Event Roundup

Surviving the hospitality industry

CONCOCT 2007 - Understanding the present. Shaping the future

Sayoni Bhaduri & Dinkar Farwaha - Mumbai

Mumbai was witness to Concoct 2007, the 3rd National Culinary Conference, held at The Taj Land's End, Bandra from September 8 to 9, 2007. The biennial event was hosted by the Western India Culinary Association (WICA) in close association with the Indian Federation of Culinary Association (IFCA). Manjit S Gill, corporate executive chef, ITC Hotels and president, Indian Federation of Culinary Associations gave the welcome address after which Chef Vernon Coelho, president of WICA and regional director of IFCA opened the proceedings for the next two days. The next National Culinary Conference will be held in Hyderabad in 2009.

Day 1:

The discussions during the conference focused on the importance of strategies essential for survival and excelling in an exciting and formidable occupation in the hospitality industry - the kitchen. Chef Madhu Krishnan, secretary of WICA, said, "India is today at the cusp of a culinary revolution. Be it globalisation of Indian cuisine or localisation of global cuisine, both spell exciting and challenging times for the industry. Add to it the tag of being a young nation makes India the cynosure of many a serious global and local investor."

Rajnish Ohri, vice president (Commercial) of Tilda Riceland, who was also the chief sponsor for the event said, "The key objective of a symposium like this is to provide good quality to a professional. A chef may have the expertise but it is the ingredients which makes all the difference. Such events and discussions play an important role."

The conference sessions were divided over two days. The first day discussed topics like technology by Jimmy Shaw, managing director, Shawman Software, Mumbai the need for chief steward by Ayush Arora, banquet operation manager, JW Marriott, Mumbai and Aparesh Sinha, manager (Stewarding) at ITC Sonar Bangla, Kolkata how to make food supply chain work by Samar Gupta, managing director of Trikaya Agriculture and Raju Shete, managing director, Radhakrishna Hospitality Services, slow food cooking by Maya Goburdhun, director, Navdananya, Unique School of Sustainable Living, employability of physically challenged by Niranjan Khatri, general manager, WelcomEnviron Initiative, ITC.

The first day also had a panel discussion on media's role in determining popularity of a restaurant - culinary humiliation or appreciation. The session was moderated by food writer Rashmi Uday Singh with panellists including Gev Desai, area chef, ITC Hotels, Farrokh Khambata, chef and owner of Joss. The media was represented by Vikram Doctor, editor of Economic Times, Farzana Contractor, editor and publisher of Upper Crust and Javed Gaya, food columnist, advocate and legal consultant.

The day ended with Chef S Soundararajan, secretary of IFCA on how to be an internationally-certified chef by the global authority on food - World Association of Chefs Societies, with a roadmap to international culinary competitions.

Day 2:

The second day had eight sessions with topics like Food Safety & Standards Act 2006 - Implications and Challenges by A Ganesh, head (Knowledge Management & Food Safety) Johnson Diversey, Distress to Destress by Carrmine Ireene, yoga teacher and holistic healer, Inner light Expansion, building a successful restaurant brand by Rahul Akerkar, managing director, Degustibus Hotels, and Namita Panjabi, Masala World, UK; An Expat chef's view by Pietro Franco Messa, cheese master, Fortune Gourmet Specialities; Japanese Cuisine - An International perspective by Harry Cheng, president and representative director, La Ditta, Japan and journalist for Japanese magazine Food Service Management and Go Organic by Ayesha Grewal, co-founder & managing director, Kurmanchal Organic Ventures Private

The day also had two panel discussions Next Gen Chef - Where to Seek? Moderated by Sheila Vasan Singla, principal associate, Chrysalis HRD with Ophelia de RozeAdvisory Company Rajkumar Saksena, principal IHMCTAN, Mumbai, Dhiren Kanwar, chief F&B operations and design, Kshitij Investment Advisory Company and Abhijit Berde, manager (F&B), Kingfisher Airlines as panellists. The second panel discussion was on Our Guest on Us which was moderated by Vir Sanghvi, CEO, INX News & advisory editorial director, Hindustan Times, with Hemant Oberoi, grand executive chef, Luxury Division, Indian Hotels Company Ltd, Akshay Kulkarni, head (Hospitality & Leisure), Knight Frank, Kaizaad Pardiwala, head (Operations), Ogilvy One, Zeba Kohli, Fantasie Chocolates and Neeta Nagraj, JayPee Hotels as panellists.