Desi talk

CUISINE www.desitalkchicago.com – that’s all you need to know 17 NATIONAL AFFAIRS May 24, 2024 Hospitality Leaders Discuss Making Indian Food And Beverages Mainstream T he Indian Consulate in NewYork recently held a brainstorming meeting “Food and Spirit of India” at its premises, with restaurants, food bloggers, critics and entrepreneurs from NewYork, New Jersey and Connecticut to promote Indian food and beverages in the U.S. Restaurants and food businesses suffered major setbacks during the pandemic lock downs. Many small and large Indian restaurants have closed after that. At the same time, Indian food became the choice of many people due to its use of healthy spices like turmeric. If properly presented and marketed, Indian food business can become the choice of many in the U.S., experts have said. This is what the panel at the consulate discussed. The well attended event included officials from the Consulate and the Indian Government, including Consul General Binaya Srikant Pradhan and high officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Com- merce; representatives from the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC,; and successful influencers, developers and entrepreneurs in the food business in the U.S. The meet included some famous names in the Food business, who all survived the pandemic lockdowns and have been thriving and managing their businesses dex- terously and creatively. Roni Mazumdar, with partner Chef Chintan Pandya, is the owner of Unapologetic Foods which owns and oper- ates Adda Indian Canteen, Dhamaka, Semma, Rowdy Rooster, Masalawala & Sons, Naks, and Kebabwala restaurants and food brands in NewYork City. Mazumdar has won the title of FSR Magaine’s Rising Star in 2021, and named the New Guard of Dining in NYC by the Eater Power Issue in 2020. His Dhamaka restaurant has been named by Time Out magazine as one of the 21 Best New Restaurants in theWorld. Chef Prasad Chirnomula, expert at Indian and Mexi- can cuisine, is called “..the most exciting Indian chef in the U.S.” by the Rosengarten Report. An of the Food Craft Institute of Poona with degrees in culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management, Prasad has created six very successful Thali restaurants in New Canaan, Connecticut, in Ridgefield, Westport and New Haven. Prasad who has won the 2011 Elm City Iron Chef title, is involved in all the aspects to create a memorable dining experience. Saurabh Abrol, the founder and CEO of Le Malt Hospitality Group, was mentioned in the Global Million- aire Magazine in April 2024. Le Malt Hospitality Group offers different brands including Le Malt Lounge, Le Malt Royale, Le Malt Imperiale, Meximodo andWine Chateau. Abrol is a well known name among the MarketWatch Leaders, has won the Ernst &Young Entrepreneur of The Year Award and has been honored by R&R Marketing Achievement and the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneur- ship. Anjali Dhir, a graduate of the Towson University in Maryland, works as a technology project manager in AI and robotic process automation. Dhir’s online brand Toast to Taste, focuses on food, culture and adventure, including traditional, fusion, vegan, and healthy recipes. Her webpage offers a range of topics including restaurant reviews, travel insights, self-care tips. Other experts included Andrew Rigie, Franklin Becker and representative from 67 Orange Street. Rigie comes from a family food business background in NewYork, and is a graduate of Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. Rigie is the Founding Executive Director of the independent NYC Hospitality Alliance which in- forms, educates, services and represents restaurants and nightlife venues. He has been listed as “Rising Stars: Next Generation of Political Leaders” by City & State in their 40 Under 40 list. Founder of F. Becker Hospitality, Chef Franklin Becker is known for creating new food concepts in high-end res- taurants and fast-casual dining. Becker has over 30 years’ culinary and business development experience and has starred on Bravo’s Top Chef Master’s. Becker is Culinary Director for Aurify’s brands and is the founding partner of the fast-casual The Little Beet and full-service restaurant The Little Beet Table, The Manhattanville Market Food Hall and Oliva Tapas at Columbia University’s Manhat- tanville campus. 67 Orange Street was established by PeteWilliams as Almacks, the first Black owned and operated bar in the political scene of the 19th century. Today’s 67 Orange Street, located at Frederick Douglass Blvd in NYC, is a popular and vibrant culture center owned by Karl Franz Williams. The meet was also attended by representatives of The Culture Tree organization which promotes cultural liter- acy about South Asia through language and educational and cultural programs. The outcome of the brainstorm- ing meet was a list of new ideas and innovations. By Archana Adalja Photos: CourtesyConsulate General of India,NY India’s Consul General in New York Binaya Srikant Pradhan, above, and panelists discuss food and spirits. Ideas to make Indian food and beverages mainstream were discussed at the Food and Spirit of India event organized by the Consulate General of India, NY. A packed audience eagerly listen to speakers at the recent Food and Spirit of India discussions at the Indian Consulate in New York. India’s Butter Chicken Battle Heats Up With New Court Evidence W ith new photographic and video evidence, an Indian court battle over the origins of the world famous butter chicken is set to get spicier. Two Indian restaurant chains have been sparring since January at the Delhi High Court, both claim- ing credit for inventing the dish in a lawsuit that has grabbed the attention of social media users, food critics, editorials and TV channels across the globe. The popular Moti Mahal restaurant chain said it had the sole right to be recognised as the inventor of the curry and demanded its rival, the Daryaganj chain, to stop claiming credit and pay $240,000 in damages. Moti Mahal said founder Kundan Lal Gujral created the cream-loaded dish in the 1930s at an eatery in Pesha- war, now in Pakistan, before relocating to Delhi. That “story of invention of butter chicken does not ring true” and is aimed at misleading the court, Darya- ganj said in a new, 642-page counter-filing reviewed by Reuters. Daryaganj says a late member of its founding fam- ily, Kundan Lal Jaggi, created the disputed dish when he helmed the kitchen at the relocated Delhi eatery, where Gujral, his friend-cum-partner from Peshawar only handled marketing. Both men are dead, Gujral in 1997 and Jaggi in 2018. Evidence in the non-public filing includes a black- and-white photograph from 1930s showing the two friends in Peshawar; a 1949 partnership agreement; By Aditya Kalra and Arpan Chaturvedi Photo:REUTERS/Sahiba Chawdhary/File Photo Photo:REUTERS/Sahiba Chawdhary/File Photo A freshly prepared butter chicken dish is placed on a table inside the Moti Mahal Delux restaurant in New Delhi, India, January 23, 2024. Amit Bagga, CEO of Daryaganj restaurant, shows a freshly prepared butter chicken dish and the lentil dish Dal Makhani inside Daryaganj restaurant at a mall, in Noida, India, January 23, 2024. - Continued On Page 19