Aerocity Culinary Festival Sees Massive Footfall

The Aerocity Culinary Festival was a two-day event held at GMR Aerocity on 13 and 14 January 2024.

The event was opened by emcee Aditya Malik with a welcome address. Ridhim Dance Fusion Group performed a dance set, ‘Rhythm Of India’ depicting different dance forms from various regions of the country starting with Punjab.

The first panel discussion on ‘Flavour Fusions: Exploring Cross-Cultural Cuisines’ included Chef Rajeev Goyal, President, India Food Tourism Org; Chef Sunil Chauhan, Chefpreneur, Founder FabCafe & Chefs United and Chef Ajay Sood, Independent Hospitality Consultant, RK Associates. The panel was moderated by Facebook personality and food influencer Tikku.

Ridhim Dance Fusion Group then performed another set, this time depicting Gujarat.

This was followed by another panel discussion on ‘Chef's Table: Behind the Scenes of a Professional Kitchen’. Chef Bharat Khemani, Owner, Nutmeg Caterings; Dr Chef Balendra Singh, Founder, Institute of Bakery & Culinary Arts (New Delhi); Vaibhav Bhargava, Partner Chef, ABV Hospitalities; Chef Subhojit Sen, Owner of Cloud Kitchen, The Harmony Pot and the panel was moderated by Prashant Sharma, Hospitality Professional.

The Ridhim Dance Fusion Group once again took the stage with their performances depicting dance forms from Rajasthan and Chennai.

The fireside chat with Chef Rajeev Janveja, Lemon Tree Group of Hotels was moderated by Taran Deep, Branding & PR Expert, Director, HHC & Uplifto.

The festival also witnessed various masterclasses by renowned chefs throughout day one and day two.

Day one also hosted a Taste War where amateur chefs got the chance to show off their cooking skills and be judged by industry professionals, this was followed by an award ceremony announcing the winners.

The first day of the festival ended with a display of mixology by professional mixologist, Rishi.

The first panel discussion on day two was ‘The Art of Plating: Elevating Presentation in the Culinary World’. Chef Gautam Chaudhry, Founder, The Catering Inc; Chef Nishant Choubey, Chef Consultant, Saatvik / Street Stoyss / Michelin plated indus Bangkok/ Picasso Baroda; Chef Sudhir Arora, Executive Chef, Travel Food Service and Chef Sambhavi Joshi, Founder, Casarecce Artisanal Pasta were the speakers. The panel was moderated by Anurag Bahl, Aviation Hospitality Expert / Business Evangelist & Coach.

Another discussion on ‘Street Food Revolution: Bringing Global Street Eats to the Mainstream’ featured Chef Biswajit Moharathi, Founder Chef, Breathe by Biswajit and Founder Chef, Breathe Events & Catering; Manav Sharma, F&B Consultant, Ambrossia Hospitality and Gaurav Bahl, Founder, KOOLCHAAS. The panel was moderated by Taran Deep, Branding & PR Expert / Director, HHC & Uplifto.

Chef Sudhir Sibbal Independent Hospitality Professional, Ex. VP - Hotels at ITDC, The Indian Chef Ambassador to World's Chef without Borders joined moderator Taran Deep Branding & PR Expert / Director, HHC & Uplifto for a fireside chat.

Day two also saw performances from Ridhim Dance Fusion Group depicting diverse dance forms from diverse regions of India. Another highlight was the masterclasses hosted by professional chefs teaching the audience different cuisines. The Taste War cooking competition saw enthusiastic participation once again.

The festival saw various pop-up food stalls being put up by small businesses, individual chefs and even home cooks. The attendees at the food event had the chance to taste the various kinds of offerings from these stalls.