Sustainability Theme at IIHM Kolkata s International Food and Drinks Festival

/ -- On the occasion of IIHM's International Food and Drinks Festival, 'Locavore', three gala nights were organised on the poolside of Nicco Park's Wet-O-Wild water amusement park. The festival was held from 20th to 22nd December 2019 where the second year students, led by the third year students of IIHM Kolkata organised the entire event. No bonfires, but the warmth of students was enough for the guests to feel comfortable. "The thought behind this year's Food Festival is the same as the upcoming Young Chef Olympiad (YCO), which is 'sustainability'. With natural resources rapidly declining, students need to learn how to prepare fantastic food and drink items using local items. We need to look carefully around us. All the food prepared at the festival contained local ingredients, including the spices. So students learnt how to prepare international cuisine using local ingredients," said Chef Sanjay Kak, the Culinary Director of IIHM. In keeping with the theme, the students had decorated the festival grounds with everything that is local and sustainable. All through the festival, the students tried to maintain the least amount of disposables at the venue. The Food Festival had a spread of items from countries like India, China, Thailand, Italy and Japan.

The highlight of the festival was the IIHM Good Earth Caf, the food counter that featured the student culinary starts of IIHM - Varun Tej Reddy, the India participant of YCO 2020, Kewal Chauhan and Siddhant Jaiswal. The trio curated a 100 per cent sustainable, zero, no-meat menu that included items like Buckwheat burgers with mock meat, Sarson ka Saag, Chak Hao Risotto, Sushi and Sashimi made from local fish and seafood varieties.

Locavore was the perfect example of how IIHM believes in 'Learning Through Food Festivals'. Students do not just learn how to blend spices and cook a variety of cuisines, but also learnt how to market their products. The future hoteliers, event managers and probable entrepreneurs received complete all-round training through this practical exposure. The three-day festival saw a huge footfall of more than 4,000 people. The guest list also included distinguished people.

Link to a glimpse of the Food Festival can be seen here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2722335777814326&id=103259113052087 and here: https://www.facebook.com/iihmhotelschool/photos/a.2949575088420461/2949576415086995/?type=3&theater
Dr Suborno Bose, the Chairman and Chief Mentor of IIHM, said, "The Food Festival is one of the best examples of how IIHM believes in Learning Through Food Festivals. The entire festival has been organised by the second and third year students of IIHM Kolkata. At IIHM, they get full exposure to practical learning which will help them develop into complete individuals. They are the future hoteliers and entrepreneurs. This year's festival is also themed on Sustainability which is also theme of YCO2020."
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For more information on YCO, please visit: https://ycolympiad.com/