Chef Marco Pierre White to host gourmet fest in Bengaluru

Celebrated British chef Marco Pierre White is back in India to host a two-day gourmet festival 'World on a Plate' (WOAP) at a star hotel in this tech hub from Saturday, according to the event organisers.

"Marco is holding the second edition of the fest in south India for the first time, five months after his debut in Mumbai in January, to explore the exotic dishes of Indian and overseas culinary experts," event organiser Goldrush Entertainment spokesman Kiran Soans told IANS here.

At the gourmand weekend, the acclaimed chef will curate a fine dinner, brunch and two masterclasses at the hospitality partner hotel Ritz Carlton, paired with the best wine and cocktails the country offers.

Noted chef Manu Chandra will interact with White at Nolte's social kitchen during the weekend fest.

"The fest will explore a thematic representation of 'Garden of Eden' congruent with a landscape, an 'organic produce' marketplace, a beer corner, a 'dessert market' and a 'garden Sunday sundowner'," said Soans.

Bangalore's 16 best restaurants and six patisseries will compete for the 'WOAP Restaurant of the Year' trophy.

New age Indian and international chefs will host masterclasses, workshops and contests, parallel to White's live-judging of culinary talent from India at the festival's Taste Theatre.

"Marco will also headline WOAP's initiative to fight hunger in India as they donate over 1,00,000 meals for underprivileged kids in association with HUG Foundation," the spokesman said.

About 10 celebrity chefs will also showcase 22 food pop-ups by restaurants serving regional and global cuisines, desserts, cocktails and live music.

Joining the culinary fest will be famous chefs like the star hotels' chef Bruno Cerdan, Palate Culinary Academy owner Rakhee Vaswani, Everstone Capital Culinary Director Vicky Ratnani, patissier and chocolatier Neeth Medappa, Lavonne Bangalore's Vinesh Johny, Lavasalt Melbourne owner Sabastian Simon, Capeberry's Abhijith Saha and Vikas Seth of Sanchez.

"The chefs will also educate on exploratory cuisines, teach gourmet food pairings and impart lesser known tips and tricks learnt in kitchens the world over," added Soans.

Recalling his visit to Mumbai five months ago, White said he had lots to learn from Indian food.

"India gave me more than I could. It's time to share my kitchen secrets and favourite cooking techniques while preparing some of my signature dishes using fresh local produce," he told reporters ahead of the event.

Chef White will also live-judge 16 of the city's best restaurants to award the 'WOAP Restaurant of the Year' trophy to the most deserving talent.

--IANS

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