Category: Events & Happenings

Celebrate Monsoon with Gond Painting on Umbrella Workshop by ‘Baaya Design’

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

This monsoon ‘Baaya Design’ invites you to learn the latest interpretation of Gond and create your own painting in the ‘Gond Painting on Umbrella Workshop’. Gond is a decorative art form of painting from folk and tribal art, practiced by the Gondi people of Madhya Pradesh. Capture the magic of rains with splash of colors on your umbrella with vibrant depictions of the traditional art form. The workshop will entail waterproof Gond art color play, Gond painting references, Sprinklers, Rollers, brushes, a full size white umbrella with cover and expert guidance.

Date: 22nd July, 2017

Time: 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm

Price: 1200/- inclusive of all material

For registrations call: 022 24979463 Visit: www.baayadesign.com

Baaya Design, Pratamesh Tower, Raghuvanshi Mills, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013

Masaledar Monsoon Menu at Kopper Kadai!

Posted on by Sunil Malhotra
Hey Delhites,the monsoons are here, the advent of the rainy season. When one talks of rains invariably the thought of piping hot tea and pakodas comes to mind at least here in North India. And keeping exactly the weather in mind Kopper Kadahi at Rajouri Garden have come up with a special Monsoon menu curated by Celebrity Chef Akhshay Nayyar.

The specially curated menu for Monsoon festival will be available till July 30th, so don’t forget to hop on at Kopper Kadai before that, make the most while the season lasts.
Not just food, but the place is aesthetically decorated n cosy atmosphere created over two floors of the place makes you feel at home. Experience for yourself the efficient services of a real courteous staff in a super cool ambience with some extraordinary dishes created with love n passion.
A simply wonderful culinary delight with a selection of veg n non veg dishes and a variety of supercool drinks.
The special Masaaledar Monsoon Menu boasts of some mouth watering delicacies like
First n foremost The Chillar Chai, a lovely concoction made out of churned ice, lemon, honey n masalas, this one is an absolute must. The bite sized samosa was a delight stuffed with gobhi.The Biryani pakoda was another innovative and delicious offering.
The poatleez, stuffed with cottage cheese n spinach was lip smackingly good. The Tundla Station Cutlets and Raincoat chicken were a treat to be savoured. For me the outstanding dish was the Barsati Mutton Pepper Fry. Simply superb, the mutton done to perfection.
The Hi chai with pakodas and the cool Mad over Mango were truly satisfying to the palate.
The kaala khatta with Vodka infused grapes, pomegranate n tamarind toffee is cocktail to watch out for. The Jamun Tini a Gin stirred Jara Plum pulp was a really delightful mix.

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If you have appetite for more, a decent buffet comprising of main course Indian dishes was also laid to satiate your taste buds. And I can say that the food was overall very well prepared and surely gives the authentic Indian flavours to its best.

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All in all a wonderful culinary experience. The rain dance show prior to the main event was truly a spectacle. Come on Delhites Rush to Kopper Kadai for an extremely pleasant experience and enjoy monsoons like never before.

Father’s Day Cook Off by FoodManiacs and Ikreate in Association with Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Two passionate foodies and marketing experts came together to make this Father’s Day a memorable one by organising a live cook off in association with Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon. I joined hands with Foodmaniacs, founded by Vickrham, who is a well known face in the food marketing & PR industry and a renowned blogger, to create a beautiful event dedicated to Fathers. We thought of giving a tribute to fathers and dedicating a dish to them by participating in a live cook off. We together conceptualised the event and invited participants through a small contest on Facebook. To grace the occasion and make it a healthy competition, we invited Master Chef Season 5 Star Siddharth Talwar, who along with Executive Chef Nilesh Dey of Crowne Plaza, made for the judges panel.

 

Total of 8 contestants participated in the live cook off. A market place with choicest of ingredients was created for people to select from as they had to cook on spot using those available ingredients only. Some strict rules were laid by Chef Nilesh and Chef Siddharth, primary one being controlled use of ingredients and no wastage. The cook off was judged on criterions of presentation, wastage, cleanliness of workstations and of course taste and innovation of the dish.

Participants were given a time span of 1 hour in which 10 minutes were to explore the market place and pick up the ingredients. Rest of the time was to be used for preparation, cooking and presentation. Individual workstations equipped with induction stoves, essential utensils, chopping boards etc were provided to all participants. There were also arrangements for using the oven, grills and high flame stoves. I have to say that the arrangements by Crowne Plaza were impeccable. Each and everything was taken care of, from hygiene station offering aprons, chef caps, to gloves and the fully functional workstations, all was done with extreme professionalism.

A wonderful contest too place between the participants, where in every one crafted beautiful dishes, made not just with ingredients but lots of love, dedicating the dishes to their fathers. It was a tough time for judges to figure out which was the best dish, because trust me I am not boasting, but each and every dish was truly remarkable. The presentation, the taste, and the overall selection of dishes prepared by participants was done with such expertise that it seemed as if a mini- master chef episode is in progress. After a lot of tussle, judges finally decided to give way not one but two prizes as choosing one did not seem justified. Even those who did not win, were still winners as the gap was just about1-2 marks here and there.

Sandeep Batra, who cooked GolMirch Chicken and Rita Arora, who prepared a lovely Chicken Roulade were declared as top winners, but like I said, others too were winners in their own regards. We got to taste some lovely and unique dishes like South Indian Style Pasta, Laal Maas, Fried Fish with Coconut Sauce, Tamatar Jeera Chicken, Chicken Koftas and some Juicy Chicken Legs.

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We also got to try and taste amazing Grilled Chicken Sandwiches prepared by two lovely kids Myeshha, Vickrham’s daughter and Armaan, my son, who dedicated these dishes to their respective fathers, oops sorry, in Armaan’s case he dedicated it to me only as I am a single parent 🙂

The winner announcement was then followed by a high tea session, where in we got to interact with participants, try their delectable dishes, and also indulge in some lip smacking snacks served by Crowne Plaza. The winners carried beautiful hampers back home and the bloggers were given a lovely cake by the hotel. Even the children were given special packs of chocolates as a wonderful gesture by the hotel.

 

Overall it turned out to be a great event, much greater than my expectations and through my post I would like to thank first and foremost my partner in crime Vickrham for his support and belief. Crowne Plaza for believing in our concept and becoming our hospitality partners, all the participants, without whom this won’t have been possible, bloggers and media for making the buzz about the event, keep doing it guys, thanks to you all, and last but not the least, the PR team of Crowne Plaza, Chef Nilesh Dey and Master Chef Siddharth Talwar for being part of our event. Also a big thank you to all the fathers of the world, for just being what they are, and of course my father too! Look forward to many more events together.

 

 

Secrets in the Spice Mix- Book Launch by Pankaj Bhadouria at Piali, CP

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Pankaj Bhadouria, has been a household name ever since she won the title of first Master Chef India, and there has been no looking back for her. Her constant growth in terms of her cooking skills and her overall persona has been an inspiration to many women who used to think that cooking is only a duty and not a passion that can turn your life around. But Pankaj has proved her mettle over and over again, and more recently by launching her 5th book, she not only proves her capabilities as a chef but also tries touching a million chords by giving her readers exactly what they need.

Food is synonymous to breath for her and spices are the essence of it. Her journey of teaching kids in a classroom to teaching young chefs and cooks the art of making food is one of its kind. Right after winning the competition she has come to the world imparting her culinary skills to the world through the form of shows or books.

The right blend of spices is crucial to Indian cooking and it’s the combination of different spices that make some dishes so hard to resist. India’s First MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria has identified around 50 such spice mixes with a tantalizing recipe following each spice mix which can be made at home. With 4 books to be acclaimed for, Pankaj’s 5th book, The Secrets in the Spice Mix, helps you make these wonderful spices at the comfort of your home and infuse some authentic flavours to your everyday cooking.

Chosen Piali, The Curry Bistro, as the venue for launch of her book, Panjak went on to conduct a live cooking session as well.

Piali’s menu is one of its kind and what makes it different is the class of curry and the spices that go into making them what they are! One such dish on the menu is the Thai Curry. Pankaj not only shared her secret spices and signed the books for her followers but also demonstrated the cooking of the Thai curry live for the present audience.

“I am really excited to be launching my secrets at Piali and the following live cooking session. I am happy to be able to share them with my audiences and where better than a place which savors the spices the most!” said an eager Pankaj.

Upon being asked what her favourite cuisine and dish was, she said it without any apprehensions that her favourite cuisine for sure is Indian, and she loves home cooked Khichdi, for the simplicity of the dish. Here is a glimpse of the event coverage right from the Piali’s Facebook Page.

She is such a down to earth person, that meeting her overtime, leaves me inspired totally. She fills me with so much of gratitude and warmth. I wish Pankaj all the success for her book, and stay tuned, will be sharing the book review and a recipe from it soon as I am currently reading my personally signed copy of the book, and in my kitchen trying the recipes.

 

 

World’s Best Classic Movies Festival by Navrasa Duende

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Navrasa Duende, decoded means Navrasa, the nine rasas of art and Duende the quality of passion and inspiration.

Holds true for their Founder Dinesh B.Singh who is a veteran in the business arena and a true patron of art in ant form. His undying love for arts led him to the concept of Navrasa Duende and his never ending urge not only to follow art but also to bring it for the Global audience to partake and experience the various forms of art from across the Globe. It is his endeavor to promote commercial and niche arts from around the world. Navrasa Duende being the first step in this direction.

Recently Navrasa Duende organised a classic movies festival where in classics by two famous directors of that time were shown. The chosen directors were Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra.

It was a two day festival and each day, one movie of each directors was shown. I chose the first day of the festival and also the first film, The Man Who Knew Too Much by Alfred Hitchcock. It truly was a trip down the memory lane. Such a pleasant experience witnessing old time classics. The beauty about the movie was its surprising repeat value much appreciated by the audiences present.

A really commendable effort by Navrasa Duende, who have lots more to offer in the near future.  One of the most promising upcoming venture by Navrasa Duende is the Global Carnival, an amalgamation of Dance, Theatre, Visual Arts, Music, Fashion and much more. I am really looking forward to this one. Stat tuned on their Facebook page to get regular updates of events organised by them.

All the best wishes to team Navrasa Duende may they succeed in this most wonderful endeavor and bring the best of Global talent for the art lovers.

Changing Scenarios of the Publishing Industry-Thank God for Half Baked Beans!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Started with a mindset to be different right from the very beginning, Half Baked Beans is not just a regular publishing house. Yes they surely publish books, but they have their own uniqueness in every thing that they do, just the way their name is. Their philosophy lies in the fact that their company is not a mere publishing house, but a company that dwells on developing talent, giving them a platform to showcase their work and also bring like minded people together through different workshops and forums.

They very regularly organise creative writing workshops, book launches, book reading sessions, open discussions related to the subject and even run a very successful group on Facebook which again encourages writing, like minded discussions etc on the online platform.

I am a regular participant in the group activities and love exploring my writing skills and who knows one day I am actually able to write a full fledged novel. Seeing so much talent around definitely gives a sense of encouragement.

Recently Half Baked Beans organised a bloggers meet, where in we met not just as bloggers but as book lovers in general and shared our views on the latest trends of the industry, writing skills, marketing needs of the hour and a detailed brief of services offered by HBB. Chetan Soni the man behind Half Baked Beans and Richa Saxena, his subordinate, both shared their passion for books and we got engulfed in a long conversation over some lip smacking snacks at the Pot Belly, Shahpur Jat.

It indeed was a very insightful session, and these open discussions have enlightened me more than before on the publishing industry. We discussed how scandals, political dramas and mythology sells and creates more buzz than other genres. We also discussed the role of book reviews and book bloggers and other marketing needs that are imperative to the success of a book in todays time.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself learning the nuances of the industry.

 

Half Baked Beans also offers many other services like:

  • Editorial Services
  • Beta Reading
  • Book Cover Services
  • Book Design Services
  • Book Marketing Services
  • E-Book Services

You can check out more details at the Half Baked Beans website. You can also follow their page on Facebook for regular updates. They have already published more than 40 books and are growing steadily giving chance to quality authors. Their criteria for publishing books are also fool proof and they don’t publish each and every book that comes their way. They choose quality over quantity.

As a take back I got this wonderful book to read, which I am looking forward to.

Auramah Valley is becoming the preferred option by many in Himachal

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra
Mr. Manav Singh, a business graduate from Menlo College, California always had a keen interest in real estate, IT, and infrastructure. A true ‘Himachali’ at heart and as the Chairman and Founder of Imperial group with businesses in private air charter, aircraft spare parts, air ambulance, assisted living projects and high end luxury real estate, he ensures that you live a life in style, comfort and luxury.


He has not only achieved excellence in business but is also immensely respected for his social outlook and work. At one of this real estate projects in Himachal – Auramah Valley focuses on assisted living and luxury villas. Equipped with a helipad and a complete clubhouse with plenty of activities, Auramah Valley is becoming the preferred option by many. With the project spread across 75 acres of forest and hillside, he has made sure the life of the locals are not disrupted and in-turn merged them in with the development.  Mr. Singh has built a school as an attempt to elevate education in the area. He has introduced a state of the art water harvesting system with new farming techniques, which has created plenty of scope and employment for women and the old. Always dressed in shades of dark blue and green and a towering Indian flag on the property, shows his love and affection towards his country.
 
 
Mr. Manav Singh, spends atleast 6-8 months a year in Auramah Valley, driving around in his classic Willys Jeep,  signifies how modest and homely he is. With an exceptional understanding of the need of his clients and comfort being its utmost priority, he has been defining luxury all over again as well as keeping in mind the development and growth of the not so fortunate. He is a true motivation and has been a marvelous exemplar for many.
 
 
For more information 9910052182.

Turkish Airlines Creates Inflight Experiences to Celebrate UEFA EURO 2016 TM

Turkish Airlines Creates Inflight Experiences to Celebrate UEFA EURO 2016 TM

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra


 Awarded “Best Airline in Europe” for five consecutive years*, and being the carrier with the most extensive country coverage in the world -289 destinations in 115 countries-, Turkish Airlines takes an active interest in Europe’s sporting and cultural events. To excite fans before and during the championship, the airline will be providing passengers with unique experiences to allow them to enjoy UEFA EURO 2016TM, whether on ground or in the sky.
 
 
International passengers flying on Turkish Airlines’ fleet of widebody aircraft – Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s— will be able to stream matches live onto their screens. Meanwhile, passengers in Turkish Airlines’ lounges across Turkey will also be able to watch the competition in their pre-flight comfort. Additionally, those in the airline’s award-winning business class lounge in Istanbul will be able to play the official EURO 2016 console game, which will be synchronized to reflect the tournament’s results. Turkish Airlines will also be running special activities for football fans in four different cities across France.
 
 
Turkish Airlines’ Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Ahmet Olmuştur said: “Upgrading our passengers’ experience is at the heart of everything we do at Turkish Airlines and our partnership with UEFA EURO 2016 TM gives us another great opportunity to do just this. Whether at the airport or at 37,000 feet, we will help unleash the fan passion in all our passengers by allowing them to experience the joy of the tournament, no matter where they are.”
These initiatives will be complimented by a specially designed menu card for Turkish Airlines passengers departing Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport.  Those flying on select flights to France during the tournament will also have the chance to win tickets to UEFA EURO 2016 TM matches via an onboard raffle competition. 

The carrier has also partnered with the global football network, Copa90, to discover what football means to fans across the UEFA EURO 2016 TM nations. In advance of the tournament, Copa90 and Turkish Airlines will explore different cultures, experiences and passions of football fans from 10 countries in 10 days. Fans can follow the journeys undertaken by four selected filmmakers and social creators on the ‘Meet Europe’s Best’ microsite (www.MeetEuropesBest.com) and Turkish Airlines’ social channels.
Summer Cookshop by Chef in a box

Summer Cookshop by Chef in a box

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra
CHEF IN A BOX (CIAB) is a new concept to re-create chef style dishes at home with the help of professional chefs themselves. The idea is conceptualized and curated by Gayatri Iyer, a young dynamic entrepreneur, who wants to express her love for food. The concept is one step ahead of the online delivery of ordering cooked food right at your doorsteps.
The idea helps consumers to order recipe kits that include all the measured ingredients and clear steps of instructions for cooking. The USP is that it comes directly from a Chef/restaurant’s kitchen to ensure authenticity and quality of the ingredients, so the Chefs do the shopping for you (literally!). Currently the market space that Chef In A Box caters to is Delhi-NCR (currently delivering in South Delhi, West Delhi and Gurgaon).  It aims at giving people a chance to cook exotic dishes such as Khao Suey, Mutton Kosha and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins to name a few, just like the experts. They have the flexibility to simply follow the instructions or use their creativity to add some twists to the recipe.

“I want to change the way people look at food and break the monotony of eating pre-cooked food or takeout. People do love to cook and I want to give them a seamless experience in doing so by giving them everything they need (well almost, they would still need the cooking appliances etc.” says, Gayatri Iyer, Chief Creator and Owner, Chef In A Box.
The popularity of the concept of recipe kits in the US gave the window for the concept to grow and to bring this to India. The twist in this idea of not having your own kitchen but relying on the Chef’s, restaurant’s kitchen and expertise. Chef In A Box does not have its own kitchen and we are ensuring that the ingredient come directly from the Chef’s kitchen, because that way we ensure authenticity, freshness and quality of ingredients.
CIAB also conducts workshops under the ‘Chef’s Secret Series’name, which aims to bring together cooking, food enthusiasts and the Chefs face to face. The aim is to allow cooking enthusiasts get an insider view of how the Chef’s work their magic. They have successfully conducted a Chocolate Making workshop in February and on popular demand did a Healthy Baking workshop on 7th May. Now its all set to do a Summer Bookshop on 4th of June.


Website Link: https://www.chefinabox.in
ABOUT GAYATRI IYER
Gayatri Iyer is a multifaceted dynamic young person and is currently the Chief Creator and owner of the platform whose love for creativity only exceeds her love for food by a small bit. One may think that in order to be in the food industry, you would either have a Godfather or be associated with food in terms of being a Chef or baker. But, none of that holds true for her. She was in a plush corporate job with American Express for 5 years, surrounded by the fanciness, which a corporate has to offer but that was just one part of her life. The other exciting part of her was the creative side who used her weekends and time off to author a book Life’s Macchiatio-A collection of your stories, learn traditional art like Gond and Phad art and is now a contributing artist selling merchandise on postergully.com.
The spirit to do something of her own and to channelize her creativity gave birth to Chef In A Box. Outside of work, she is physically active through Yoga, tennis and any other way to keep fit and also do her bit for animal welfare in the city by adopting and feeding stray dogs. 

QUTONE launches “imarble”- Asia’s Newest & Most magnum Product till date!! Actor Anil Kapoor & Actress Yami Gautam launch the collection & announced as the “Global Brand Ambassadors”

QUTONE launches “imarble”- Asia’s Newest & Most magnum Product till date!! Actor Anil Kapoor & Actress Yami Gautam launch the collection & announced as the “Global Brand Ambassadors”

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Qutone one of the most popular brand in the tile industry, does it once again. The company launches a completely new, never seen before range of products called “imarble”.  


Mr.Manoj Agarwal – C.M.D, Qutone along with all the esteemed Directors were completely elated and proud to be unveiling the collection which is all set to revolutionize the Indian tile industry and are honored to be partnering the Prime Minister’s “Make in India” initiative. The company will be manufacturing the product line at Asia’s first of its kind, state-of-the-art plant using European technology based at Gujarat. Actor Anil Kapoor and Actress Yami Gautam graced the occasion and were announced the “Global Brand Ambassadors” for Qutone. Directors present at the launch comprised of  Mr.Sunil Manglunia – M.D, Rajeev Adhlaka – M.D.
Mr. Manoj Agarwal – C.M.D., Qutone expressed his exhilaration and said,  “Our primary aim at Qutone is to launch new products at regular intervals and offer the consumer a vast and technologically sound product range and this time with “imarble” we have actually outdone ourselves by creating a product which has set high benchmarks in terms of Design, Size & Innovation and Save our Environment.”


Mr.Sunil Manglunia – Managing Director, Qutone added, “We are confident of the quick and high demand our product range is going to create not only in India but internationally too. Resultant, there will be a gradual decrease in imports and increase in exports”. 
Actor Anil Kapoor who is very selective about the brands he endorses adds, “It feels great to be part of the Qutone family and I only give my confirmation on any brand when I am confident endorsing it. Team Qutone have smartly collaborated European Technology with Indian warmth and the result is this beautiful collection.”

Actress Yami Gautam who is in complete awe of the products, exclaims, “I love decorating my house and when I was introduced to the world of Qutone, I instantly wanted to use almost all their products as they are so beautiful, maintenance free and cost effective at the same time.”


The entire range of “imarble” was interestingly showcased with their USP being their size of 8 ft. (height) X 4 ft. (width).
Some of the salient features of “imarble” are:
·      The range is easy on maintenance and hence easy to use. All products have zero resin filled patches with smooth finish.
·      The collection is very sturdy and is recommended for high traffic areas.
·      The slabs are magnificently huge in size and reduce any possibility of wastage while installation.
·      The mammoth size adds grandeur to any surface application and the extremely lightweight products make it an ideal choice for kitchen counter tops, floors, wall claddings amongst others.
·      All the slabs have water absorption of less than 0.03%, ensuring the surface remains 100% moisture free, evading the growth of bacteria & fungus.