accolades biography ‘eating with the enemy’ · entrepreneur, volley ball champion, bollywood...
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Accolades• WinnerBBC’s‘EatingwiththeEnemy’(2008)• ‘OutstandingFemaleEntrepreneur’(ATLBusinessLinkYorkshireEnterprise&DiversityAwards2008)• CivicAward,BradfordCityCouncil,2009• Founder‘GitaMistryFood’
BiographyAwardwinningchef,expertinauthenticIndiancuisine,businessentrepreneur,volleyballchampion,Bollywooddancer,passionatesupporterofchildreninneed;thereareasmanyexotictwiststoGitaMistryassecretingredientsinhermagicSpiceTins.
‘Eating with the Enemy’In2008GitawonBBC’s‘EatingwiththeEnemy’,anationwidecompetitiontofind‘Britain’sBestHomeCook’,presentedbycelebrityTVchefJamesMartin.
GitaemergedthestaroftheshowreceivingawealthofcomplimentsfromthejudgeswhoincludedsomeofBritain’sbestknownandfiercestfoodcritics.Onewentsofarastodescribehercookingas“betterthensex”!
Bradford LassGitaMistrywasborninBradford,WestYorkshire,onApril23rd1968toIndianparentswhocametotheUKviaTanzaniaandwhomarriedwhenGita’smotherwasjust13andherfather20.
StilllivinginBradfordtothisday,Gitaisfiercelyproudofherrootsandtherichlocaldialectisevidentinherdown-to-earthvocabularythatmadeGitasuchafavouriteon‘EatingwiththeEnemy’.Hinderedbydyslexiaatschool,Gitawasdrawntothearts(musicanddance)andsportsandalthoughherparentscouldnotaffordthevarioustuitionfees,whichmeantthatlearningthepianowasnotanoption,shedidlearntoplaytabladrums(apopulartwopiecepercussioninstrument,usedinclassicalmusicoftheIndianSubcontinent)andwentontorepresentEnglandin1984attheWorldSchools’VolleyballChampionships.
Althoughshehaslittletimeforsportsthesedays,musiccontinuestoinspireherinworkandlife.
Leavingschoolat18,Gitaembarkedona20yearcareerinsocialserviceswithBradfordCityCouncilwhereshefirstencounteredtheissuesfacingdisadvantagedchildrenandthehomelessthatshecontinuestosupporttodayandoneoftheproudestdaysofherlifewasinFebruary2009whentheCityofBradfordawardedheracivicreceptiontomarkherachievements.
DuringthistimeGitacontinuedwithherloveoftheartsandin2001shewonthepartofCarolinWillyRussell’s‘StagsandHens’attheTheatreintheMill,Bradford,thenthebrightlightsofLondonbeckonedwheresheauditionedforapartin‘BombayDreams’.
ItwasfollowingaspellperformingattheYorkshirePlayhouseinfourBollywooddancepiecesthatGitawasspottedbythedirectorofapilotBBC3movieandhercareerasalivepresenterwasborn.
Passion for Food
Gitadefineshercookingas‘NewGenerationIndianCuisine’,wheretraditionalIndiantechniques,ingredientsanddishesaregivenafresh,contemporarytwist.
Someofherearliestmemoriesareofhermotherdryingspicesinthesunandgrindingthemtogetheronalargesilverplatebeforestoringtheminherspecialspicetinswiththeirmyriadofcompartmentsanditwasn’tlongbeforeayoungGitawasborrowing’hermotherspicetinstopreparemealsforneighboringfamilies.
ThroughfamilyandfriendsGitahasuncoveredforgottenGaramasalarecipes,bestkeptsecretsandtraditionshandeddownthroughthegenerationsandhasbuiltupawealthofknowledgeandexperiencethroughexperimenting,designingandcreatinghonesthome-cookeddishesthataretruetohervisionfora‘NewGenerationIndianCuisine’.
GitaMistryFoodwaslaunchedin2008topromotehercookingdemonstrationandpresentationskillsandtoprovideprivateandcorporatepartyeventcuisine,basedonher‘NewGenerationIndianCuisine’recipes.Sincewinning‘EatingwithEnemy’GitahasbeenmuchindemandatcorporatefunctionswithcompaniessuchasDeloitteandtakingpartinlivefooddemonstrationsalongsideothertopcelebritychefs.Herrecipeshavefeaturedinnationalmagazinesandnewspapers.Shecontinuestodevelopnewandexcitingdishes,aswellasplanningtolaunchherown-brandrangeofspicetinsandoils.Futureplansincludepublishingherowncookbookandultimatelyareturntotelevisionasafoodpresenter.
Gita Mistry Food
Further information:
Gitasetupherownbusiness,GitaMistryFood,in2008topromotehercookingdemonstrationandpresentationskillsandtoprovideprivateandcorporatepartyeventcatering,basedonher‘NewGenerationIndianCuisine’recipes.
Sincewinning‘EatingwithEnemy’Gitahasbeenmuchindemandmakingpersonalappearancesatrestaurants,supermarketlaunches,foodfairsandcorporatefunctions.Herrecipeshavefeaturedinnationalmagazinesandnewspapers.
Shecontinuestodevelopnewandexcitingdishes,aswellasplanningherown-brandrangeofspicetinsandoilsforretail.Futureplansincludepublishingacookbook,openingherownrestaurantandultimatelyareturntotelevisionasafoodpresenter.
Bookings and Events: e: [email protected]
About Gita Mistry: www.gitamistryfood.co.uk
Media:e: [email protected]
Business:e: [email protected]