FEA has been a catalyst for collaborations between home chefs and restaurants or hotels for food festivals. Kamiya Dalwani relates her experiences of Sindhi Food Festivals.
Do you think such food festivals can support home chefs?
I enjoyed working with the entire team of Turqouise Villa for the Sindhi Culture Day celebration. The second was at House of MG when I was handling the Sindhi Food Festival of the Weekend with a Home Chef series.
How did you decide the menu?
I decided the menu along with my mentor Anil Mulchandani. We took into consideration the popular dishes of our cuisine which we would want people of Ahmedabad to relish.
Was it challenging to work in a commercial kitchen?
To cook in a home kitchen is being in your comfort zone but in a commercial kitchen, you have to fit in with the team, keep in mind the revenues, and take into account the taste of the diners.
I learnt that prior planning and pre-preparation of dishes is important in order to serve people quickly and cater to patrons in large volumes.
I was anxious as to how would I manage to prepare food on such a large scale single handedly but at both places the team was helpful.
Who encouraged you to take on the challenge?
I enjoyed working closely with my mentor Anil Mulchandani. FEA admin and members were also very encouraging.
Which were the heart-warming moments?
Rushad Ginwala commented that he had the best gajar halwa of his life, and a compliment from a person of his stature matters a lot to me. I felt really great and satisfied to receive good feedback about my dishes.
