IFEA celebrated International Women’s Day with SNS Cooking Club and Prow Services at Sports Club of Gujarat, Ahmedabad.
While women have been closely associated in India with the kitchen, they are vastly underrepresented as professionals in hotels and restaurant industry. It is rare to find women at management level in hotels and women chefs are few and far between. Realising the need to motivate women in the culinary profession, IFEA organised the felicitation of Women in Food at Sports Club, Ahmedabad.
Mayor of Ahmedabad, Shrimati Pratibha Jain was the chief guest for the occasion. Jayendra Tanna of Ahmedabad Chamber of Commerce Welfare Fund and women empowerment expert Hetal Amin were the guests of honour.
The following were felicitated on the occasion:
# 1 Women in the Hospitality Industry
Chef Pooja Verma
Chef Nisha Deshmukh
Chef Nisha Vishwakarma
Sakshi Upadhyay, Marketing & Communications.
Madhuban Resort, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Anand
Chef Jayanti Pattayar
Chef Nishika Sharma
ITC Narmada
Chef Manju Rathore
Gayatri Hurra , Marketing and PR
Vivanta by Taj Ahmedabad
Chef Anjali Kumari
Chef Snehal
Sarovar Premiere Bhavnagar
Lata Karki, Bakery
Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad
Chandan Parmar, Chef de Partie
Pooja Gandhi, Events Sales Manager Heldina Christie, Senior Events Sales Manager
Aashima Kadakia, Marcom Manager
Anamika Rawat, Senior Sales Manager
Himadri Chokshi, Assistant Manager – HR
Dhara Ramanuj, Assistant Manager – Learning
Ankita Jaiswal, Housekeeping Manager
Leela Gandhinagar
Chef Kinjal Rathod
Mallika Das, Director Finance Oinam, Spa Manager
Mousmi Mondal, Revenue Manager
Chokhi Dani, Rajkot
All women team, Agashey Restaurant
#2 Culinary Heritage Entrepreneurs
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law teams running the following heritage hotels:
- Home for Nature Lovers, Jambughoda palace
- Dowlat Villas Palace, Himmatnagar
- Darbargadh Poshina
- Garden Palace, Balasinor
#3 Women promoters of cooking events for their role in upgrading skills of home chefs
Bela Maniar
Preeti Thakker
Hina Gautam
Jenish Parmar
Neeti Avasti
Chetna Patel
Manisha Gupta
#4 Women in the Food Industry
Ulhasben Zaveri, Gujju Foods
Anal Kotak, The Secret Kitchen
Chandani Shubhang Shah for her outstanding sugar art and decorated cakes.
Dia Rupani for her work with Shikarpuri Sweets
Harsha Rupani for founding Aroma Food Junction
Ami Vyas, co-owner, A Gourmasserie
# Cultural Heritage Promoters
Pooja Sangani (Food Columnist)
Richa Dalwani (Heritage, Arts and Crafts Entrepreneur)
Abhinisha Jani Ashara (Traditional Clothing & Fashion Influencer)
Dixa Pandit (Traditional clothing and food influencer)
Bina Parikh Mehta, Sufi danseuse
Ami Vyas, co-owner, A Gourmasserie