Gourmet Central

Earlier slated for February 22-24,Taste had to be postponed due to Bharat bandh. While the delay,says Anand,has not affected the curiousity and enthusiasm around the festival,it has resulted in minor changes in the schedule and participants. “Due to the bandh,our licences were rendered invalid and we had to apply again,” she says.

Although the scale of the Mumbai event may not equal its international counterparts,Anand and her team has got 10 high-end restaurants from Mumbai alone to participate. Among the standalones are Aurus,Kofuku,Olive and Riyaaz Amlani’s Impresario Handmade Restaurants from Mumbai along with Caperberry from Bangalore. The five-star eateries include Arola at JW Marriott,China House at Grand Hyatt,Jamavar at The Leela,Koh at Hotel InterContinental Marine Drive and Prego at The Westin Mumbai,along with Fire at The Park,New Delhi. New York-based chef of Indian origin,Jehangir Mehta (of Graffiti) will also showcase his food.

Each of these restaurants will have a stall in the exhibitors’ arena at the venue where they will serve four tasting portions of their signature dishes to visitors in tented areas,which will also house bars. A number of culinary suppliers will showcase their products too. “We also have Fisher & Paykel Taste Theatre where 20 masterchefs will demonstrate their signature dishes over the weekend,” adds Anand. Apart from Mehta,Chris Erasmus from South Africa,Nadia Lim from New Zealand and Vivek Singh from London,and a number of Indian chefs will hold the sessions. Based on the initial response,the organisers are expecting it to be a success,following which,they intend to take it to other Indian cities. “Since setting it up in the city has made us familiar with the process,we have decided to have another edition of Taste of Mumbai next year before we take it to Delhi or any other city in 2014,” says Anand.