The Food for Thought Fest, Dec 23rd & 24th 2016 @ The Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi

New Delhi, 1^st December, 2016: The Second Edition of the Food for Thought Fest comes back to the capital this December, celebrating the diverse culinary heritage of the South Asian region. The festival comes to Delhi on the 23^rd and 24^th of December, 2016, and will be held at the Taj Palace Hotel, Sardar Patel Marg,Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi.  A special one of a kind initiative that focuses on the common heritage and history of the South Asian region, as well as the unique influences that are a part of it, it has set a benchmark as the forum for conversations, cuisines and the exchange of ideas and philosophies. The participating countries will include India, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The 2016 edition of the Food for Thought Fest brings in exciting components that make this a truly unique event. There will be talks and discussions around culture and cuisine in the “Thought Fest”, while the “Food Fest” will be offering cookery workshops with master chefs of the region and an authentic flavour from the participating countries, which will have food stalls from some of the most superlative restaurants  from the South Asian region. The brand new element in the “Fun Fest” this year will be a “Gastronomy Bazaar”,  in the Rani Bagh  lawns of the Taj Palace Hotel.

The Food for Thought Fest was conceived as a convergence ideas and dialogues around gastronomy, in the process enabling an atmosphere of South Asian commonality through culinary and cultural diversity. In its first edition, the Food For Thought Fest set a benchmark with an engaging selection of panellists, chefs and experts. This year too, the festival will continue to engage renowned culinary giants from across the South Asian region.

The Thought Fest will be a presentation of papers and talks, interviews and panel discussions by scholars, journalists and professionals on various topics on gastronomy. Some of the names to look forward to are Ms Ramika Ahmad, Afghanistan;  Mr Saman Nayanananda, Sri Lanka; Mr Bharat Basnet, Nepal; Ms Nahid Osman and Chef Tony Khan, Bangladesh; Ms. Yangki Tshering, Bhutan; Yuvraj Manvendra Singh Gohil Rajpipla; Yuvrani Chitrangadha Raje Singh Kashmir and Maharaja Pradyot Manikya Deb Burman Tripura. 

The Food Fest has two components, on the one hand it will bring demonstration of culinary techniques and traditions from the region, It will have cookery demos by luminaries in the culinary industry and the biggest names on Indian television, with the likes of Chef Kunal Kapoor, Chef Abhijit Saha, Chef Aditya Bal, Chef Vicky Ratnani, Chef Amrita Raichand, Chef Gautam Mehrishi, Chef Manish Mehrotra and Chef Saransh Goila among others. And on the other hand, The Food Fest will present the authentic flavor from participating south asian countries with brands like Spice Hut Restaurant, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Cafe De Partex, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Serena Hotel, Kabul, Afghanistan; Bhojan Griha, Kathmandu, Nepal and Zasa Restaurant, Thimpu, Bhutan; Mount Lavina, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

This year Thought Fest will also witness some prominent speakers, like Rocky Mohan, Author; Mala Barua, writers, Soity Banerjee & Avantika Bhuiyan; Nitya Mehra – Bollywood Director (Bar Bar Dekho), Suresh Hinduja – Editor Times Food Guide Bangalore; Chef Manjit S Gill- Corporate Chef ITC Hotels; Seema Chandra – Food Editor NDTV; Kishore Singh- Author, Journalist and President DAG Modern; Virendra Sehwag- Cricket legend and Suchita Salwan – Founder Little Black Book.

The FUN FEST brings visual and performing arts by way of entertainment. There is the Still Life Art Installation Project for the art connoisseur at Rani Bagh lawns on both days of the event.  There will be an entertainment corner which will have dance performances by Sri Lankan Troupes flown specially from Colombo  and some other surprises.

Over the 2 days of festival programming through sessions and workshops conducted from 11.00 am – 6.00 pm every day, participants will have the opportunity to engage in contemporary issues with the most progressive-minded panellists, learn from the greatest chefs in the region, explore fascinating topics related to food and, of course, treat their taste buds with the most splendid flavours that the subcontinent has to offer.

The event will appeal to the mind and palate of visitors, from the eager food lovers, bloggers, students of hotel management, to professionals from the hotel and restaurant industry. The event promises to be an enriching celebration of the mind and spirit, while strengthening the sense of a joyous community.

The Broadcast Partner is NDTV Good Times, the Online Partner is WHATSHOT.in who will telecast the event live on Facebook, the Magazine Partners are Millionaire Asia and Discover India, the APP Partner is Gourmet Passport, the event is supported by FHRAI, the largest hospitality body in India..

About the founders of S.A.A.G

 Mr. Maneesh Baheti, alumni of The Oberoi School of Hotel Management, is a seasoned hotelier with over 16 years in senior positions at leading brands such as The Oberoi Group and Hyatt International, before branching out as a hospitality industry consultant with a diverse projects portfolio. His love for cuisines has taken him on extensive travels, including the SAARC region of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Ms. Sonali Anand, a Masters in Tourism Management from Bournemouth University, U.K, she has spent over a decade in senior positions with multinational companies including, The Oberoi Group. She went for a second Masters Degree in Social Development from Euromed, Marseille, France, which equips her with an insight into international cultural relations and dynamics.

S.A.A.G has an eminent Advisory Board that has PADMA BHUSHAN Mr Shashi Kant Misra as the Chairman and comprises of experts from Hospitality Industry from India and abroad, such as Michelin Star Chef Atul Kocchar from The U.K,Master Chef Abhijit Saha, renowned hotelier Mr Gautam Anand, Dr Rubina Husain from Bangladesh and Ms Ramika Ahmad from Afghanistan.

Entry Details: Rs.150- Entry for Food Court and Gastronomy Bazaar

Rs. 300- Entry for Food for Thought Fest, Panel Discussion, Food Court and Gastronomy Bazaar

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