Handi Talks — August Edition
As it is with every Handi Talks session at The Culinary Lounge, the August edition of Handi Talks was an immensely interactive and enlightening session. The afternoon began with the ladies from ‘Zaika-E-Nizamuddin’ sharing their most inspiring journey with us, followed by Prashanth Gowriraju, CEO of ‘PopiCorn’ sharing his roller coaster journey. The evening concluded with a panel discussion around the topic of ‘Zero Food Wastage’. The panelists included Kavitha Mantha, Owner Sage Farm and Cafe and Chef Yogender Pal, Executive Chef, Park Hyatt, Hyderabad.The panel discussion was moderated by the stalwart of Handi Talks, Mr. Vijay Marur.
Zaika-E-Nizamuddin is an initiative involving ladies from a 700 year old basti in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi. This basti holds the secret to innumerable unique recipes that have been passed on through generations.The Aga Khan Foundation realised in this a source of sustenance for the ladies of the basti and helped them set up Zaika-E-Nizamuddin; a food service which dips into this treasury of recipes and cooks home cooked food in a hygienic and systematic manner. Zaika-E-Nizamuddin accepts orders through whatsapp, and delivers hot, delicious, home-cooked dishes to your doorstep. In a short span of time, Zaika-E-Nizamuddin has gained in popularity immensely. The Aga Khan Foundation is hand-holding them in this journey as they explore ways to scale their business. The Foundation has given these ladies the visibility that had long eluded them. They have for the first time stepped out of Nizamuddin and ventured out to Hyderabad on invitation of Park Hyatt. The ladies spent a week in Park Hyatt showcasing their recipes and winning over hearts in Hyderabad. We were immensely inspired by them and wish them the very best in their journey ahead!
Popicorn is gradually becoming a household name. The brand has established itself as a forerunner in marketing and selling ready-to-eat popcorn. The first thing that strikes you when you open a packet of Popicorn is the freshness of the product as well as the variety of flavours on offer. Prashanth Gowriraju, CEO of Timla Foods and the driving force behind the Popicorn brand has an persevering story to tell. After many an unsuccessful venture, and bracing all the hardships that come with the struggle involved, he started Timla Foods. Why Timla? ‘This Is My Last Adventure’, he says. The acronym is a constant reminder to him on what this venture means to him. If he did not succees this time round either, he would have to return to the corporate world which would promise him stability, but would not allow him the peace of mind he seeks. Well, now, he need not worry about that anymore because Popicorn is a hit and we all love it!
Food Wastage is a huge concern for the community at-large today. If we all don’t play our part in tackling this problem together, the day when food shortage will be a reality is not too far. Our panelists for the evening Kavitha Mantha and Chef Yogender Pal spoke at length about different ways each of them were dealing with reducing food wastage at their respective organisations. Sage Farm Cafe has been one of the most successful at dealing with this issue. “It’s become norm for Organic Stores to become Zero Waste but hardly any full service restaurant would consider going that route, considering all the challenges that stand in the way. A lot of pieces need to come together to make it happen.SAGE Farm Cafe was designed specifically with the intent of using excess and waste produce and I am very proud to say that the Cafe and Store are now ‘ZERO waste to landfill”, says Kavith Mantha. A large enterprise like Park Hyatt ofcourse has their work cut out in this regard and finds it much harder to tackle the problem but Chef Yogender Pal through his relentless efforts has successfully managed to drastically reduce food wastage at Park Hyatt Hyderabad. In this enlightening session discussions revolved around how each one of us can play a small, yet vital role in dealing with this issue and as always, it all starts at home and with small changes to our lifestyle and mindset.
