Best Show kitchen Award and Gourmand World Summit!
This month had quite a few surprises in store. Really overwhelmed, humbled & honored to share that I received the “Best Show Kitchen Award ” representing India during this year’s “Gourmand Awards 2019” held in Macao, China. I was selected for the show kitchen that I had showcased during the Gourmand world summit in March 2019. in Paris.
The Gourmand Awards are unique in the Food and Drink sector and is quoted out as the Oscars of Gastronomy. They are in fact the most international book awards for any kind of books, Only the Olympics can compare in scope. This competition for 2018 had Food and Drink Culture entries from 216 countries.
It was an honor to have been cooked Indian flavors at the Chef’s Kitchen at the Macao International Bookfair and to be among one among the best. It was truly lovely to have a wonderful crowd to whom I could cater out our flavors.
An added experience was to have cooked with World Food Programme team, helping children worldwide in the fight against hunger. It was a delight to cook Indian flavors of the provided Armenian ingredients. Thankyou Alessandro & his team for roping me in.
My effort has always been to bring the authentic flavors of our country to the outside world. My second cookbook “Lip-Smacking dishes of Kerala ” won me the title of “3rd Best local cuisine book in the world” for 2013-14 and later on my third cookbook “4 o’clock temptations of Kerala” went on to win the “Best Indian cookbook in the world” for the year 2015-16. This is the third time that I have had a chance to witness the awards but the most exciting part was to be acknowledged. I am thankful to the Gourmand team for finding me worthy of it.
My sincere thanks also go out to my friends, family, and well-wishers for all the encouragement and support even when the tides were rough to keep my dreams alive. Thankyou Masterchef Cyril Roquet for hosting the show.
In March it was an honor to have my cookbook “4 o’clock temptations of Kerala” (Winner of the Best Indian cookbook in the World 2015-16) represented India at the UNESCO headquarters during the Gourmand World Summit in Paris, France from 20-22nd of March. The summit was a huge network of food culture professionals, around a big exhibition of 2000 books from 170 countries. It was the opportunity to see what is done and written around the world, by alphabetical order, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. So many topics, styles, layouts, formats, angles, traditions, fusions, and research are there to be discovered and shared. So many talented authors and creative publishers to be met. VIPs including ambassadors, chefs, distributors, agents, photographers, food and tourism journalists, bloggers, publishers, authors, and designers attend the Summit.
It was even more exciting to have had the opportunity to be one among the 25 chefs from different countries representing their cuisine during the “Village International de la Gastronomie”.I did a live show kitchen cooking up some of the authentic flavors of Kerala, representing the regional cooking from India in show kitchen facing the Eiffel Tower during the “Village international de la gastronomie” on 24th of March 2019. The four days of the event was mesmerizing representing culture and flavors from different parts of the world.
A huge thanks to Gourmand team and Anne Laure Descombin creator of Village International de la Gastronomie for the huge support. Denis Nidon and Virginie Petorin, thank you so much for capturing and sharing with me the moments from the events.
A homemaker who fell head over heels in love with food -an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, award-winning culinary demonstrator
