing fluid 5. Avoid wiping kitchen utensils with a towel 6. Use a special kitchen thermometer that measures the temperature at the center of the food and ensure thorough cooking 7. Do not consume raw eggs or eggs that have been treated with mild heat (soft boiled egg, fried egg).

8. Wash your hands with hot water and soap immediately after handling raw food such as vegetables, fruits or raw meat 9. Defrosting of frozen food should be done in the refrigerator or microwave oven in a suitable container 10. Purchase of food items should be from a vendor who provides fresh supplies 11. While Cleaning fruits and vegetables , wash them under flowing tap water. Then dry them with a clean paper towel.”

Rana says, “Every hotel follows HACCP standards. At Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort & Convention Center, Chennai products are bought only from certified and verified vendors. The vendors are selected through a rigorous process and we ensure that they supply the best available raw ingredients. Checks are also put into place for proper packaging and refrigeration.

With regards to the meats and seafood they are received at a temperature of 5 degrees or below. In case of frozen ingredients, they should be delivered in frozen state or below i.e.18 degrees.

Vegetables are received at almost the same temperature. The ingredients are then immediately stored in chillers or freezers. Fast perishing items are used first and we also have a process of FIFO in place to ensure that things are used as early as possible and are not stored for more than a day in refrigerators.

As at all Marriott hotels we follow the Great Food Safe Food programme.”

Conclusion

Neeraj Rawoot

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Cleanliness and maintaining hygiene i s a n i m p o rta nt fa cto r of co n s u m e r experience and the impact will become more significant as consumers’ wallet tightens with the current economy. F&B services have direct access to guests’ health through food and beverages. To continue receiving diners, it is necessary that the F&B outlets observe rigid quality control measures. n

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FEATURE

Making Success out of Your Restaurant

By Jhuma Biswas

R

unning a restaurant is an apparently g l a m o u ro u s a n d i n h e re nt l y challenging business, which on the whole can be very exciting and thrilling for the restaurateur and her/his staff provided they have a passion towards food service.

Look Before You Invest However, before running a restaurant co m es t h e c h a l l e n g es of o p e n i n g a restaurant. Before opening a restaurant several factors need to be taken into account. According to Nandini Nneeraj, the Proprietor of Mother India & Bokan Cafe, “There are many factors that need to be considered before investing in a restaurant business, but the three core factors that matter the most are location, concept and a strong & experienced team.”

The right location is definitely one of the most important factors towards o p e n i n g a re s t a u ra nt b u s i n e s s . Fo r example, opening a fine dining restaurant in a lower middle class locality or in an unauthorised colony in the city will be a losing proposition. Similarly, it is not

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advisable to open a restaurant focused on exotic cuisine, say Greek or French cuisine, in an area where majority of the people are not expected to have much global exposure.

Especially, in the competitive and co nt i n u a l l y evo l v i n g o rg a n i s e d fo o d service industry of India, the concept of the restaurant also needs to be sharply

Dhruv Dutt

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

defined and of course, food & beverage, ambience, décor, music and even uniform of the staff of the restaurant operating i n t h e o rg a n i s e d s e cto r s h o u l d a l s o ideally align with the concept. This holds especially true for a theme restaurant.

Unless the proposed restaurant’s concept is precisely defined, the restaurateur s h o u l d n ’ t e m b a r k o n t h e res tau ra nt business, especially if her/his restaurant is expected to operate in the organised sector of India’s food service industry.

And of course, without a team of expert staff it is very difficult for a restaurant business to achieve success in India’s food service industry; simply great food and ambience wouldn’t do, they need to complemented with great service too. One should have the requisite staff with the requisite expertise ready before launching a restaurant in the organised segment of India’s food service industry.

“A good team can not only cover each other's weaknesses but also add to each other's strengths,” explained Dhruv Dutt, the Owner of Era Bar & Lounge.

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FEATURE At the same time, background research is also very important before investing in restaurant business. “One must do a proper study of the restaurant industry, its demands, its pros and cons and the finances that are involved before investing in the restaurant business,” asserted Jasneet Sahni, the Owner of the two restaurants, Lanterns Kitchen & Bar, and Pikkle.

Factors for Success Even after the restaurant is opened the million dollar question of how to make it a successful venture continues to persist, perhaps with louder notes than it did before investing in the restaurant business was being done. Nandini rightly believes the ambience of the restaurant has extremely crucial importance in the success of a restaurant. According to her, “It helps the food to taste better, the services more likeable and the overall experience a memorable one. A good ambience helps in bringing the customers to the restaurant.”

Of course, one needs good food, the right ambience and décor and quality service staff for making your restaurant

Nandini Nneeraj business a success story, but these are basic factors which nowadays even a layman knows. There are several other latent factors to be considered to facilitate success in the restaurant business.

“One needs to have enough working capital for the initial few months as a restaurateur because it will take time to spread awareness and bring in the required footfalls. If all the funds are invested in the construction of the place then it would be difficult to acquire quality ingredients,

work on the marketing and promotions, etc. One needs to get into the waters and be completely dedicated towards achieving the targets by focusing on your USP and controlling the costs,” elaborated Dhruv, while discussing the factors needed to be taken into account while running a restaurant business.

“Keep looking at new opportunities, new trends and the new ways of promoting your restaurant. Accept all the challenges that come your way and always be keen to try new things,” advised Jasneet, when I queried him on the factors necessary for making an operational restaurant a successful business proposition, in the context of India’s food service industry. Yes, restaurateur should have a great sense of enterprise to explore new opportunities and trends but at the same time she/he should refrain herself/himself from taking unnecessary risks.

Intelligent marketing of the restaurant these days is one of the keys to its success. In this digital age, marketing of the restaurant on social media platforms can pay rich dividends with very little costs. “The right strategy of promotions & marketing, a unique menu, and a funds

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FEATURE backup in reserves to be used during emergencies or to meet unsaid expenses are needed for the operational success of the restaurant,” averred Nandini.

An important factor that can contribute towards the success of a running restaurant business is cutting down on unnecessary costs and wastage wherever possible.

“Certain factors that can facilitate your restaurant business to be a success story are way in which you position your restaurant brand, how you treat your customers, knowing your customer acquisition cost, knowing your fixed costs, consistently working towards your vision as a restaurateur, maintaining consistency in your brand value and quality of food and services, cutting down on unnecessary costs and maintaining a good rapport on digital media,” articulated Dhruv.

Every age has its own set of challenges and opportunities. In this digital age, it would be wise of the restaurateur to keep a history of her/his guests’ food & beverage preferences, feedback on what they liked or disliked in the restaurant, and what they would like to improve in the restaurant, on computer (the process can be initiated by letting the guests fill a short form where their F&B preferences and what they liked or disliked in the restaurant and what they would like to improve in the restaurant would be asked for).

In case of repeat guests, their F&B likings could be gently suggested by the waiter or the manager to them. If more number of guests do not like a particular aspect in a restaurant that can be changed over time. If more number of guests like a particular aspect of a restaurant that can be retained or even heightened, if possible. Guests’ pragmatic suggestions to improve the restaurant can also be adhered to. Succinctly, digital power can facilitate greater involvement of the guests, and this can be explored upon to garner additional revenues for the restaurants.

Harnessing digital power is becoming more and more crucial towards operational success of restaurants, for if you don’t do it be sure that your competitor would do it and you may end up missing the bus.

Guests are not only becoming more experimental and discerning in terms of their eating out choices but have also become more health and hygiene conscious than they were a decade ago.

This is very much true for India’s organiesd food service industry. In light of this trend, maintaining of impeccable hygiene is

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Jasneet Sahni becoming more and more important in the functioning of the restaurants.

Fo r exa m p l e , i f t h e re s t a u ra n t ’ s washroom is unclean or if its tablecloths are dirty or if its waiters are unkempt, then the guests are not only likely to avoid giving the restaurant a repeat visit, but may also post their ire about the restaurant on the social media. If the post goes viral, it may irreparably damage the future business of the restaurant concerned. Of course, the same holds true if the food and service of the restaurant is below par, but the effect of bad hygiene can be even more serious on the bottomlines of the restaurant. than the effect of bad food.

For example, if a guest or a group of guests suffer from food contamination b e c a u s e o f t h e re s t a u ra n t s t a f f ’ s lackadaisical attitude towards hygiene, then their Facebook posts regarding the same can even lead to legal actions and eventual closure of the restaurant concerned.

Therefore, in the post-modern organised food service industry of India, maintenance of impeccable hygiene is necessary for the operational success of restaurants or for that matter, of any food service outlet.

“Hygiene & cleanliness is the utmost important aspect and I would personally give it more weightage than food and service,” asserted Jasneet.

Th o u g h f u l f i l l i n g a l l t h es e a b ove mentioned factors does not guarantee the success of your restaurant, but they can surely facilitate your success story in the restaurant industry. And not fulfilling these factors can facilitate your failure in the restaurant business really quick.

Challenges to Grapple Of course, there are challenges towards

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the success of restaurant business too, and they can and will continue even if all the above-mentioned factors are being met.

Operating a restaurant is a challenging business even at the best of times. And if the times are tough, of course the challenges would be manifolds. In the Indian context, running a restaurant in a macro business environment that is characterised with shortage of high quality raw materials, shortage of quality manpower, prohibitive real estate costs in metros, inadequate cold chain infrastructure and with fast evolving tastes of guests, is an uphill challenge.

This writer conversed with some industry players to get beneath the surface of this issue.

Acco rd i n g to N a n d i n i , t h e m a j o r challenges towards running a restaurant in the context of India’s food service industry are attaining performance consistency, c h a n g i n g g ove r n m e nt p o l i c i e s , a n d retention of guests.

Both opening and running a restaurant business in India are hugely challenging tasks. In this regard, Dhruv gave quite a holistic perspective. “To start with, I would say that launching and running a restaurant business is like driving on a bumpy road.

There is not one, but multiple roadblocks and speed breakers that one needs to pass-through. Starting from government licensing that is difficult to acquire considering the heavy-duty regulations, finding a property which is suitable and comes with rentals to suit the budget, handling the restaurant construction, training and managing the staff, assuring good quality to customers to retain them, managing the fixed cost in running the restaurant, focusing on structural requirements, promoting the brand in the right direction, managing customer reviews by working on day-to-day marketing, and paying attention to staff retention rate by keeping them happy and content are only some of the challenges of this business,” he smilingly expressed.

“Problems that I have myself faced in the initial stages included staff crunch and challenges towards pitching in the right crowd,” disclosed Jasneet.

The feature is written especially in the context of India’s organised food service industry and the inputs of the restaurateurs also adhere to the same context. The restaurants whose restaurateurs’ inputs are taken here, are all based in Delhi-NCR.

June-July ’19

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FEATURE

Are Your Restaurants Buzzing?

By Sharmila Chand

F&B outlets can be a great asset to a hotel - they present an additional source of revenue, add to the bottom line, and are an attractive feature for guests. Some hotel restaurants are simply an extra venue for guests while others strive to be a part of a city’s popular restaurant list. In bigger cities that are known to have a multitude of great dining options, it can be tough for hotels to keep the local diners’ interest alive.

We talk to experts in F&B hospitality industry and find out how they generate interest amongst local diners for their hotel restaurants and ensure their local guests do not step out to dine. We understand what specific measures they take for the hotel restaurants to keep buzzing and generate revenue as they say the success of food and beverage can make or break a hotel.

Praveen Shetty – Executive Chef, Conrad Bengaluru

How best to enhance F&B outlets

Innovative concept based menus – for e.g. at the GOT event, we curated a 5 course meal to represent the five iconic scenes of the series. This was well received by the local market and put us a notch above other restaurants in the city in the culinary space.

Promote local cuisines – having regular pop ups at the outlets to keep the local diner engaged and to offer freshness every time he/she dines with us. For e.g. we have done hugely popular ones like Mangalorean, Kerala, Abhinya Dakshin, Karnataka, Rajyaotsava Sri Lankan.

Pairing the culinary excellence with international wines and spirits - The focus here is to unveil meats & ingredients uncommonly known to the local market. This has been well appreciated, as our guests go back with more information than they came with. We also share DIY recipes with those who join in so that goes back home and try in their own kitchens.

As a brand, one of our philosophies is to stay locally inspired. We introduce rare ingredients to the local market in our restaurants and ensuring that it is sourced from the place of origin.

From a marketing perspective – we have created different mini brand identities to keep our restaurants at the top of our mind for our customers. From set meal “Lunches at Conrad” starting at Rs. 1000 only at three of our distinct dining restaurants that cater to the corporates located within 4km radius of the hotel, to enhanced activities at the kids zone for Sunday brunch- the only longest brunch in town starting at 11 AM to 3:30 PM and conceptualising mid-week in buffets that highlight innovative grills and roasts complemented by a host of thirst quenching cocktails and more. Promoting concepts like these across social media, radio, digital, print mediums is how we stay connected with our customers.

Tips to Compete With Local Market

Praveen Shetty

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Staying relevant and refreshed. It is important for each outlet to have a dedicated marketing and communications planned that keeps the buzz going. To state a few examples - curating themed dinners around trending topics/international entertainment series, where we take inspiration from the content to design the menu; to conducting a single’s meet up during special occasions for example Valentine’s day and bringing the diverse festivals of India under one roof to celebrate Independence day. These are some of the ways in which we at Conrad Bengaluru is relevant and refreshed in the market today.

Continuous connect with the local media and influencers is extremely important in the day and age of stiff competition it is through guests who love us that bring us the desired recognition in the market from all the promotions, events, activations done at the hotel. We are happy to see more

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FEATURE and more new faces visiting us at the restaurants.

It is out constant endeavour to deliver exceptional experiences complemented by intuitive service.

For us each guest is VIP and is extended personalised service. The chefs at the restaurants take keen interest in meeting every single guest to check on his/her dietary preferences and on any particular dishes they would like to try during their meal experience. To taking this a notch further, guests are delighted to receive little takeaways from the heart of our kitchens for example home ground spice pouches from ‘Indian Durbar’, our specialty restaurant.

Rahul Bhagat – Director of Food & Beverage, Conrad Pune

How best to enhance F&B outlets

Have a face for the restaurant - It can be of a Chef, a Sommelier, a Barista or even a Bartender.

Then highlight these faces on every social or print media forum for visibility and to generate curiosity and excitement amongst the local population.

Have a great profile of images of the people mentioned above and shots of the offerings, unique features and ambience. For example, if your restaurant has PDR, have a nice shot of the PDR as your USP; High Resolution images of the F&B incite the people to visit the place as the guests can relate to the quality of the product.

If possible, have a story around the restaurant that can excite the diners visiting the restaurant.

The story can be around the name of the restaurant, or how the masalas or gravies are made, or around the Chef or even around the Sequence of Service.

Judicious use of social media and print media for visibility - Have a strong MarCom Manager along with a Creative and PR Agency. They help you not only to generate content, but also are strong in channeling them to the right audience so that the content is relevant.

Having a strong Marketing Calendar with well-defined action points for every outlet - Whenever you are handling a big F&B operation, it is important that every outlet is treated as a stand-alone and the marketing around the outlet is unique. Thus, it is extremely important to create the identity to the outlets through the marketing plan so that the target audience can be defined.

Tips to Compete With Local Market

Have a strong identity of the outlet along with its USP. Make the USPs, the talking point and ensure every team member is able to share it with the guests.

Have a solid marketing plan depending on your market segment keeping in mind the socio-

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Rahul Bhagat

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FEATURE economic set up. Planning in advance will help in planning well and also generating all the content around the promotion.

Have a strong Marketing team and ensure that the content around the restaurant is relevant and is updated as per needs. Diners look for fresh concepts and contents and this can be one aspect that can either make you a preferred destination or just another place.

Chef Anuj Kapoor – Executive Chef, The Grand, New Delhi

How best to enhance F&B outlets

Constant Innovation - It is important to have innovation in making even the everyday staples exciting.

Consistency - Maintaining standards through consistency of the cuisine offered.

Focus on Healthy/vegetarian dishes - Guests are becoming ever more health conscious and there's an ever increasing demand of vegetarian options irrespective of the cuisine that they choose for that particular meal.

Story rather than cuisine based Restaurant Concept.

Tips to Compete with Local Market

Chef Anuj Kapoor

Treat the Staff right – In my past experience with some organisations, I have noticed hoteliers/ more so restaurateurs get solely customer focussed. They need to respect their staff to ensure great guest experience. This is a very simple sounding, but very powerful tool that is often ignored. In my experience with several organisations where staff and promoters become one large family; and that care for frontline stewards and cooks is indeed palpable – guests rarely walk out unhappy, your people would just not let that happen.

Specials – Innovative and exciting Day’s specials are a great way to avoid menu fatigue.

Authenticity in Food – Nothing puts off discerning diners than pretentious and non authentic food.

If you have Caesar’s Salad on the menu – make sure you put Romaine and not iceberg, and don’t make your dressing with market bought mayo that’s dairy based emulsion and ultra sweet.

Sumit Sinha – Director of Food and Beverage, Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla

How best to enhance F&B outlets

Sumit Sinha

Out of the box concept and overall experience - Diners are well traveled today and keep looking out for the venues offering exciting concepts, novel cuisines and great personalised experience. They look for a wow experience, be it in terms of food presentation, décor or the concept. I read a quote which said-If I can’t tweet it, I won’t eat it. Hence, to be able to understand what customers wants and delighting them in the best possible way is the fundamental rule in the restaurant business.

Lucrative deals and packages - It is very important to curate interesting promotions and packages along with lucrative pricing to capture the target customers during this time. This would also include Loyalty and Membership programmes as they would form a quintessential part of repeat customers.

Positive word of mouth - Media, Food Critics and Bloggers play a significant role in creating an image about the brand amongst their followers. Hence, curating experiential for media & influencers relevant to your brand is a great way to give a sneak peak to what the restaurant has to offer to its guests. Since Facebook, Instagram and Convergent Media are witnessing an unprecedented growth, these prove to be great medium to connect with the target guests.

Saurabh Bhatnagar – Director of Food & Beverage, Le Meridien Goa, Calangute

How best to enhance F&B outlets Saurabh Bhatnagar

Hosting Themed Events - acknowledging holidays and special events can make a huge difference in your restaurant’s local footfall, strategically planning for holidays, significant sporting events and other major occasions can bring first-time guests e.g. Goa Food and Culture Festival, Carnival, Sao Joao St. Patrick’s day etc.

Social Media should be kept updated - Collaborating with locals to revive the lost flavours and discover culinary secrets. For example, we promote Local flavours through Goan Thaali and organise Friday evenings with best local musical Bands for entertainment.

Atul Upadhyay – Vice President, Pride Group of Hotels

How best to enhance F&B outlets

Atul Upadhyay

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“In all our Pride Groups of Hotels, apart from 24 hrs All Day Dining, we have a specialty restaurant known as ‘Puran Da Dhaba’ which as the name suggests, promotes Dhaba style food to our guests.

We have created ambiance of typical dhaba so that our guests can enjoy dhaba culture. Also, we promote Traditional Indian Food Festivals like Delhi Zaika, Awadhi Food Festival, Khao Gali etc. in our restaurant every month which are a big draw for local guests to dine in our restaurants and enjoy the different authentic regional delicacies.”

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AGRI

Sweet, Cool and Healthy

By Jhuma Biswas

W

atermelon is a delicious fruit, which can easily taste more delicious in the scorching Indian summers. The plant which does bear the fruit is also named the same. Its scientific name is Citrullus lanatus. According to Wikipedia, watermelon is a scrambling and trailing vine from the flowering plant family Cucurbitaceae. Watermelon fruit stems from the flowering plant which traces its origins to West Africa. In common parlance, one can say that watermelon plant belong to the gourd family.

Hot climate is conducive to the growth of watermelon fruit. The plant and the fruit are cultivated around the globe. The weight of a watermelon fruit may vary from 1 to 20 kg. It is mostly round in shape, but in Japan you can find square watermelons also.

Henceforth, in this article we would refer watermelon in the context of fruit only. The fruit has a rich legacy to match its rich red interiors. However, besides deep red, the flesh of watermelon can also come in pink, yellow or white, though deep red and pink are the usual colours for juicy watermelon flesh, which are dotted with black seeds.

Watermelon fruits mostly come with a dark

green outer skin.

Long History Watermelon has been associated with us since the nascent days of human civilisation.

Africa is believed to be the birthplace of watermelons. There is evidence of watermelon cultivation in ancient Egypt, some 4000 years ago. Evidence of watermelon’s cultivation can be found from the Nile Valley of second millennium BC. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the fruit is depicted in ancient Egyptian art.

Watermelon seeds dating 3000 BC were found in China.

How watermelons rolled into India is wrapped in enigma. But there is evidence that watermelons were being cultivated in India during the seventh century, and by the 10th century, this fruit had spread its sweetness to China. The fruit was introduced in Spain by the Moors and there is evidence of watermelon being cultivated in Cordova in Spain, during the 10th century.

The fruit attracted wide cultivation in Europe during the 17th century.

Slowly, thanks to the European colonists and African slaves, the fruit was introduced to the other side of the Atlantic. By the late 16th century, watermelons had arrived in the US and it came to South America in the 17th century. By the mid 17th century it was being cultivated in Peru and Brazil.

Seedless watermelons, which were initially developed in 1939 by Japanese scientists, have become quite popular in the present century.

Production and Cultivation Today China is by far the largest producer of watermelons in the world. It produced 79.2 million tonnes of watermelon during 2016.

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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

According to FAO, China accounted for 68 percent of the total watermelon production in the world, during 2016. According to FAO, during 2016, Turkey, Iran and Brazil were the second, third and the fourth largest producer of watermelons in the world, respectively.

In India, the states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharasthra are among the major producers of watermelons.

Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Assam and Haryana also grow watermelons. In India, watermelon generally comes into season during the summer months.

Wa t e r m e l o n c u l t i v a t i o n re q u i re s temperatures higher than 25 degree centigrade to grow well. A well-drained sandy loam soil with good drainage and a pH range between 6.5-7.5 are just right for watermelon cultivation.

Delectable Applications Watermelons have several F&B applications.

They are consumed in raw or as salad.

Chilled watermelon juice can come as a refreshing drink in scorching summers.

Though watermelon shake and watermelon smoothies are not so common, but they are no less delicious.

Watermelons can be used to make cakes.

Watermelon cake, if made rightly, can be a delicious evening snack, particularly in summer days. Watermelon ice-cream can also be a delicious treat in the hot and sultry days. And if you can put some papaya sauce in it then it can taste simply ethereal.

And watermelon can also be used to make delicious breads. Our bakeries should strive to make watermelon breads a tasty, innovative and healthy addition to more

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AGRI and more breakfast tables. I am quite sure such an endevour of theirs would garner much popularity across urban middle and upper class India.

Watermelon juice can also be made into wine. In China and Vietnam, watermelon seeds are partaken during the New Year celebrations. Watermelon rind is used to make pickles.

Enriched with Health Watermelon is spruced with several health benefits. The fruit is enriched with good quantity of vitamin A and C, calcium, fibre, magnesium and potassium. Intake of watermelon on a regular basis can facilitate a healthy life.

Its impressive potassium content is believed to facilitate flushing out the toxic depositions in kidney. Moreover, as watermelon has high water content (close to 92 percent), intake of watermelon can facilitate urination, which again is a helpful measure to clean kidneys. So, regular intake of watermelon can help to keep your kidneys healthy. But if you have a kidney disease already, do exercise caution in consuming watermelon.

The lycopene in watermelon, which gives its red colour flesh, is good for your eyes.

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At the same time, it helps promote heart health.

Watermelon can play its role in regulating blood pressure. According to a website, the American Journal of Hypertension has p u b l i s h e d a s t u d y t h at s tate s t h at watermelon extract plays a significant role in lowering blood pressure among obese people suffering from hypertension.

The significant amount of potassium and magnesium present in watermelon can also be helpful in reducing blood pressure.

What is more, the fruit is endowed with anticancer properties. Watermelon

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

has significant level of lycopene, which is associated with cancer prevention.

Lycopene can reduce the risks of prostate, breast, lung, colon, and endometrial cancer. Besides, having a good source of antioxidants, watermelons can facilitate to combat the formation of free radicals, which are cause of cancer. Also antioxidants present in watermelons can reduce signs of premature ageing like wrinkles.

A s w at e r m e l o n i s e n d ow e d w i t h impressive water and fiber content, its regular intake helps to keep constipation away and promote a healthy digestive tract.

Watermelon can be a healthy fruit for diabetic patients as its intake can keep the diabetes in check. Arginine, which is found in watermelons, can be very helpful in increasing the impact of insulin on blood sugar.

So we can see that more extensive and imaginative usage of watermelon has great marketing potential in India’s food service and food retail industry with its increasing numbers of health conscious consumers.

It is about time our F&B Managers, Chefs and Bakers introduce more creative usage of watermelon in their gastronomic endeavours. For these days the maxim ‘health is wealth’ is perhaps more true than ever. n

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BEVERAGE

Cool Beverages for Sweaty Summers

By Jhuma Biswas

I

ndian summers are often long, dreary, sweaty and scorching. They make one feel jaded every now and then. Cool, refreshing drinks help us to get temporary reprieve from the unabated summer heat of a long, long day.

It doesn’t deserve a mention that as your body perspires more in summers, you need more fluid to keep you hydrated, and thus summer coolers are not only refreshing and rejuvenating but also play a necessary role during summers to keep you healthy.

By taking inspiration from the world renowned British poet PB Shelley’s immortal lines, we can say that if summer comes can summer coolers be far behind? No wonder, India has so many indigenous cooling beverages for as we know necessity is the mother of invention and innovation.

Having a predominant summer season, it is natural for India to have a long tradition of summer beverages. Some of the well-known traditional Indian summer cooler beverages include thandai, lassi, aam panna, jal jeera, shikanjvi among others. They are mostly had in Indian homes, especially during summers, and also in streets of India.

Thandai, which is a mixture of almonds, fennel seeds,watermelon kernel, rose petals, pepper,vetiver seeds, cardamom, saffr-on,

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milk and sugar, is more famous in North India, especially in Varanasi, than in other parts of the country. The delightful drink is often associated with the Maha Shivaratri and Holi festival. There are different varieties of thandai but the most common and popular are perhaps the badam (almond) thandai and bhaang (cannabis) thandai.

Lassi is famous across India, but is being partaken mostly in north India. The drink hardly needs any introduction. Mango lassi is one of the delightful variants of lassi.

After a tiring day amidst summer heat, a glass of chilled aaam panna, made with unripe green mangoes, can bring one a sense of refreshing bliss. This drink is immensely popular in the summers of north and north western India. It also has usage in other parts of the country.

And jal jeera and shikanjvi sellers with their handcarts and huge clay pots are a regular sight in the streets of north India during summers. Shikanjvi has simple ingredients like lemon juice, black salt, roasted cumin powder and sugar with mint leaves for garnishing but the drink, if made well, can prove that simple things in life can be priceless. Jal jeera is a salty beverage while shikanjvi is sweet, but both can give a momentary ethereal feel.

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Bel sherbet or a beverage from wood apple juice with jaggery and lemon juice is not only rejuvenating in summers but can also be a healthy beverage in general.

Besides hydrating, the beverage can protect you from sun strokes and cure running stomach. One can find lots and lots of wood apple juice vendors in the often unbearable Delhi summers.

Then of course, coconut water and sugarcane juice are also important beverages to make your summer a bit cool and refreshing.

Another such a drink which is popular in Kerala is sambharam or neer mor. It comes across as a spicy buttermilk comprising curd, green chillies, ginger, cumin seeds powder and yoghurt. The beverage is endowed with digestive and hydrating properties. However, this drink’s appeal is not limited to Kerala

June-July ’19

BEVERAGE alone. It is consumed all over India, especially during summers, with every region of India having its own variant. In north India, it is known as chaas.

Besides these relatively popular beverages, there are many lesser known or region specific summer drinks in India, which need to attain pan-India popularity by the efforts of our food service and food retail industry.

Solkadhi is another delectable drink.

This beverage, whose important ingredients are kokum and coconut milk, is abundantly consumed in Goa and Maharashtra's coastal region. However, its popularity has sadly not reached other parts of India, which it richly deserves. The drink can not only relax the body and mind but has anti-oxidant characteristics. It can easily balance a rich, spicy meal.

If Maharasthra and Goa have their solkadhi, the south India has its nannari sherbet.

This refreshing cool summer beverage with out-of-the-world flavour has nannari or sarasaparilla roots and citric acid as its chief ingredient. And of course, water, sugar and lemon juice. Nannari is an effective and natural coolant. Addition of crushed ice will add to the delight of the drink.

Take the case of taal sherbet or nongu sherbet. Ice apple is called taal in Bengal and nongu in Tamil Nadu. This wonder drink which has infusion of milk is expected to impress you with its flavours and health quotient and can make you wait for the summers again.

Phalsa sherbet is another uncommon but spectacularly delightful beverage for the summers. Phalsa or Grewia asiatica has a wonderful tart flavour. Its size is similar to that of blueberry. Phalsa facilitates digestion and prevents dehydration.

The ancient city of Madurai is not only famous for its temples but also for its Jigarthanda, which are offered at the roadside stalls through the city. The essential ingredients of this delectable beverage include milk, almond gum, sarsaparilla root syrup, and sugar. This concoction is garnished with ice-cream. The drink can give one a cool refreshing retreat of delightful moments from the scorching heat.

Piyush is a popular summer beverage in Maharashtra and Gujarat, but it is not known much outside these states. It is a heavenly creamy beverage made with the combination of shrikhand (a popular sweet in Maharashtra and Gujarat), buttermilk,

nutmeg, dry fruits and saffron in right quantities. The drink’s literal meaning is amrit or the drink of the Gods, and after drinking piyush with its nectar like taste one may realise why it is so named.

Th e re a re m a n y m o re i n d i g e n o u s beverages in India whose taste can easily induce you to chuck that branded bottle of mundane carbonated beverage. Many of these drinks deserve nationwide popularity and in this regard our food service and food retail industry can play a significant role.

Now is the right time for big, established branded players to explore India's indigenous summer beverages market in a big way. It is about time we have chilled sugarcane juice or piyush or taal sherbet packaged in bottles flooding the market. The idea is to amalgamate tradition with innovation. These exercises are expected to assume quick nationwide popularity. Similarly, packaged coconut water or wood apple juice or packaged solkadhi by branded players for example are expected to have immense market appeal.

Some of these very Indian drinks can also be creatively explored by our bartenders to create fascinating mocktails or even innovative cocktails, wherever feasible. n

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PROFILE

The Right Place to Party

By Jhuma Biswas of The Beer House Café is different kinds of mocktails.

“We serve an awesomely wide range of mocktails to our clients,” offered the restaurateur. Tropical Moon, Classic Rasna Mojito, Watermelon Cooler, Beer House Special, Strawberry Chat, Narangi Anar Drink are some of the fascinating mocktails that the guests who do not have or prefer alcoholic beverages can savour at The Beer House Café.

True to its name, The Beer House Café offers a wide range of beers, which the beer lovers are likely to sip through and savour.

From Carlsberg to Kingfisher Ultra, and from Miller to Hopper to Stella to Corona… from Hoegaarden to Tuborg, the frothy beers here flow through impressive numbers of impressive brands to reach the satisfaction

T

he Beer House Cafe, housed in Habitat Centre, in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, came across as a decent place with a casual and friendly ambience, where one can have an enjoyable evening out with friends and family.

Though Yudhveer Singh, the Founder of The Beer House Café told me that the “place has been designed while keeping the taste and liking of the youngsters in mind,” but I am sure the place would appeal to many so called middle-aged and older men and women too, provided they believe that they are young.

Singh became a restaurateur after a stint in the real estate which again was preceded by a fruitful tenure in civil services with the government of India. This unusual career combination has perhaps contributed towards his vibrant personality.

What induced him to come up with this sleek lounge bar? “While thinking of foraying into restaurant business, I realised that there is sheer paucity of decent and at the same time affordable places for enjoying alcoholic beverages in Ghaziabad and its nearby areas, especially for girls. This induced me to come up with this outlet, as I felt the latent

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market need for the same,” disclosed Singh. His initial investment for the outlet ran to Rs.1.5 crore.

Brisk Footfalls The lounge bar located on the first floor was launched in December 2018 and already the outlet, whose décor has a predominant theme of sand and sea, is attracting brisk footfalls. I saw crowd of all ages having a whale of a time at the place, though I had to admit majority of them were not only youngsters in spirit like me but also youngsters physically too.

As we sipped Hoegaarden beer with chicken satay and prawns salt and pepper, Singh informed me that “the outlet is spread across 1400 sq.ft. and has 56 cover area including bar chairs.” “We are getting 2022k guests per month, on an average,” Singh said with satisfaction.

Beers and Mocktails According to Singh, besides offering classy dining and drinking experience within the realms of affordability, another strong point

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of varied palates.

Innovative and Classic “Besides beer, we have many other alcoholic beverages on offer. One of the strengths of the bar menu is the Classic Cocktail section, which includes Moscow Mule, Margarita, Cosmopolitan, Bloody Mary among others,” informed the entrepreneur while smilingly advising that we should try one of the Beer House Special cocktails. Though I am not a fan of cocktails, and prefer to have straight drinks, I couldn’t help enjoying Beer House Sandy; one of the many cocktails tailored at The Beer House Café. It comprises tequila fresh mint and orange peels, topped with Hoegaarden.

The place offers many signature cocktails,

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PROFILE where innovation and experimentation play crucial roles. Some of them are Mango Paan Buzzer where Banarasi Paan gets paired up with raw mango and white rum; Kokum Cooler , which comprises a refreshing combination of kokum, kaffir lime, fresh coconut and vodka; Purani Dilli Kila which comprises gin and sweet lime juice mixed up with Hajmola top.

In case you want to go for shooters then you can have B-52, jagerbomb and kamikaze as your choices to go heady. “Of course, whiskies, wines, gins, vodkas, rums, tequilas, cognacs and brandies are also being served here,” assured Singh, probably to the old-fashioned drinkers.

In fact, the outlet can come across as a whisky lover’s haven of sorts. The Beer House Café has an array of exclusive choices for single malt lovers which include Glenfiddich 15 years, Laphroaig 10 years to Talisker 10 years among others. At the same time, JW Blue Label, JW Gold Label, JW Black Label, JW Red Label, Chivas Regal 12 Years and many other renowned names which do not need any introduction crowd the Scotch Whisky section of the bar menu of The Beer House Café. The list of IMFL whiskies at the lounge bar is also no less interesting with Teacher’s 50, 100 Pipers,

June-July ’19

have a good time here. Kung Pao Chicken, Chicken Thai Red/Green Curry, Veg Seekh Kebab, Paneer Tikka Shashlik, Tandoori Tiger Prawns, Chicken Tikka, Prawns Salt and Pepper, Chilli Mushroom, Wok Fried Tofu with choice of sauce, Chicken Lasagna are some of the many delectable items worth savouring here.

Expansion Plans

Yudhveer Singh 100 Pipers 12 Years, Teacher’s Highland Cream, Jim Beam featuring among the list of heady offerings.

Delectable Platter The multi-cuisine food options complement the drinks here. “Our focus lies in Chinese, Thai, Continental and Mexican food,” Singh asserted though he maintained that his food service enterprise can easily come up with delicacies in other culinary domains too.

Both vegetarian and non-vegetarians can

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Singh’s maiden success story in the food service business has probably inspired him to extend the brand of The Beer House Café. “We will be shortly launching another The Beer House Café outlet in Shipra Mall on the second floor, which is going to have Ghaziabad's first ever microbrewery. We are expecting to launch it by end-July. It is a property spread across 6400 sq.ft. having a 250 cover area,” conveyed the excited entrepreneur, who is extremely reluctant to sit on his laurels. Probably, by the time this issue is out the outlet at Shipra Mall will be functional.

“I am keen on expanding the brand of The Beer House Café to other cities of India, and within 1-2 years we have plans to open The Beer House Cafe outlets in Noida, Delhi, Pune, Nagpur, Indore and Lucknow,” he aired confidently. n

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PROFILE

A Natural Evolution of Design & Experience in O Restaurants and Bars

By Keith Menon

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ur country has always had an intense relationship with food and the way we eat. From the material of dishes, (earthen, copper, steel, glass, melamine, ceramic, paper etc) to the way courses are eaten to the fact that almost every celebration and even periods of mourning are marked with its own special food.

Needless to say, every household will have its own subculture around this most simple of all human needs and activities.

Little rituals, favorites made by mothers

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for children, memories of childhood evoked through the smells of food, the little saucer of milk left outside for the proverbial snake, different methods of cooking and storing but handed from generation to generation making it a special, unique culture within culture.

An interesting point to note, is the history of how restaurants evolved in the country. The hypothesis is that with the advent of the railways and the growth of Indian civil services and other clerical jobs in places like Bombay, Calcutta, and

June-July ’19

PROFILE

Madras, meant that many people had to travel long distances from their hometowns and thus sprung up the modern, for profit restaurant.

Initial pioneers in South India, were the Udupi Brahmins who opened Udupi vegetarian restaurants in all major towns.

Pre-Independence places like India Coffee House in Kolkata, Britannia & Co. in Mumbai, Glenary’s in Darjeeling were all icons of their time and stood for good food, places to meet.

For a long time, the only design you saw in restaurants was the ones in five star hotels. The 90’s saw the first few stand-alone high street restaurants brave the Indian Chinese Cuisine or lavish North Indian cuisine served to a burgeoning middle class that was exploring going out for meals to celebrate special occasions. This made it affordable and accessible.

Drinking as a culture was still on the periphery and not very socially acceptable.

From the early permit rooms in which design only played a functional role to now where because of the intense and fierce competition each bar or restaurant has to distinguish itself, bring itself up to a more appealing approach then its neighbor and all these tricks and fun design innovations have come about in the last 8-10 years.

But with time and the changing of lifestyles to this current most modern of all ages, the restaurant has become a necessity.

A very natural and easy way to celebrate any occasion, to provide ‘comfort’ food, to open up international cuisines and with this whole culture – the culture of drinking and hanging out in bars.

Places like The Little Door in Andheri, Mumbai that were launched 8-10 years ago were a part of the many resto-bars popping up to cater to this new audience who was younger, had more money to spend but wanted a bang for their buck and definitely wanted to eat interesting nibbles while drinking.

Th e re was a l ot of i n n ovat i o n t h at we nt i nto t h e conceptualizing of the space. From the interiors – there was an actual little blue door that was carved into a much larger wooden one – that required guests to step inside the place giving one a feeling of stepping out of the city and into a

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PROFILE

different world.

The outside section was draped in plants even the roof was a temporary roof of wire mesh on which pretty flowering creepers gave one a real outdoors feel.

The interiors were a sea of white and blue – hints of Mediterranean with classic wooden furniture. Custom made stained glass was used in the indoor section to give a feeling of light coming through windows.

To utilize the narrow outside verandah space, a 1 foot wide 20 feet long single piece of wood was used as a standing community table for people to put their glasses on. High chairs scattered around gave ease of access and a lot of standing space to fit in crowds. This really worked in terms of being able to fit in people while keeping them reasonably comfortable of weekends.

Social media has also played a huge hand in how people go out, what they eat etc. from ‘selfie’ corners that people want to post on their instagram to pictures and pictures of food that’s interesting to look out and quite dramatic has become a normal thing.

Years ago, the blue door at TLD as its fondly called by regular patrons was ‘the’ spot to take a picture. Recognizable and a great backdrop to say goodbye to your friends with a picture taken to remember

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the crazy night.

There was so much thought put to interactivity for the customer. From mood bottles that were hung under the long community table – people were encouraged to put notes in these mood bottles – which were happy, sad, angry, love, hate etc and every week the staff would read the notes and post the mood of the week on social media.

A poster-community board that allowed were neighboring establishments to post things happening around became quite the hit. The biggest craze of course was the official beer drinking tournaments held monthly called Jug Chug. Again, around the community table girls and guys would crowd around the MC for the night (who happened to be Keith Menon – Designer of the place) and competitions would take place in rounds to accommodate the big crowd of willing participants. The winners of each round would finally participate in a final and the winner won the shopping prize of Jug Chug Champion of the month.

Their name went up the leaderboard in the bar, they got custom made trophies (which were also used as décor) and best of all free beer for the whole month. Obviously, this was a popular night.

A lot of the food and desserts had splashes of vodka, beer batter, wine

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poached and basically an alcoholic theme running down it and was quite popular.

The Little Door was definitely an icon of its time. Based in suburban Andheri West it saw its share of Bollywood star studded parties, was one of the first regular alternate music gig venues, one of the most attended Halloween nights and saw patrons visit from across the city which is not a normal thing in a city like Mumbai where traffic and distances make only specific pockets popular with night revelers. It certainly broke a lot of molds and conceptions for its time, but quietly.

It still goes on as a landmark now in a lane that was once quiet but now quite populated with bars and eateries!

The author is Head of Spiro Spero, a one-stop solution for architecture, designing, and branding

June-July ’19

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MAKE IN INDIA

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R estaurant

New York to Khan Market: ‘Baar Baar’ is here to Stay!

Baar Baar, Khan Market, New Delhi

By Sharmila Chand

D

uring the monsoon season, I seek food which is more about comfort, involving seasonal fresh ingredients.

Hence I explore places where regional food and interesting snacks are offered. I have several hot favourites but this time I chose to try the recently opened delightful gastrobar, ‘Baar Baar by Chef Sujan Sarkar’ at the tony address of Lutyen’s Delhi, Khan Market. Needless to say, the restaurant has brought a whole new vibe and for me, there could be no better way to perk up my mood and taste buds, than with their hot and spicy food.

After having received immense success

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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

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R estaurant in his last two ventures; Rooh in San Francisco Bay Area and Baar Baar in East Village, New York, Chef Sujan is back with a bang. His stint with Delhi first came with ‘Ek Bar’, India’s first Indian Bar which gave the city the concept of artisanal cocktails.

Chef Sujan is unstoppable. Hence, the capital witnesses yet another signature gastro-bar as his venture, one that boasts of fine food, innovative drinks in sync with vibrant, cheerful ambience.

Spread over two floors, the elegant restaurant promises a wide variety of modern Indian food.

Décor Reminiscent of the classic, colonial era, Baar Baar sports a combination of greens, textured blues, yellows, muted by greys and highlighted by gold accents. The eye catching softly clinking chandelier hung from the ceiling of the stairs going up, lighting up the mural of a woman with a rich glow that reflects, is interesting. There is a beautiful synergy with the eclectic composition of art in frames by the upcoming young artists.

Designer Aaquib Wani has ensured the interiors of the space and every detail exude a charm that leaves you wanting to

“The idea was to create a modernised space which unifies the old-world charm and offers the contemporary in an atmosphere of quiet sophistication” Chef Sujan Sarkar, Owner Baar Baar explore more.

Menu When you have a team of globally renowned chef, Chef Sujan Sarkar and Head Chef Harpal Singh, to curate the menu, you

cannot go wrong. Though the large part of the menu comprises of popular hits from Chef Sujan’s Baar Baar, NYC, the rest is done specially for Delhi diners. "I was very keen to showcase my signature items from New York outfit but cannot afford to create special ones for my diners here,” says Chef Sujan. “We are very particular about using locally available, fresh and best quality ingredients for all our preparations so that our discerning diners make repeat visits.”

The menu is an interesting amalgamation of Indian food with a modern twist, inspired

by Chef Sujan’s extensive travels across the globe. Unique flavours with high quality ingredients, and world class preparations is what sets the restaurant apart from others.

Besides an exceptional food variety, Baar Baar also boasts of a classic cocktail menu with quintessential ingredients from the kitchen.

Start your meal with flavour-packed appetizers followed by more wholesome dishes that are served as mains. ‘Beetroot & Peanut Chop’ comes straight from Kolkata streets, with a hint of Bengali bhaja masala, plated along with an array of pickled beetroot, goat cheese mousse and apricot chilli chutney. ‘Paneer Chilli’ is well spiced served with lemon pickle gel and

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R estaurant

ginger allam chutney. ‘Roasted Pepper and Onion Kulcha’ is the signature item here and definitely not to miss. Roasted pepper and onion sour dough bread is generously topped with Spanish Manchego cheese.

As the restaurant specialises in regional food, it takes you to Mumbai’s most loved Koliwada colony, famous for its impeccable food. Chef Harpal Singh explains, “Cauliflower Koliwada is our take on cauliflower as a crispy fried sweet, sour and spicy dish, accompanied by curried rice hollandaise mousse and podi masala.” Then there is ‘Potato Tikki’ - made out of mashed potatoes, chana dal and assortment of curry spices. It is served with tamarind gel, mint and cilantro chutney, the in-house signature sweet and sour yogurt mousse, crispy leaves of Kale and spinach, Sev and pomegranate.

Fo r N o n - Ve g et a r i a n s , t h e re i s a wholesome feast. ‘Duck Seekh Kebab’ is definitely the bestseller. Robust and meaty flavour of duck meat, generously smothered with ghee and spiked with traditional Indian spices, cooked in tandoor – makes it the star of the menu. Chef recommends having it with Saffron ‘Ulta Tawa Paratha’. It comes with a spread of sour cream, apricot gel, wild berry chutney, daikon, pickled carrot, and greens leaves. That’s ‘Baar Baar Special Duck Seekh Kebab’.

How can you miss the food of Old Delhi?

‘Baar Baar Fried Chicken’ is marinated and then double cooked to perfection to a crisp exterior and a soft juicy interior, sprinkled with the special spice blend of Baar Baar masala. Served along with pickled cucumber, homemade tomato ketchup and carambola chutney, it is a plate full of palate-pleasing treat, perfect as a mini meal.

‘Chicken Malai Tikka’ promises myriad textures. Morsels from thigh of chicken marinated in cream, yoghurt and spices cooked in the clay oven and lovingly basted with butter. The chicken is then combined

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with Amul cheese fondue and topped with garlic crumb to get that complimenting texture and baked in the oven to finish.

The perfect dish, another signature item of the menu is ‘Nalli Nihari’. It is a fusion of east meets west, as here lamb shanks are cooked in combination of two types of sauces, one is a traditional Indian breakfast staple of nihari and another one is a very traditional Mexican sauce called mole (chocolate, chilli and spices) to achieve the perfect mélange and get the best of both the worlds. ‘ G h e e Ro a s t C h i c ke n Ta co s ’ a re irresistible. Chicken slow cooked with ghee

roast masala and then pulled. The taco shell is of ulta tawa paratha instead of a traditional corn bread. Topped with some homemade pickles, apple and raw mango slaw, tantalise your taste buds and leave you craving for more. Truly, an explosion of flavours in the mouth.

Round off your meal with signature desserts. ‘Thandai Cassata’ is nostalgic with milk cooked with spices and nuts till it is of coating consistency and then frozen with tutti frutti, served along with black pepper meringue, strawberry jam and nitro raspberry to balance out the plate.

Chef’s favourite is ‘Moongdal Baklawa’ as he explains, “This is our take on the Middle Eastern Baklawa which has slow cooked moong dal halwa in its layers, served along with milk ice cream.”

The Bar

“We have tried to curate our dishes in such a way that we present regional food of India with our own take on it. That’s what makes it exciting and innovative in accordance with global trends using locally sourced ingredients, perfectly balanced cocktails which evoke emotions and nostalgia, lively music and niche interiors” Harpal Singh, Head Chef, Baar Baar

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

The bar is impressive with innovative cocktails and mocktails. It is one of the largest bars in the locality, regularly buzzing with events.

‘Lehberry Collins’ is a cocktail inspired from the pristine mountains of Leh. Here the base is the juice of seabuckthorn foraged from the valley of Leh thus earning the name of “Leh-berry”, cold infused with potli of spices and turmeric. A must try is ‘Calcutta Cup’ - served in an oldfashioned glass and has flavoring notes from mango ginger sourced directly from West Bengal. The beverage has a bourbon base contributing to its earthy notes and sweetened using honey syrup with a dash of lemon, it’s a perfect summer afternoon drink. My favourite was ‘Beetroot kanji’ – here is Baar Baar twist incorporating beetroot kanji with cranberry juice and chaat masala and a dash of tobacco for that extra hit.

Baar Baar offers value-for-money with robust flavoursome food and the service staff is warm, efficient and friendly.

June-July ’19

PLS Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

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INTERVIEW

“The Den tenure has been very exciting and a learning curve for me” Nishendra Kashyap, Director, F&B – The Den Bengaluru What do you enjoy most about being a Food & Beverage Director?

I love the autonomy and challenge that allows me to innovate and provide creative solution to my team and the company every single day. Over my decades of experience, I have understood the responsibility I hold on my shoulders because F&B is like a heart of the hotel and anything you do reflects directly on the body, which is experience of a guest and image of the brand in our case.

What do you dislike the most?

A guest waiting for the table…

Nishendra Kashyap comes with an experience of over 15 years in handling F&B operations with some of the most renowned properties in India. Prior to joining The Den, he worked at The Middle East with The Ramee Grand and Hotels and Spa in Bahrain. He has also worked with international hotel chains such as The Westin – Starwoods Hotels and Resorts; Taj Residency; Taj Malabar; and Le Meridien.

He started his journey with TGI Friday’s and his last stint was with Movenpick Hotel and Spa Bengaluru.

Nishendra Kashyap is based out of Bengaluru but loves travelling and is an avid follower of sports.

For him, Food & Beverage is more of passion than profession.

In a candid conversation with Sharmila Chand, he talks more about himself and his work:

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Is your job challenging?

If there is no challenge then there is no excitement. I always take pride in what I do. I have always believed in a saying “Don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits”. Like I said above, I enjoy challenges and overcoming them with a solution. We regularly face them from curating the right menu to match taste-buds, staying ahead of F&B trends, ensuring we don’t lack on customer service at any touch point, keeping a track of the inventory timely, and people management as our role demands it.

What kind of pressures have you encountered at work?

It’s a very time crucial role, from the time guests walk in till he steps out. There are various touch points, and even if we miss one, we ensure that we provide him an experience that he remembers only the good. I get worried and try not to give the customer even one chance to complain.

I strive to stay focused, spread positivity around and deliver my best to our guests.

There is a saying, “A happy customers tells a friend, but an unhappy customer tells the world”. Unfortunately, my job does not have any room for errors but fortunately we

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

also need to understand ‘to err is human’.

Can you suggest any tips or insights to strengthen your team?

Empower, Embolden and Enliven the team – so the team is confident enough about their strength and can take decisions on their own as and when required. Keep the team enlivened so that there is amiable, cheerful and positive environment to work.

Finally, how is your experience at the present job?

The Den tenure has been very exciting and a learning curve for me. I was part of a restaurant concept to creating the menu and identifying the audience for our restaurants. Establishing a new brand in India and bringing the same luxury element with a millennial touch was challenging as well as exciting.

What is the USP of your F&B outlets?

From modern-world cuisine to highenergy cocktail bar to Cold Press and Fresh Bakery outlet, and authentic Mediterranean cuisine at a picturesque rooftop restaurant – our F&B offerings have everything to delight our guests.

What is your take on the hospitality business in general?

Hospitality business is a constant and vital methodology on how to act from better to the best when it comes to innovation.

That is the key to sustain in this business, being innovative and understanding what the market needs will help to stay ahead in the game. Hospitality is a very evolving business and today, luxury, customer service, food & beverage trends are changing everyday but that’s what keeps the business and work interesting.

June-July ’19

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c h ef voice

The

Food Designer!

Chef Pranay Mallik, Executive Chef, Fortune Select Cedar Trail, Mashobra, Shimla

Chef Pranay Mallik hails from Cuttack in Odisha and from his early days has been passionate about being part of the Culinary World in the hospitality sector.

He pursued his Diploma in Hotel Management from CIHM Bhubaneshwar and since then has continuously progressed through rank and file.

He has worked at some of the best hotels in India starting from Green Park Hotel Vizag, Mayfair Lagoon, Swosti Premium, The New Marion at Bhubaneswar, Sarovar Portico Lucknow, etc.

He also worked overseas at Rang Restaurant in Kazakhstan for two years where he created amazing Indian Fusion Cuisine which became a huge hit in that region.

He first joined the Fortune Hotels group at Fortune Select Lavasa and since then has been part of the pre opening of Fortune Miramar Goa and currently as Executive Chef at Fortune Select Cedar Trail Mashobra where he leads a team of passionate culinary chefs.

He recently won the Gold Medal at the Himachal Chefs Association Culinary contest held at Shimla for his unique creation and presentation.

His culinary speciality includes Indo Fusion Cuisine and reviving traditional regional dishes with creative plating and presentation. His favourite creations are Black Bun Burger, Purple Yam Burger, Beer Ice Cream, Bacon Jam, Aloo Tikki with splashed Chutney, Chicken Biryani.

During his spare time he reads a lot of Culinary Books and learns new culinary techniques online.

He loves to innovate and mix different ingredients creating unique master pieces.

His parents are a great source of inspiration to him.

His father runs a large catering business back in Odisha where traditional Odia foods are prepared for large social gatherings using wood fire. Chef Pranay Mallick has culinary skills running through his family and he is taking the same to the next level.

In a candid conversation with Sharmila Chand, he talks more about himself and his work:

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How do you define yourself?

As the Executive Chef at Fortune Select Cedar Trail Mashobra Shimla my goal is to make this hotel the most preferred culinary destination in Shimla.

I am always passionate about food and cooking and genuinely enjoy the whole process of procuring, preparing, cooking and serving food and design the menus too.

As a chef, I am committed to using only the freshest and best quality ingredients and the best techniques to produce tasty food of the highest grade.

What is your philosophy of cooking?

My philosophy of cooking is to delight every guests with my culinary skills and creativity again and again, Cooking is an Art where simple ingredients are put together and master pieces are created, As the Executive Chef at Fortune Select Cedar Trail Mashobra, Shimla I play the role of the Conductor in a Symphony Orchestra getting the right taste, quality and presentation from my team.

Had you not been doing this then what?

I would have started my own business and become an entrepreneur.

What is your source of inspiration?

Cookbooks, latest trends in dining. And also my father, who was a village cook and now, runs his small catering business.

Awards achieved?

Best revenue awarded from ITC Fortune hotels group (2018) Gold medal winner from Himachal chefs association (Himachal Culinary Challenge professional chef’s competition) 2019

What has been the most rewarding moment in your career?

The delight and satisfaction I see in the eyes of my guests is my biggest reward and motivation.

How has the journey been so far?

It is very interesting every day learning something new from market, guests, seniors, juniors, and co-worker. A Chef’s life is always exciting, each day is a new day that brings with it new challenges and experiences.

What skills are necessary to be a good chef?

I believe a good chef has to be good with multi-tasking as he may need to don a new hat in every changing scenario, be it in restaurants, private homes and events, and hotels. His sound knowledge about food production

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c h ef voice and decision making skills set him apart.

It takes a variety of both hard and soft skills to be a good chef who can effectively command a kitchen. To top it all, he needs to be passionate about creating new recipes, detail-oriented, and should have the zeal to lead a successful kitchen and delight guests.

What prepared you the most for your career?

B o o ks , t h at fo reve r h e l p m e i n developing my culinary knowledge and my inherent passion for cooking has helped me become a chef despite all odds.

Your strength?

My strength is my family and my habit of day dreaming because if you can dream it, you can achieve it!

Also I love engaging with guests; I am a stickler for punctuality and cleanliness and never panic under pressure.

Your weakness?

My standards are high, and I get a little flustered when those around me don’t apply the same commitment and dedication to their work.

How do you de-stress yourself?

It’s a rare emotion for me as, I handle stress pretty well. Honestly, I don’t think of it much because I believe there is always light at the end of the tunnel. So I tend to keep quiet, stay cool, and channel my energy in dishing out delicacies that I could delight my guests with.

If you had to describe yourself in one word?

Food designer

How do you rate yourself as a chef?

My confidence wants me to respond, a ‘Perfect 10’ but it’s what my guests actually rate me as that’s my true worth.

Potato Mash and Sage Butter.

Fav equipments?

I have many - the Chinoise, Knife, Brush and Immersion Blender. My current favourite is the Pasta Roller attachment to a kitchen aid.

Fav restaurant/ food joint?

Karim restaurant (Jama Masjid, Delhi)

Your fav diner?

I love foodies, they challenge me to put my best act forward and that’s exciting.

Your hot selling item?

Chicken Biryani and Mutton Burger Beer ice cream with Bacon Candid

The best compliment you have received?

Of course, the recent felicitation that I earned from the Himachal Chefs Association ….I am a proud recipient of a gold medal and this makes my family proud and my journey worthwhile.

Your philosophy of work?

Try my best in creating an outstanding dish. Create an experience for the diner which he/she shall remember all through life.

Lessons learnt in the kitchen?

Balancing tasks, discipline, dream and hope to be the best. Most importantly, respect food.

Last meal on earth: What would you choose?

My mother’s food-Pakhal bhat with Rohu fish fry, Garlic chilly chutney. This is an all-time favourite from Odisha.

10 years from now?

Just progressing, developing myself as a cook.

Fav cuisine?

I enjoy cooking with pretty much everything and every cuisine.

Fav spice?

Garlic, pinch of crushed black pepper.

Fav dish?

Fish is very versatile and lends itself to lots of flavours. So fish dishes are my favourite. Specially Pan seared and braising style cooking. Although braising brings out a special part in me…with Garlic

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What are your future plans?

Be a successful entrepreneur.

What would you recommend to someone interested in working in your field?

If you are a creative person with a passion for food you must definitely acquire the right skills to become a Chef. Always continue reading and experimenting as they keep a person informed and chisel his skills; never give up learning.

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Healt h & N utrition

Diet and Gut Microbiota Implications in Health and Disease

By Dr. Sadhna Sharma

T

he human body hosts more microbes than body cells. All human-associated microbes are collectively known as microbiota and the microbiota encoding genes form the microbiome. Gut microbiota also called gut flora is the name given to the microbe population living in our intestine. Our gut microbiota contains tens of trillions of microorganisms, including at least 1000 different species of known bacteria with more than 3 million genes. In fact, it contains ten times more cells than the human body and 150 times more genes than the human genome.

One third of our gut microbiota is co m m o n to m o s t p e o p l e, w h i l e two thirds are specific to each one of us.

In other words, the microbiota in our intestine is like an individual identity card. Although more than 1,000 different

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known bacterial species can be found in human gut microbiota, but only 150 to 170 predominate in any given subject.

About 50% of the fecal mass is made up of bacteria. This population is composed of trillions of microorganisms that belong to 4 main groups: Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria, with 90% predominance of the first two.

Each one of us has a unique microbiota but it always fullfill the same physiological functions with direct impact on our health.

Introduction to Gut microbiota The gut microbiota consists of bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa and viruses. The microbial communities interact with each other and with their host, causing influence on the physiology and health of the host.

It can weigh upto 2 kg and is described as

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the biggest endocrine organ of the human body as it is responsible for the synthesis of several metabolites which act as hormones.

Some of the functions are: • A healthy and balanced gut microbiota i s key to e n s u r i n g p ro p e r d i g es t i ve functioning and helps the body to digest certain foods that the stomach and small intestine have not been able to digest.

The gut microbiota acts mainly in the large intestine (colon) where no digestive enzymes are secreted to metabolize macronutrients.

• It helps with the production of some vitamins (B and K).

• It plays an important role in the immune system by competing with pathogenic microorganisms and thus helps maintain healthy intestinal lining.

There is increasing evidence that the

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reach of gut microbes extends beyond the intestine, affecting processes, such as metabolism and organ functions of brain, cardiovascular system, liver, and others. Several studies have identified hundreds of compounds in blood that are specifically derived or dependent o n t h e p res e n ce of g u t m i c ro b es .

These findings have enhanced our thinking about the impact of the gut microbiome, particularly in influencing developmental processes and in the physiological regulation of a vast array of tissue and cell functions in the body.

The composition of the microbiota can be influenced by many factors including age, genetics, host environment, and diet.

Development of Gut Microbiota In utero, the human being does not have a microbiota. The development of gut microbiota starts at birth. Upon birth, the gastrointestinal tract colonizes immediately. Even the type of birth (natural or cesarean) and the type of food (breast milk or formula feed) have been shown to produce differences in the gut microbiota.

The newborn’s digestive tract is quickly colonised by microorganisms from the mother, the environment in which the delivery takes place, the air, etc. From the third day, the composition of the intestinal flora is directly dependent on how the infant is fed: breastfed babies’ gut microbiota, for example, is mainly dominated by Bifidobacteria, compared to babies nourished with infant formulas.

Scientists consider that by the age of 3, microbiota becomes stable and similar to that of adults i.e. dominated

by Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and continue its evolution at a steady rate throughout life. Consequently, the elderly have substantially different microbiota to younger adults.

Diet and Gut Microbiota The gut microbiome has an enormous impact on the life of the host, and the diet plays a fundamental role in shaping microbiome composition and function.

The way food is processed is a key factor determining the amount and type of material reaching the gut bacteria and influencing their growth and the production of microbiota metabolites.

When talking about gut microbiota, it could be said that “we are what we eat",

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as what we consume also feeds off the hundreds of trillions of bacteria living in our digestive system. For this reason, a varied and balanced diet is essential.

The food we eat plays an essential role in maintaining the diversity and proper functioning of our gut microbiota.

Most of the food components can only be absorbed after conversion into their basic units: proteins, triglycerides, and polysaccharides into amino acids, free fatty acids, and glucose, respectively.

If a food has a strong and complex matrix, this conversion into the basic unit becomes very slow and the nutrients become, in effect, less bioavailable. The simple concept is that microbes in the gut thrive on what is not bioavailable for the human body. In other words, unavailable food components are the actual food for symbiotic bacteria in the gut.

Each type of macronutrients (proteins, dietary fibers, fat) influences the gut microbiota specifically. For example, dietary fiber consumption leads to an increase in butyrate-producing species which ferment these fibers in the distal colon. A high protein diet stimulates a d e c re as e i n b u ty rate p ro d u c i n g species and an increase of species with proteolytic activities. Dietary fat has an indirect impact on the gut microbiota diversity: a high fat diet stimulates the production of bile acids which in turn select the growth species with the ability to metabolize biles acids and/or induce the loss of some species due to the antimicrobial activity of bile acids.

There is evidence that ‘animal-based’ or ‘plant-based’ diets differed widely in protein, fat, fibre and carbohydrate content. This also results in rapid shifts in microbial community. Vegetarian and vegan diets tend to have a high carbohydrate content associated to a lower protein and fat content. Omnivorous and animal based diets conversely show a high protein and fat content and low carbohydrate content.

Since vegetarian and vegan diets have a high carbohydrate content, their gut microbiota are dominated with bacteria with high carbohydrate fermenting bacteria. Geographic locations such as country, continent or metropolitan areas as opposed to rural areas seem to have an influence on the gut microbiota diversity but this influence is more due to the variation in diet associated with

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Healt h & N utrition anticarcinogenic, and immune-regulatory functions. The production of such beneficial molecules depends upon the composition of the gut microbiota but also the quantity of consumed dietary fiber. Accordingly, increased levels of SCFAs were found in vegan, vegetarian, and also omnivore subjects with high-level adherence to the Mediterranean diet, having a remarkable daily intake of plant-based foods, such as fruit vegetables and legumes.

M o re o v e r, b i o - a ct i v a t i o n of phytoestrogens by the gut microbes produces metabolites that have antiinflammatory effects and induce anticancer activities. These phytoestrogens are similar to human estrogens and occur in high levels in soy, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and cereals, as well as in coffee, tea, and chocolate. geographic location. Western diets usually present high amounts of fat, processed carbohydrates and low amounts of fibers; as such, they are associated with lower global diversity in the gut microbiota compared to non-western diets.

Macronutrients stored inside the intact plant cell wall are not accessible for the human digestive enzymes therefore the material reaching the gut is not limited to dietary fiber. There is about 45-85 g of solid matter containing around 20−40% of proteins can partially escape the absorption in the small intestine and reach the gut every day.

Beside proteins, a significant amount of resistant starch, fats, and phytochemicals is also part of this material. In the same way, oil and protein bodies that are not damaged during food preparation can be degraded only to a limited extent by digestive lipase and proteases, respectively.

It is worth noticing that virtually all of the undigested material can be a substrate for the community of the gut microbes: the higher the variability of the substrates available, the higher the diversity of the microbiome.

Interestingly, Scientist have considered individuals into two ‘enterotypes’: those w i t h Pr e v o t e l l a - d o m i n a nt m i c ro b i a l communities had higher habitual plant fibre intake and those with Bacteroidesdominant communities had higher protein and fat intake, indicating that alternative states of the intestinal microbiota may be driven by long-term dietary habits.

modulating the composition of the gut microbiota. The microbes in our gut can help us to get thinner, be happier and live longer. Our gut microbiome has a major influence on our metabolism, body weight, and propensity to illness, immune system, appetite and mood. It is known that a good supply of diverse foods promotes the biodiversity in the microbiota and also the variety of the microbial genes expressed that can be triggers of health status. Mounting evidence showed that this microbiome diversity is associated with a low inflammatory status and lean type body of individuals.

The main food component to impact gut microbiota composition and activity is certainly fiber. The dietary regimes in agrarian populations could reach 100 g intake per day, while urban Western populations eat only 15 g per day of fiber, with the recommended intake being above 25 g per day. Fiber-degrading members ( B a c t e r o i d e t e s ) of t h e m i c ro b i ot a produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), namely, acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which have recognized health-promoting activities, such as anti-inflammatory,

Gut Microbiota in Health Diet affects the host health status by

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Gut Microbiota in Disease According to research, the richer and more diverse the community of gut microbes is, the lower is our risk of disease and allergies. Individuals with low density of gut microbes show a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome like obesity.

Some microbial metabolisms of dietary co m p o n e nts l e a d to t h e p ro d u ct i o n of detrimental molecules. Choline and carnitine are particularly abundant in foods of animal origin, such as meat, poultry, and eggs. They are precursors of trimethylamine (TMA) that is produced from choline and carnitine by some members of the gut microbiota. Once absorbed, TMA is oxidized to trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) in the liver, and TMAO has been associated with cardiovascular risk.

In addition, a fat-rich diet determines higher levels of bile in the colon, where members of the microbiota may turn bile acids into secondary bile acids, mainly deoxycholic and lithocholic acids. These can be involved in processes linked to colorectal carcinogenesis, such as apoptosis, cell proliferation, and DNA damage induction.

There is accumulating evidence pointing to an alteration of the gut microbiota called ‘dysbiosis’ in persons with allergies and asthma. Dysbiosis is defined as the alterations in the gut microbiota and the adverse response of the host to these changes. It has been associated with diseases as dissimilar as asthma, chronic inflammatory disease, obesity, diabetes, and non-alcoholic hepatitis.

It is also observed that children that live on farms have a lower incidence of asthma than city children. The ‘Hygiene Hypothesis’

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which states that excessive hygienic conditions leads to less exposure to microbes and leads to an overreactive immune system leading to allergies and asthma. The concept is now extended to gut microbiota and explains the less diversity of microbes can lead to allergies especially in children where gut microbiota is not fully developed.

Obesity is the result of the increase in the consumption of foods that are high in energy, sugar, and saturated fats. However, it seems that the simple increase in the ingestion of calories does not completely explain the current obesity epidemic. An ‘obese-type’ human microbiota has been described that is associated with excess weight and metabolic syndrome, with an increase in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio.

The Bifidobacteria and Bacteroides spp. appear to be protectors against the development of obesity. These microbes regulate some of the host genes that promote deposition of lipids in the adipocytes.

G u t m i c ro b i ota i s ca p a b l e of promoting a state of low-grade systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and of increasing the cardiovascular risk through mechanisms that include ex p o s u re to b a cte r i a l p ro d u cts .

Development of a low-grade chronic inflammatory state in the host may also contribute to the development of obesity and chronic metabolic diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In recent years, importance has been taken away from BMI as a metabolic syndrome predictor and the concept that visceral fat is responsible for this problem has gained strength.

Food Design to a Healthy Gut Microbiota As many metabolic diseases could have a microbial component responsible for it there is a probable therapeutic implication in altering the composition of gut microbiome. The gut microbiome has an enormous impact on the life of the host, and the diet plays a f u n d a m e n t a l ro l e i n s h a p i n g microbiome composition and function.

Food design toward a better feeding of gut microbiota could possibly address this issue. The diet-microbiome interplay is the current basis for i m p l e m e ntat i o n of p e rs o n a l i z e d

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nutrition and microbiota composition is a key factor affecting responsiveness to n u t r i t i o n a l i nte rve nt i o n s . Th e way fo o d i s p ro cess e d i s a key factor determining the amount and type of material reaching the gut bacteria and influencing their growth and the production of microbiota metabolites. The designing of food with a limited bioaccessibility could result in a low bioavailability of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and phytochemicals, resulting in higher levels of nutrient delivery to the microbiota and less calorie absorption for the host. The microbiota diversity of individuals could therefore be increased through dietary management.

Prebiotics and probiotics are two of the most widely studied elements in the field of gut microbiota. Prebiotics are naturally present in vegetables and fruit such as garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, tomatoes, bananas, plums and apples; in grains and cereals like bran, and in nuts l i ke a l m o n d s . S e rv i n g as “ fo o d " for beneficial bacteria, prebiotics helps improve the functioning of microbiota while allowing the growth and activity of some “good" bacteria.

Probiotics are bacteria traditionally used for fermenting food and help gut microbiota to keep its balance, integrity and diversity. Specialists highlight the importance of including both of them in our diet, in order to promote a healthy microbiota. For this reason, vegetables, fruits and cereals should be part of a balanced and healthy diet.

In conclusion, we can say that for a healthy gut microbiota, one should have plenty of seasonal fruits and vegetables with good quantity of fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, tempeh, kimchi etc. One should not be obsessed with hygiene and should avoid antibiotics as far as possible for a healthy life.

The author is A. Professor, Zoology at Miranda House, University of Delhi

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Mareno ALI Group srl Via Conti Agosti, 231 31010 Mareno di Piave (TV) - Italy +39 0438 4981 mareno@mareno.it www.mareno.it 85

H Y G I ene

A Formula for

Food Safety

By Jyotismita Sharma

F

ood safety is a major concern for India as unsafe food causes huge economic loss as well as deaths in the country every year. According to a recent World Bank study, food-borne illnesses in low and middle-income countries costs at least $100 billion a year. And it is estimated that every year 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses occur. In fact, in low and middle-income countries, domestic costs of food safety are often 20 times or more than its trade costs. So food safety is not just a public health issue, it is also a development issue.

Because of its large size and a larger share of children and poor, India’s burden of food-borne illnesses is particularly very high.

It hardly helps the cause of food safety when a large section of the food and beverage industry is in the unorganised sector.

“When food becomes contaminated, it has the potential to make you sick.

Depending on the source and level of contamination, the effects of contaminated food can cause symptoms such as cramps, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, nerve damage, allergies and paralysis,” said Pradeep Sharma, Food and Beverage Manager, Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks.

“While eating food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, allergens or bacterial toxins has a relatively quick effect. Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances, causes more than 200 diseases – ranging from diarrhoea to cancers,” Sharma added.

Vibhav Verma, Executive Chef at Grand Mercure Bangalore agreed with Sharma

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when he warned that eating unsafe food could sometimes lead to fatal illness.

“Under-cooked meat, contaminated or unwashed vegetables, faulty packaging, unclean surroundings and chemical residues on raw food can cause food poisoning and sometimes even fatal illness. It is

very important to have good knowledge about how to store food, maintain clean surroundings while cooking, techniques and personal cleanliness,” Verma added.

While Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli can lead to severe infection — sometimes even fatal – listeria infection is associated with unplanned abortions in pregnant women or death of new-born babies.

Having contaminated water or food can lead to vibrio cholera. Norovirus infections can causes nausea, explosive vomiting, watery diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

According to Sharma, almost one in 10 people in the world fall ill after eating contaminated food and die every year, resulting in the loss of population. “Infants, young children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with an underlying illness are particularly vulnerable.”

Amit Raman

India's Response to Food Safety Issues

Pradeep Sharma

To address food safety challenges, India has put in place a robust legal and institutional arrangements.

India showcased its unique model for food safety at the first international conference on food safety and nutrition held at the headquarters of the African Union at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia in February this year.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) developed a 3-P — people, private sector and partnership — model to fight food safety issues. The objective of engaging directly with people — whether they are at home, at school, at workplaces or when eating out – is to integrate food safety

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

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H Y G I ene in their everyday life in a seamless manner.

India’s food authority has also included the private sector in its model to ensure food businesses invest adequately in improving the food safety across the supply chain. Structured training programmes have been developed to build capacity food supervisors and food handlers. So far, over 100,000 of them have been trained.

Significant capacities have been built for lab testing and food safety audit and management in the private sector to share responsibility for food safety overall in the country, according to the FSSAI. To ensure that everyone is invested in safe food and healthy diets for all people, India’s food authority has also forged many partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders.

“India’s low cost and effective model of food safety, that primarily focuses on empowering consumers and building capacities of key stakeholders, has relevance for all low and middle income countries that are struggling to set up system for food safety. In many of these countries, food safety has to compete with their public heath priorities for scarce resources,” FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said in the conference.

Response of Restaurants Restaurants across the country has invested heavily in ensuring food safety as they believe that Indian consumers are ready to

How to Ensure Hygiene in Kitchen

Vibhav Verma pay a premium for high hygiene standards and ensuring food safety helps them build the brand.

“Maintaining the hygiene standards in restaurants is very crucial and important.

Hygiene in restaurants is not just essential to ensure the health and safety of your employees and customers, but also because it plays a significant role in building the brand image of the restaurant,” said Amit Raman, Director of Food & Beverage, Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport.

“Health and safety is vitally important; and hotels, restaurants, cafes and catering outlets must enforce strict guidelines in the workplace and complete regular health and safety and hygiene checks. Good personal hygiene practices help to prevent bacteria from spreading to food,” Raman added.

Food Safety Initiatives at Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks • Testing and evaluation of raw, cooked food, water and swabs for equipment and food handler hygiene.

• Internal and external audits are performed to seek the compliance with the standards.

• Employees are trained on the food safety practices so they have a good understanding of the processes.

• Quality assurance programmes are designed today with particular emphasis on the use of hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) techniques, an approach that the food industry developed.

• Suppliers should comply with strict specifications and is done by contractual arrangements, with verification by on-site inspections of suppliers.

• Proper labelling of foods are done to have a right tracking of FIFO’s (first-in, first-out).

• Proper food storage practices with designed facilities for dry, cold and frozen foods.

• Following standard operating procedures strictly for the disinfection of foods, work stations and hand hygiene.

• Monitoring temperatures of thawing, cooking, chilling and reheating.

• Ensuring guidelines are followed during the service of food mainly hot and cold display. * As told by Pradeep Sharma, Food and Beverage Manager, Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks.

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• Wear a clean apron.

• Wear closed-in shoes to protect your feet, in case of hot spills or breakages.

• Washing hands before and after handling food.

• Keep food preparation surfaces clean.

• Tie back long hair.

• Store food appropriately.

• Choose foods processed for safety.

• Cook food thoroughly.

• Store cooked foods carefully.

• Reheat cooked foods thoroughly.

• Avoid contact between raw foods and cooked foods.

• Wash hands repeatedly.

• Clean up and down.

• Clean the kitchen sink and oven.

• Avoid cross contamination.

• Clean spills when they occur.

• Empty the dishwasher when the cycle ends.

• Clear off your counter tops.

• Clean your garbage disposal regularly.

• Install shelf liners in your cupboards and drawers.

• Clean the refrigerator and freezer.

• Sweep the floor daily. * As told by Amit Raman, Director of Food & Beverage, Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport.

To ensure food safety, Grand Mercure Bangalore puts a lot of emphasis on staff training.

“We always make sure the food is handled carefully once procured from vendors, stored in right temperatures, completely eliminate cross contamination by storing vegetables and fruits away from meat, date tagging processed food, investing in pest control monitoring, waste management, washing hands before and after handling food, exclude ill staff, wear suitable clean and protective clothing, give high importance to temperature, hygiene of vehicles, containers and packaging while transporting food,” said Verma, the Executive Chef at Grand Mercure Bangalore.

To ensure food safety, restaurants need to ensure that the food they are supplied with are free of contamination, while making sure that they are stored and handled carefully. The restaurant managers also need to see that hygiene is maintained in the kitchen area and staff adhere to the personal hygiene standards. n

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pro d uct preview Invisible Housekeeping

Pre-Rinse Unit

Behind impeccable clean hotels is the eagle eyed housekeeping department and its management. Good Housekeeping is essential to safety and good health of the people.

Adding value, style and convenience to good housekeeping are compact housekeeping carts and caddies. Mehta Furnishers is a leading supplier of Carts & caddies which are essential in hospitality businesses around the world.

The Carts & caddies allow housekeeping staff to bundle fresh and used linens, guest essentials, chemicals and cleaning utensils, all organised in one unit. High-grade castors chosen as per their application make movement of Carts effortless which are also designed and sized to fit into the standard size elevators. With the possibility of multiple models, one is sure to find a maids’ cart to work as per the requirement of their purpose.

The carts provide value for money for the efficiency they deliver.

The products are made with edge protectors for professional jobs.

The range offered from Housekeeping carts, Mobile Caddies, Baskets and Hospitality products.

The carts and caddies are made to work as all-in-one units for the best of convenience and situations. Carts are designed to take care of customer’s requirements with bumpers, lockable doors, additional storage, operational needs and variety of desired features that add value to the style and smile to good housekeeping.

The company also make Mini bar-replenishment Carts, Linen and Luggage Carts beside Housekeeping Baskets and Strollers; Bins, Trays and several accessories by combining Wood, Cane, Wickers and Metals. Products are compact, maneuverable and practical; offer visible support for disturbance free housekeeping, provide upmarket ambience and are essential to safety and good health of the people these are made for.

Solid steel structure, durable block-board cabinet for linen and amenities, robust shelves, sturdy bars for handling and moving, hardwearing-coated fabric bags in choice colours with covers, heavyduty non-marking pu-castors for effortless carting and breaks for parking, edge-protectors on all customary carts go a long way in building trust of the company.

Mehta Furnishers mehtafur@gmail.com

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M o re t h a n 70 ye a rs a g o, T & S revo l u t i o n i s e d t h e i n d u s t ry by introducing the world’s first pre-rinse unit. Through this experience, they learned that every job is different.

That’s why they offer a wide range of options, add-ons and accessories to help user get the most out of pre-rinse unit for years to come.

With a huge variety of products and parts, including unusual inlets, awkward locations, or space limitations, T&S has a solutions for ware washing, cleaning equipment, or even filling sinks or pots.

Choose one of 6 PRU types, such as the 7-year warranty DuraPull, the classic overhead spring design, or a low-profile compact style, to find the ideal solution for the kitchen. T&S also has engineered 5 types of spray valves, with flow-rates ranging from 1.15 GPM all the way down to 0.65 GPM without sacrificing efficiency or cleaning power.

Lastly, complete your perfect PRU with the accessories you need, such as a swivel to extend the life of the hoses and reduce the strain on employees’ wrists, tees to split the water source and supply water to a chemical system, or even an add-on faucet that comes in various spout lengths.

It’s time to make your custom pre-rinse unit a reality — complete with all your specifications and accessories. T&S is committed to delivering true quality and superior service.

T&S Brass rchowdhury@tsbrass.com

Suite Heart Forever Established in 1987, with a view to serve the travel and tourism Industry, Petals pioneered the portion pack in Northern India thereby improving the catering standards especially in the Travel Industry.

The Petals brand Suite Heart sachets and blister packs are well known for their quality because premium quality ingredients and packaging material are used and hence can be served with confidence. They can be trusted because completely automated and hygienic processes are used ensuring the safety of users. The Suite Brand of Portion packs have now become popular as correct portion size helps immensely in controlling waste as also giving the user his money’s worth. The entire range of Petals products can be customized to promote the image of the company.

They are also available in the attractive, standard Suite Heart packing. Portion packs in the form of sachets, blister packs or kits aid inventory control, are easy to handle and store and also increase shelf life of the product. Petals is also actively involved in packaging development where the entire task of design, material selection, testing, procurement and packaging of a product is undertaken.

Contract Packaging of products with facilities specially created with the required ambience is another field in which Petals specializes. The company has been ISO 9001 certified. Although based in New Delhi, Petals has satisfied clients all over India. Their long list of Prestigious clients include the Indian Railways, Indian Airlines, hotels and Hotels and Hotel chains like ITC., ITDC. etc and leaking Fast Food chains.

Petals Packaging Company petalspackaging@gmail.com

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

June-July ’19

the

Third Edition*

PASTRY

UEEN

27-28 July 2019 Whitecaps International School of Pastry - Bangalore.

Attention Are you a Lady Pastry Chef?

Entries Open for

Pastry Queen India 2019 30 November-01 December 2019, Academy of Pastry Arts, Gurugaon Pastry Queen India is lauded as a major platform for talented Indian Women's Pastry Chef Professionals. An opportunity to share experience & a platform for growth for female chefs who work with elegance & style to demonstrate to the world the professionalism in the International pastry making sector.

The 2019 winner will represent India at Ladies World Pastry Championship for the title ‘The Pastry Queen 2021' At SIGEP, Rimini, Italy in January 2021 Apply / Call: sanjayhammer@gmail.com +91-9811136837 Eligibility Criteria:

The primary selection is open for Indian professional Lady Pastry Chefs currently actively working in an organisation of repute above 21 years, having proficiency in Sugar Art i.e. Sugar Sculpture (Participating Chef should have a good exposure in Boiling of Sugar, Casting, Pull Sugar, Blown Sugar, Ribbons, Figurines, Flowers, Pastillage) and Chocolate Sculpture, Chocolate Pralines, contemporary Chocolate Baked Cake, Mini Pastries, the Dessert on a Plate & the Dessert in a Glass.

Organised by: 41st

18 22. 01. 2020 RIMINI Expo Centre ITALY

June-July ’19 * The Pastry Queen India happens once in 2 years

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

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pro d uct preview The ‘GREEN’ Tea Concept

Innovative Foods

GreenFit has launched a unique Green Tea concept wherein the complete package offered is ‘GREEN’ and “CONVENIENT”. Traditionally green tea is a well-accepted product, offered in different ways in form of leaves, dipped or immersed in hot water and ready to sip. GreenFit offers a complete cup (disposable & biodegradable) with green tea (mixed with natural flavour granules and different natural ingredients) and infused with food grade membrane. Just pour hot water in the cup and the tea of wellness is ready. One cup can be used three times (in 8 hrs) with the consistency of taste and aroma.

A cup is a cup. People said that too. Drink it, wash it with chemicals and reuse it. Wasting water and its impact on environment in today’s world is just unacceptable. Our company stood up to challenge and has redefined the way of drinking tea – A disposable and biodegradable cup that contains tea. Drink your tea. Enjoy it. Dispose this cup of green tea without the guilt of affecting the environment. GreenFit Green Tea cup epitomises hygiene, no-fuss, cup by cup gratitude to the mother earth. The aroma, flavour, and taste heightens the health benefits. Call it reinventing “the way we drink tea” or re-packaging “benefits to health and environment”.

The tea is sourced from exclusive tea estates across country and blended with various ingredients to offer multiple tastes.

Perennial Food’spresence in the Indian Food Industry is marked by its uniqueness.

Tailor made products that not only suit the Indian palate, but the wallet as well. With the ever-dynamic lifestyles, food habits are witnessing tremendous changes especially in the growing economies like ours. QSR’s, fine dining restaurants & Street foods are taking the front seat when it comes to people’s eating habits.

Perennial Foods came into existence in the year 2014, close to touching the 5 years milestone now, is proudly associated with some of the country’s best established, high potentialyoung food outlets.

These QSR’s are very well having a mind shareof emerging India’s Taste-buds & Perennial is playing a key role by providing delectable sauces, gravies, dips & confectionary based toppings that are custom made as required.

Perennial is enabling the HORECA segment to bring down the food & operational cost with Innovative and customised solutions.

The manufacturing processes are customer centric, ensuring customer delight as a key driver at all times!!

Perennial Food’s highly skilled and professional team is well equipped to cater to fast changing requirements of food industry and bringing in new concepts. With a strong foundation of a highly skilled team, innovative product range, highly scalable infrastructure and customer focussed processes Perennial Foods is climbing up the value chain at a fast pace.

Perennial Foods sandeep@perennialfoods.in

Excelling consistently

Masala Flavour: With the perfect combination of Cardamom, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Clove and Ginger, Masala tea is very helpful for maintaining good health. It helps improve digestion, alleviate nausea, aches and pains.

Jasmine Flavour: Jasmine has an impressive history and is an essential element in the Chinese culture. Chinese have developed the blend of green tea with Jasmine for its beautiful essence and great health benefits.

Tulsi Flavour: Tulsi is a natural remedy for treating ailments such as anxiety, adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, unbalanced blood sugar. Many people also use it as a home remedy for treating acne.

Lemon Honey Flavour: The combination of Lemon and Honey results in amazing health benefits for the body, as their nutrients complement each other and give even better results.

Vitality Flavour: Vitality is a herbal blend with an intense aroma that provides complete rejuvenation. It consists of Holy basil, Liquorice, Arjun, Rose, Cinnamon, Amla, Clove, Fennel and Black Pepper. The combination of these herbs provides enormous health benefits along with its strong flavour and aroma.

Mint Flavour: Offering delicate flavour and a fresh aroma, Mint majorly consists of Menthol and like wise, which gives its signature scent and cooling properties.

Hiddenite Beverages Private Limited contact@greenfitonline.com

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The team of Shapes Products provides top quality stainless steel cutlery with in-house manufacturing unit in India. In addition, what makes the company different and appealing is the variety of stuff offered in modern shapes and designs.

Nothing is credulous without a genuine experience, and the company holds a huge experience to deliver authentic proposal that stands at good level. The company's experience comes from its sister company, Ankur Exports, which was incorporated in the year 2001 to augment the demand of stainless steel exports directly to the overseas buyers from India. Prior to this, since 1978, it was catering to the needs of domestic merchant exporters or indirectly fulfilling different types of requirements of the buyers throughout the world.

The company produces different cutlery in designer range, feast, hammer and lynex, etc. Their categories are growing day by day, because their goal is not only necessity but also to drive out the best possible quality.

On the whole, the company has always focused more on the customers, which has made their business grow to new levels. They have launched customer-friendly policies such as exchange/return and free shipping. If the customers are not satisfied, their grievances are always adequately addressed at Shapes Products.

Shapes Products Pvt. Ltd. info@shapesproducts.in

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

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pro d uct preview Specially designed Forklifts for Cold Storages Be it dairy products, alcoholic beverages, fruits and vegetables or fish. Trust ElectroMech solution to gently handle the produce throughout the logistics chain, particularly in cold storages. ElectroMech Yale forklifts are thoughtfully designed for Indian

conditions, where spaces are dense and have very narrow aisles for movement. The forklifts are packed with advanced features, each having unique advantages such as – Great manoeuvrability and small turning radius Frost-free screen to prevent condensation Wide screen view for maximum visibility Plenty of room to move and easy to open/close doors for operators wearing bulky warm clothing Full suspension seats for comfortable seating throughout the shift duration Moisture-protected components and coldresistant cables to ensure that your forklift lasts longer and gives uninterrupted reliable service C h ro m e - p l ate d co m p o n e nts to avo i d contamination An ergonomically designed forklift means reduced operator absenteeism due to sore back or arms. It also adds to improved productivity per shift.

Forklifts are a moving equipment and needs expert attention for maintenance and repairs to get optimum performance. Our subsidiary, Cranedge is dedicated to provide such services with its expert team of qualified technicians. Planned annual maintenance of this moving equipment saves our customers from unexpected breakdowns and downtime.

We work closely with our cold storage warehouse customers to help specify the correct product for the most intense applications.

ElectroMech priyanka.watane@emech.in

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Commercial Food Service Equipment M i d d l e b y C o r p o ra t i o n with its presence in India as MiddlebyCelfrost is a global leader in food service equipment industry catering to hotel business for Speed Cooking, Steaming, Bakery, Combi Oven, Pizza Oven, Induction, Speed oven, Fryer, Convection Oven, Waste Disposal along with Reach In Cold Rooms and other professional Refrigeration as well as Culinary Equipment. MiddlebyCelfrost is recognised in India as a preferred commercial food service equipment partner with a broad line of hot side and cold side products .Celfrost is a leading supplier of equipment to many of the fast growing restaurant, hotel and chains.

MiddlebyCelfrost has an extensive marketing and service network in India, including 13 brand centers that are strategically leverage to support Middleby’s entire portfolio of brands in the markets along with over 150 channel partners.

MiddlebyCelfrost hosts an in-house service team dedicated to cater to service related queries of its customers. A dedicated toll free helpline and online connectivity via email stays active weekdays while the technical team is active 24x7 for the customer service and satisfaction. The service has a well-defined and organised structure that is primarily customer oriented; the team aims at rendering a hassle free customer service experience.

Middleby Corporation sales@middlebycelfrost.com

RICH BLEND OF SPICES Flavarich, as a spices brand is just trying to bring the finest blend so that the rich culinary tradition of various cultures remain intact. They ensure that material is procured from reliable and certified vendors in compliance with international quality standards. All products are tested from sourcing to processing and packaging to ensure that they are pure and free from any contamination.

The aim is to serve best quality products to valuable customers. The company has a set up of robust, well equipped, modern state of art manufacturing – administrative – technical setup & support across all levels of production and processes. They follow GMP and also engage in the procurement of quality ingredients and automated machines, as per the set FDA norms and guidelines. This ensures the longevity of product’s essence, fragrance and shelflife. The entire production process is automated without any human intervention keeping a tab on minimising the moisture and retaining volatile oil of the spices.

QC Department conducts inspections at every stage of production from cleaning, de-stoning, roasting, blending, grinding and packaging. The products are packed in airtight and safe liner-cartons to ensure zero moisture and no contamination.

The packaging methods keep the flavour, aroma and taste of the spices intact.

The company believe that customer service doesn’t end with dispatch of goods, offering technical support and continual process evaluation.

Sky Enterprise Pvt. Ltd. info@skyenterpriseindia.com

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

June-July ’19

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Meat Mincer

Tomato Strainer

Grater

Cookie Press Restaurant

Ipasta

Slow Juicer

Pasta Presto

Ravioli Moulds

Millegnocchi

Vegetable - Cheese Slicer-Grater-Shredder

Vacuum Sealing Machine

Sausage Filler Machine

The New India Electric and Trading Co., (Est 1946), Hamam House, 38, Ambalal Doshi Marg, Fort, Mumbai – 400 023, Tel : 022- 22651177 / 22651597 Cell : 9833411770 E-mail:nietco@hotmail.com, * www.nietco.in,

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Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

June-July ’19

Advertiser’s Inde x Company

Page No.

AKASA International

69

Allied Metal Works

45

ANI Glass Corporation

22

Anuga 2019

33

Anupam Industries

27

Banway Projects & Hospitality

67

Cremica Food Industries Ltd. fic d k g sales pvt. ltd.

59

D S Spiceco Pvt. Ltd.

25

FNS International Pvt. Ltd

17

Food Service (India) Pvt Ltd.

15

GPA Capital Foods Pvt. Ltd.

09

hiddenite beverages pvt. ltd.

19

Hospitality Appliances Pvt. Ltd.

83

Hotelconsult Orient

57

IFB Industries Ltd.

63

India Exposition Mart Ltd.

91

intergrow culinary solutions

11

ITW India Pvt. Ltd.

21

Kalka Metal Udyog

16

Kanhaiyalal Tandoor Pvt. Ltd.

55

King Metal Works

07

Krome Dispense Pvt. Ltd.

51

Loomcrafts Furniture India Pvt. Ltd.

31

M.P. Enterprises

49

Makrey Exports Mastech Services

53 06, 47, 85

MKN INDIA

26

Mod Kitchen Equipments Pvt. Ltd.

79

Multi creations Pvt. Ltd.

13

Munnilal Tandoors Pvt. Ltd.

39

Nestle India Ltd.

37

Perennial Foods

12

P Lal & Sons

77

Pride Equipment

81

T&S Brass

61

Rajkiran Kitchen Equipment

95

Rans Technocrats India Pvt. Ltd.

43

Remington Steel Arts

92

Shamsons Food

65

Shapes Products

96

SIAL India 2019 Sky Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.

93 14, 18

Solutionz Consulting

94

Stec Hotelware LLP

71

Sterling Agro Industries Ltd. bic Sterling Solutions

04

The New India Electric & Trading Co.

94

The SCS Group

75

Vanya Industrial Equipments

29

Veeba Foods bc Venus Industries

05

Washmatic India Pvt. Ltd.

73

Whirlpool of India Limited

01

Winterhalter India Pvt. Ltd.

41

Zanuff Industries LLP

23

* F I C - F RONT I NSI DE COVER * B I C - B A CK I NSI DE COVER * B C - B ACK CO V E R

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