food & beverage business review

1Hammer Food & Beverage Business ReviewDec-Jan ’13

2 Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review Dec-Jan ’13

E d i t o r i a l

Publisher cum Editor

Rajneesh Sharma

[email protected]

Associate Editor

Swarnendu Biswas

Resident Editor

Sharmila Chand (Delhi)

Ashok Malkani (Mumbai)

Feature Editor

Kanishka Gupta

Sub-Editor

Tapapriya Lahiri

Layout & Design

Hari Kumar. V

Narender Kumar

Advertising Sales

Delhi: Debabrath Nath, Sudhir Pandey, Ashish Jha

Mumbai: Rajesh Tupsakhre

Subscription sales

Dattaram Gangurde

Director Sales

Sanjay Anand

Director Operations & Finance

Rajat Taneja

Editorial & Advertising Offices:

Delhi:

Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

1202, Pragati Tower, 26, Rajindra Place, New Delhi-110008

Phone: 91-11-45084903, 25854103 Telefax: 91-11-25854105

Mumbai:

Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

105, 1st Floor, Aarpee Centre, Gufic Compound, 11th Road,

MIDC, Near Tunga Paradise,

Andheri (E), Mumbai-400093

Ph.: 022-28395833 Telefax: 022-28388947

Website: www.fbrmag.com

E-mail: [email protected]

© 2012 Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. No article can be reproduced in part

or as whole without prior permission of the Publisher.

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review is a bi-monthly magazine,

printed, owned and published by Rajneesh Sharma from 302, Himgiri

Apartments, J-Block, Vikaspuri, New Delhi. Printed at Age of

Enlightenment Publications, Green Fields Colony, Faridabad, Haryana.

Annual Subscription rate within India is Rs. 450 and overseas US $110, for

surface mail. Single issue is available for Rs. 90 in India and US $25

overseas. Cheques are payable to Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

Editorial Policy: Editorial emphasis in Hammer Food & Beverage Business

Review magazine is on educational & informational material specifically

designed to assist those responsible for managing institutional food &

beverage business. Articles are welcome and will be published on the

sole discretion of the editor.

Italy is known for its pizzas and pastas, andGermany for its burgers (though it the US-basedQSRs which made pizzas and burgers famousacross the globe with their fast food chains), thehigh point of Japanese cuisine is sushi andsashimi, and the hallmark of French cuisine iscaviar and foie gras. Our own Indian cuisine isfamous for its varied and delectable curries. Infact, without curries Indian cuisine is notcomplete.

What is heartening is that in this globalisedage, the popularity of Indian curries has flowed

much beyond the Indian shores, and the astonishing and enduring success ofcurries across Britain’s restaurant business can be regarded as one of the fewglobal success stories stemming from the authentic culinary culture of India.

However, through these above paragraphs I have not attempted to forwardthe erroneous impression that curries are only germane to Indian gastronomiclegacy. Though the origin of the word curry may be derived from Tamil, butthe aromas of curries are very much a part of cuisines of Thailand, and otherSouth Asian and South-East Asian nations. Even Trinidad and Fiji have theirown curries. Many of the countries have developed their own recipes ofcurries.

Like delectable pizzas are not only created in Italy, India too isn’t the onlycountry carrying forward the curry tradition, but that doesn’t take away fromthe fact that Indian curries have achieved global popularity.

Curries can be very diverse in terms of their culinary character andpresentation. In fact, the Indian curries and Thai curries are popularlyregarded as two important and distinctive schools of curry creation, thoughthere are lots of similarity between curries from Kerala and Thai curries. TheIndian curry or rather curries are not homogenous entity and they encompassan awesome diversity of concoctions and ingredients. The curries from onestate of India is often different from the curries from its another state.However, the common feature of curries is the infusion of complexcombination of herbs and/or spices, and often the presence of fresh or driedhot chillies.

In our Cover Story, we have attempted to explore in detail the fascinatingand flavoursome world of curries, where we have not only probed into itsetymology and history; its flow of popularity during the ancient period, butalso on some of its myriad regional varieties in the Indian context. The essentialsimilarities and differences between Indian and Thai curries are also examined.We hope our piece on curry would find favours among our esteemed readers’mindshare.

The ingredients/additives market in India is small by global standards butis brimming with potential, especially in the background of increased demandfor processed foods in the market; a demand that is fostered by growingeconomy and evolving lifestyle of our changing society. Over the next five-sixyears or so, the healthy ingredients/additives market in India is expected towitness rapid development. We have briefly covered some elements of theingredients/ additives market along with reference to the Indian context, inour Business Story.

Besides these two highly relevant topics, we have also presented a widegamut of analysis and information of industry interest, through our regularand additional sections, and also through our reports and news columns. Wehope our readers would find this platform of knowledge and informationpertaining to the Indian F&B industry to be useful.


CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTS

Cover Story 36

Currying Flavours

Business 42

Adding Value to F&B

Feature 48

Brewing a Success Story

Agri 52

Soya: A Healthy Substitute

Theme Cuisine 70

The Unique Flavours from Rajasthan

Hygiene 80

Prevent, Protect and Verify

Departments

Event 04

News 10

Report 28

Profile 54

Meat 58

Bakery 60

Beverage 64

Pub 66

Restaurant Review 74

Chef Voice 76

Operations 78

Equipment 82

Product Preview 84

Business Opportunity 87

Interview 92


E V E N T

SIAL China 2013 — Meet of Global

Tastes and Flavours

SIAL China 2013 will be held during7th-9th May 2013 at Shanghai NewInternational Expo Center. It goeswithout saying that the event is the Asia’sleading food & beverage exhibition. Thiswould be the 14th edition of SIAL China.The organiser of this mammoth show offood & beverage is Comexposium. Thisannual show of food & beverageindustry with more than 40 internationalpavilions and seven exhibition halls isexpected to attract 2200 exhibitors from90 countries, and 46,000 visitors from100 countries. The event would bespread across 85,000sq.m. Major marketplayers from retail,hotel/restaurant/catering(HoReCa),food services, theimport/exporttrade andmanufacturing areexpected to visitthis show.

Foodingredients, dairyproducts, freshmeat, fresh fruits& vegetables,dried fruits,confectionery, ready to eat products,frozen food, organic products, dietproducts, children’s food & health,grocery products, wines & spirits,beverages, and preserved products willbe part of the exhibit profile of SIALChina 2013.

Singapore, Indonesia, Switzerland,Belgium, Republic of Lithuania,Columbia, and Ecuador will debut inthe show, while the US, France,Australia, Italy, Spain, South Africa andover 10 national pavilions will bedoubling their sizes in this year’s editionof SIAL China. Turkey will be the GuestCountry of Honor.

To continue its endeavour towardsgourmet development in Asia, SIALCHINA has gone the extra mile to bringin a plethora of exhibitors and visitorsfrom retail, HoReCa and wine industryto this forthcoming show. The event is

expected to have the participation ofmany internationally renownedorganisations which include names likeHong Kong Trade DevelopmentCouncil, Organiser of HK Pavilion,DKSH (China), Wisdom Plus Resources,Shanghai Fisheries General Corp.(Group), Beijing Mingyin Trading,Shanghai Nouriz Dairy, Sheng HangTrading(Shanghai), Bip Candy Toys &Gift (Dong Guan), Dalian XiaoqinFood, Deweiweimai Beer Trade Beijing,Shenzhen Kong Shan Wang TatIndustries &Trade, Shanghai HitInternational Trade and many more.

The 14th edition of SIAL China willinclude gourmet-oriented productzones, such as tea & coffee, wine &spirits, organic, dairy, seafood, fruits &vegetables, chocolate world, sweets &snacks, meat, halal, etc. There will be 14products zones in total. What is more,four tastefully dedicated events aregeared to satiate a better-than-everexperience for the visitors’ taste buds.

The four tastefully dedicated eventsat the forthcoming show of SIAL Chinawill be the 6th Edition of La CUISINEby SIAL, the 9th edition of SIALInnovation, the 2nd Edition ofHospitality & Retail Forum, and the2nd Edition of Chocolate World. At the6th Edition of La CUISINE by SIAL youcan highlight your products duringculinary demonstration by talentedinternational Chefs from mainlandChina, France, Hong Kong SAR, Macau

SAR, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam,Singapore, Turkey, USA and othercountries and regions. The event willattract the HoReCa industryprofessionals who are looking forinnovation and inspiration.

The 9th edition of SIAL Innovation,which has been a key event of this showfor the past eight years, will offer theexhibitors a platform to showcase theirlatest innovative products andcommunicate on food innovations. Thisarea is expected to be visited by morethan 70 percent of the visitors to theshow The SIAL Innovation observatory

will provide a unique opportunity forretail traders in a single area.

The 2nd Edition of Hospitality &Retail Forum will come across as a specialforum to cover hospitality trends andrelated topics. In 2012 show, more than14 high level conferences hosted by theindustry experts were held under thisevent. In the 2013 edition, the eventwill continue to attract the under-the-radar buyers.

For satisfying the needs of high-endchocolate in Chinese market, SIALCHINA has decided to strongly projectthe high-end chocolate brands in‘Chocolate World.’ In 2013, SIALCHINA will launch the second editionof Chocolate World, and the event isexpected to attract the participation ofhigh-end industrialsed chocolatecorporations, and also handmadechocolate companies.


E V E N T

E V E N T S’ C A L E N D E RE V E N T S’ C A L E N D E R

Aahar 2013

14-18 March 2013

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

www.aaharinternationalfair.com

HOTELEX 2013

1-3 April 2013

Shanghai New International Exhibition

Center, Shanghai,China

www.hotelex.cn

SIAL China 2013

7-9 May 2013

Shanghai New International Exhibition

Center, Shanghai, China

www.sialchina.com

Thaifex- World of Food ASIA 2013

22-26 May 2013

Impact Challenger, Thailand

www.worldoffoodasia.com

HBF 2013

14-16 June 2013

Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai

www.hbf.co.in

HOSFAIR 2013

27-29 June 2013

China Imports & Exports Fair Complex,

Guangzhou

www.hosfair.com

TRAFS 2013

25-28 July 2013

Hall 103, Bangkok International Trade &

Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangkok

www.thailandhoreca.com

Hong Kong International Tea Fair

15-17 August 2013

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition

Center, Hongkong

www.hkteafair.com

Shared Values, Action for a

Future World

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

The BioFach and Vivaness is awonderful platform forstakeholders in organic produce.

2,420 exhibitors presented their productsto 40,315 trade buyers from 130countries at BioFach and Vivaness 2012.Besides Germany (23,592), the top fivecountries in terms of visitors at the lastyear’s event included Austria (1606), Italy(1313), the Netherlands (1218) andFrance (1129).

This edition of annual BioFach andVivaness returns to Nuremberg during13th to 16th February 2013. Therequirements for sustainable and future-proof economic management will be thecentral focus of the BioFach Congress2013

The atmosphere at BioFach Congress isexpected to be very special, like in itsprevious editions. It is not only animportant business event, but also anemotional event for the organic sector. It isa must visit event for the world’s organic

professionals from the organic food,natural cosmetics, natural textiles andmany other segments. Fresh food, frozenconvenience products, meat, fish andseafood, baked products, fruits, vegetablesand herbs, ice-cream, grocery products —cooking and baking, grocery products—snacks and sweets, cereals and mueslis,sweet spreads and honey, hearty spreads,delicatessen and antipasti, dietary foodand baby food, special forms of nutrition

(macrobiotics, etc.), remedies and foodsupplements, other grocery products,drinks are only some of the plethora ofproducts to be showcased at the event.

The Congress will have around 150events and is expected to attract 8,000participants. The focus in the 2013edition builds seamlessly on last year’s keytopic of sustainability. Several subjects willbe dealt with, including the significance ofshared values, co-operation, fair action, fairand transparent value chains and diversitythrough regionality and globalisation.


Aahar 2013 —A Curtain Raiser

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Aahar 2013 will be held during 14th-18th March

2013. The venue of the event will be the Pragati

Maidan, New Delhi. This will be the 28th edition

of Aahar, the international fair on food and

hospitality. Aahar 2013 will be demarcated into

two separate and concurrent exhibitions —

‘Hospitality India’ which will be covering hotel

and restaurant equipment and supplies and

‘Food India,’ which will be covering processed food & beverages. The event is

geared to attract huge numbers of overseas & Indian buyers, importers &

wholesalers, besides overseas trade delegations, businesspersons, policy

makers, media persons, suppliers and hoteliers among others.

This mammoth trade event will be organised by India Trade Promotion

Organisation (ITPO), which is the nodal agency of the Government of India for

promoting the country’s external trade. The event will be supported by the

Ministry of Food Processing Industries, and Agricultural & Processed Food

Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). Association of Resource

Companies for the Hospitality Industry of India

(ARCHI), Hotel & Restaurant

Equipment Manufacturers’

Association of India

(HOTREMAI), and All India Food

Processors’ Association

(AIFPA) will be the

associates for the event.

At Aahar 2012, 565

exhibitors, which included 72

exhibitors from 19 countries —

Argentina, Australia, China,

Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong,

Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Sweden,

Turkey, Taiwan, Malaysia, UAE, USA and Vietnam — took part. The

exhibitors’ participation at Aahar 2012 increased by 20 percent as compared

to the previous year’s edition of the event.

Overall 22,264 business visitors including 226 overseas business visitors

from countries such as Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Canada,

Finland, Ghana, Hong Kong, Italy, Kuwait, Pakistan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Nepal,

New Zealand, Oman, the Philippines, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, United Arab

Emirates, United Kingdom and United States of America visited Aahar 2012,

which was a remarkable improvement over the figure of 13,853 business

visitors, which included 139 business visitors from foreign countries, for

Aahar, 2011. It is expected that Aahar 2013 would be an even bigger success

story as compared to Aahar 2012.


N E W S S C A N

Tea and Food Paired for Taste

Celebrating the Taste of MumbaiThe internationally acclaimed series of food and drink festival –

Taste Festivals – will come to India with the launch of ‘Taste of

Mumbai. The city-based food and drink festival is expected to

be an eclectic selection of food, drinks and restaurants to delight

the people of Mumbai. It will be held at Marine Drive, from 22-24

February 2013.

Taste Festival is a high-quality food and beverage consumer

event where the host city ’s prestigious restaurants and

celebrated Chefs serve sample-sized signature dishes to visitors

in an outdoor city centre venue. The event is spruced with ‘retail

therapy’ with food and drink related features and exhibitors

including wineries, coffee shops, patisseries, breweries among

other exciting options.

American Express is the presenting sponsor for Taste of

Mumbai, which will bring together celebrated Chefs like Abhijit

Saha from Caperberry, Italian restaurant Diva’s Ritu Dalmia,

Manu Chandra of Olive Bar & Kitchen, and Vicky Ratnani to

share the culinary art form and present their signature dishes.

Alain Fabrigues from Australia, Jehangir Mehta from New York,

Vivek Singh from London, and Margot Janse from South Africa

will be the international Guest Chefs for the event.

“Taste Festivals are delighted to be launching in Mumbai

with our partners ASK for food and our title sponsor American

Express. With Taste’s international credentials we hope to deliver

a truly ground-breaking experience by celebrating local and

international food and drink,” said Justin Clarke, CEO, Taste

Festivals.

Wine and food paring is already a happening trend in India’srestaurant business. Now it is the time for that nation to witnesstea and food pairing with Typhoo’s unique Out of the Pot journey.Chef Vicky Ratnani has perfectly balanced food with the righttype of tea, allowing one to explore new tastes and explore hiddenflavours. The method behind tea and food pairing is much likewine and food pairing. Stronger black teas go with strongly-

flavoured and spicyfood items. Lighterblack teas go withlightly-flavouredfood items. Greenteas go better withsavoury foods suchas fish, sushi,noodles and otherAsian food items.

Tea can act as agreat flavour bridgefrom one meal

course to the next. It refreshes and readies the palate to savour thenext course in your meal. Teas are also a healthier accompanimentthan wine, as it fills in the flavour gaps in a dish, which if leftunfulfilled can leave you craving for more food. Celebrated ChefVicky Ratnani demonstrated the versatility of the beverage with aspecially prepared menu and showed how, like wines, different

teas can be paired perfectly with different types of food. ChefVicky said, “What I find exciting is the fact that flavoured teaoffers a variety of tastes and enriches the food pairing with it.”

Present at the occasion, Typhoo spokesperson Renu Kakkarsaid, “Typhoo offers an exciting range of teas to its Indiancustomers. Typhoo Darjeeling goes excellently with creamydesserts, cream cheese sandwiches, and mawa cake. TyphooClassic Assam is perfect with rich red meats, pastas, samosas,chocolate, rich cakes and desserts. Typhoo English Breakfast is agreat drink to sip with your egg bhurji and aloo parantha. TyphooEarl Grey is good with creamy desserts, mild English cheeses,lemon and orange flavoured cakes and desserts like rabdi, faludaand kulfi. Opt for Typhoo Green Tea if you are planning a mealof seafood, fish, chicken, salads or Japanese, Chinese, Thai andother Asian food items. Typhoo Fruit Infusions, meanwhile, gobest with fruity and sweet foods or act as an ingredient forcocktails and mocktails.”


N E W S S C A N

A Coveted Recognition for Chi Kitchen and BarBrands Academy World Travel Brands Award — 2012 has awarded

Chi Kitchen and Bar the distinction of the Best Upcoming Chinese

Restaurant in Delhi. Advertising guru Prahald Kakkar presented the

award to Sohrab Sitaram, the owner of Chi Kitchen and Bar on 15th

December, at Radisson BLU Hotel New Delhi Dwarka.

Delhi-based Chi Kitchen & Bar brings to diners a well researched

Pan-Asian menu which rustles up ancient and modern recipes from

the bustling streets, metropolises and homes across the oriental

countries with a contemporary and stylish twist. It boasts of the

finest dishes from China, Thailand Vietnam and Malaysia, and has a

huge variety of dimsums and teas.

The gala ceremony was executed in the most spectacular style

to felicitate the winners’ achievements. The evening was a grand

ceremony with award presentations by celebrities, offering immense

networking opportunities for the professionals in the industry.

World Travel Brands is a premium status offered exclusively on

an invitation basis to brands, companies and products from the travel,

tourism and hospitality industries as an exclusive honour. It covers

various countries, which are India, USA, UK, UAE, Australia, New

Zealand, France, Canada, and Singapore.

Chi Kitchen & Bar has emerged out of the zealous and dedicated

efforts of a team that is unified in its endeavour to provide every

valued guest who gifts it her/his patronage an unrivalled dining

experience. The organisation is spearheaded by Sohrab Sitaram,

who is no stranger to the field and has in fact gained immense

success and recognition with previous ventures.

Room for Grill in GurgaonThe Indian Grill Room has debuted in the heart of Gurgaon.Located on the Golf Course Road, the restaurant is expectedto cater to the grill aficionados. This restaurant showcasesdiverse Indian cuisine through the use of various Indiangrillingtechniques likethe tawa,charcoal grill,pathar andtandoor. Therestaurantendeavours toprovide itspatrons withone-of-a-kindexperience.Spread over20,000 sq. ft.with indoor andoutdoorsections in equalproportions, itoffers privatedining areaswith a personalChef and a minibar. The indoorarea has a large open kitchen with a Chef ’s table at thecentre, with interactive grill stations. The terrace has a largewater body, gazebos and a performance area. The restauranthas taken a pan Indian approach to its menu. Indian GrillRoom serves popular north Indian kebabs like the MalaiTikka, Fish Amritsari, Kesari Paneer Tikka, Kashmiri TabakMaaz, and also favourites from other parts of the country likethe Meen Moilee, Goan Chicken Cafreal, Mutton Suka or theUrlai (Potato) Roast from the south. The food menu has afocus on Indian cuisine and has finger food like Garlay(succulent meat balls minced and kneaded to perfection, infusedwith freshly-ground mild spices)

For the main course there is an elaborate island buffetwith interactive stations which offer curries, lentils, meatswith sprinkling of regional specialties. Here, at The IndianGrill Room, the menu changes every month. The IndianGrill Room has two bars. The luxurious indoor bar hasintimate seating for 20 people while at the outdoors the baris attached to the Terrace at IGR. The bars at the restaurantoffer a large variety of spirits and cocktails with a focus onwhiskeys. The restaurant bar offers over 37 labels ofwhiskeys. Besides, there are some signature cocktails includethe Aam Panna Mojito , Masala Martini and many more.

The Terrace is an extension to the Indian Grill Room,which is a one of its kind premium Indian dining restaurant.The Terrace is an open space spread over an area of 12,000 sq.ft. with a large water body and a center performance area,open kitchens, a large bar counter and luxurious loungeseating. The terrace also offers private gazebos for groups of15 to 20 people – the private gazebos come along with apersonal bar trolley, a bartender and exclusive service staff.


N E W S S C A N

Creambell Unveils Ice-cream

CakesCreambell, the ice-cream giant inthe Indian market, has launchedthe Tropical Paradise, which is anaddition to the Creambell’sdelicious range of ice-cream cakes.Tropical Paradise cake is encased ina delicious mix of chocolate withcashew nut. In between layers ofvanilla cake, there are juicypineapple pieces and pineapplesauce in vanilla ice-cream. Theresult is a taste that is a burst of fruity flavour, exotic cashew nuts,with dollops of chocolate. Tropical Paradise ice cream cake comesin a convenient multi-serve pack, which makes it economical too.

Here it deserves a mention that Creambell is one of the fastestgrowing ice cream brands in India, and is amongst the top fiveice-cream producers of the country with a 15 percent marketshare in the Indian ice-cream industry. It has presence in 19 statesacross India and is a dominant player in many of the regions.

Nitin Arora, Chief Operating Officer, Creambell Ice Creamsaid, “Cashew nuts are among the most premium traditional dryfruits in India and are hugely popular as a festival speciality.Tropical Paradise combines the traditional touch and taste ofcashew and pineapple with the smooth rich texture of chocolatefor the first time, to make an exotic combination. Ice cream cakelovers will enjoy its creamy texture, distinctive packaging andirresistible taste.”

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

HACT—a New QSR in the

CapitalHACT, popularlyknown as ‘ How AbtChicken Today?’ is thenew player in the QSRsegment. It is a ventureof Alchemist Foods Ltd.The brand waslaunched in New Delhi, in the recent past. This very Indian playeris characterised by its Indian flavours, ingredients, and concepts.HACT not only caters to your taste, but also cares for your health.Hygiene and consistency are extremely important to the brand. AtHACT, the calories are kept in check by grilling the chicken, whichis a healthy option. HACT offers a gamut of healthy chickendelicacies for its guests. Its chickens come from the company’s ownhatcheries, raised at its farms and processed at its own plants,thereby executing the farm to fork concept. Just like their food, theinteriors of HACT are also well thought out – bright, slick andcheerful. The illustrations on the walls are uniquely Indian as themenu. Each one gives you a glimpse into our wonderful, livelyculture. With a little tongue-in-cheek humour with your mouthfulof juicy, tasty chicken, HACT provides a perfect eating out optionfor families, friends & group dining alike.

And for all you veggie lovers, HACT has got a fabulousvariety of vegetarian delicacies too.

An Award for AwkenoxAWK Steel Wares (P) Ltd. is an accredited companyengaged in the manufacturing of stainless steel cutlery, bartools, kitchen tools, tableware and hotelware. It haspresence in the domestic as well as the international market.The company has the reputation of adhering tointernationalqualitystandards,includingfood gradeanddishwashersafe norms,and isknown forits strongcustomer-oriented approach and industry expertise. The 40,000 sq.ft. factory of the company has an array of modernequipments, but at the same time old hand dye makingcraftsmen in-house. Based in Ghaziabad, it is an ISO 9001:2000 certified company. Recently, Awkenox, the brand ofthe company, was acknowledged as the Most PreferredBrand in Hotelware Category by NDTV Profit.


N E W S S C A N

A p p o i n t m e n t sA p p o i n t m e n t sA p p o i n t m e n t sA p p o i n t m e n t sA p p o i n t m e n t s

Ashis RoutCourtyard by Marriott Gurgaon has appointed

Ashis Rout as the new Executive Chef. A veteran

food and beverage executive with extensive luxury

hotel experience, he will be overseeing the

culinary operations at the hotel, facilitating its

excellence in dining.

Having a rich experience of more than a decade,

Rout brings incomparable culinary expertise to the

kitchen. He describes his offerings as

uncomplicated, contemporary, inspiring and innovative. Rout loves to rehash

regional cuisines and creating out of the box dishes for his guests. He brings

his learning from cultures across the country to redefine new balances in

flavours and re-create cuisines to suit different palates.

“Working with an experienced and professional food & beverage team we

will extend the hotel’s pursuit for excellence and quality in all areas,” said

Rout. Prior to joining Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon, he served as an

Executive Chef at Ananda in the Himalayas and has worked as Sr. Sous Chef

for Ista Bangalore.

Amol MoreAmol More has recently joined Courtyard by Marriott, Bhopal

as the Director of Food and Beverage. He brings with him 14

years of experience and passion for cuisines to help the hotel

in preparing new menus and innovative dishes for its F&B

outlets.

Prior to joining Courtyard by Marriott, Bhopal, More was

the Director of Events at JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai. He began

his career in 1998 with Accor Hotels as a Kitchen Executive

Trainee and worked his way up to become a Junior Sous Chef.

In 2001, he joined Orchid Hotels and towards the end of 2003, he joined the

pre-opening team of Velvet Lounge — the plush lounge at Renaissance

Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel. After a short stint as a restaurateur-

entrepreneur, in 2005, he moved to JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai to open its

South-East Asian restaurant – Spices. Following two year tenure as the

Banquet Chef, he became the Executive Sous Chef of the hotel.

Pravin BagaliChef Pravin Bagali, the Executive Chef at The Westin Chennai Velachery brings

a multicultural culinary experience spruced with refreshing new ideas. As

Executive Chef, he aims at tantalising the taste buds of his guests with the

perfect gourmet experience. Bestowed with the Starwood President Award in

2007, Chef Pravin Bagali’s passion has further led him on to writing unique

recipes for various publications, as well as creating novel food designing

concepts.

He has also, in his career, opened six different restaurant and banquet

operations along with participating in three hotel pre-openings. Furthermore,

he has actively participated in designing signature breakfast and lunch menus

which are innovative re-interpretations of traditional favourites. His illustrious

career spans across India, UAE and the Maldives and he has experience of

working with renowned hospitality brands, which include The Oberoi, Taj

Group, Marriott, Villa Hotels, Movenpick and Starwood Hotels & Resorts.


N E W S S C A N

Stewarding Association of India was launched on 15th December2012, at the Taurus Hotel and Convention, New Delhi. PardeepRana, a senior hospitality professional with 12 years of experience inthe hospitality industry, is the Founder of this association. Over thecourse of his illustrious tenure, Rana has had experience ofoperating stewarding department in different prestigious hotels.

Rana was awarded the Stewarding Manager for 2012, for the North region.“I believe in empowering my staff, upholding their integrity and building rapport

with people across the hotel,” asserted Rana when asked about his mantra ofmanaging. He lamented that, “Stewarding department, till now has been quitenarrowly perceived. Its role is thought to be confined to the cleaning of back-of-house areas. Few realise that a large portion of stewarding operations also consists ofadministrative works.”

Presently, he is the Executive Chief Steward of The Leela Kempinski GurgaonHotel and Residences. Aparesh Sinha of ITC Hotels and Resorts was appointed asthe President of the Stewarding Association of India. Subrata Mukherjee of The LalitHospitality is the Vice-President of the association, and Suresh Malhotra is itsGeneral Secretary.

Through team building and professional cooperation, the members of theassociation will help each other in the fields of equipment design and development,and R&D, and would foster improved communication through partnering andsharing best practices. It will also address manpower needs and benchmarking forquality on a global scale. The future goal of the association is to expand and poisethe association at the global level, by 2015. Then it would be christened asStewarding International.

Stewarding Association of India Formed

Encourage the Cupid at CourtyardCourtyard by Marriott Gurgaon will be introducing gourmet delights on the

forthcoming Valentine’s Day. One can

have lavish buffet dinner and spirits at

Red Zen, which features an array of

delectable options.The exotic menu

includes fresh lobsters, plump oysters

and sinful and sensuous chocolate

desserts on candle-lit tables. The buffet

is priced at Rs.3500 plus taxes per

person. The price also includes a

complimentary glass of wine for the

couple. Guests can also enjoy dining at the all day dining restaurant, MoMo

Cafe, where the buffet would be priced more affordably than at Red Zen. To

make the soiree at the Valentine’s Day an unforgettable experience, the

Courtyard ambience would liven up with mesmerising music by a live band

performance; enchanting the guests on the rhythm of romantic melodies.


N E W S S C A N

Abhijit Saha Eyes Abu Dhabi forHis Signature RestaurantChef Abhijit Saha, regarded

among India’s top Chefs, has

told that Abu Dhabi could be

the destination for his first

signature restaurant outside

India. Saha, who owns and

operates two premium

restaurants in Bangalore

named Caperberry and Fava

and is the Founding Director

and Chef of bespoke catering

outlet Avant Garde Hospitality,

is considered in the industry

as an expert in regional Indian

cuisine, and as well as of

classical and modern European cuisine. He is also known for

introducing molecular gastronomy technique into his traditional

dishes.

“Here in India the profile of Abu Dhabi is currently very high

with constant news about the investment being made into

establishing the UAE capital as a premium luxury destination,”

explained the Chef “With the opening of so many beautiful hotels

and visitor attractions, it is my belief that the UAE capital could

be the ideal place for my first signature restaurant outside of

India and I will be looking into opportunities as a priority while I

am there,” he proffered.

Saha will make his UAE capital debut during Gourmet Abu

Dhabi culinary festival which will be held next month where he

will be the guest Chef at the award-winning Ushna restaurant in

Abu Dhabi’s Souk Qaryat Al Beri from 11th-14th February. “I am

really looking forward to having the chance to rub shoulders

with some of the world’s greatest Chefs during Gourmet Abu

Dhabi and take an in-depth look into the Emirates’ flourishing

hospitality industry that we hear so much about,” he articulated.

Adande Technology to Benefit Indian ChefsUnique, award winning Adande technologyhas been introduced onto the Indian marketthrough Celfrost. Celfrost Innovations hasentered into a tie up with the UK- basedAdande Refrigeration with the objective ofintroducing the latter’s innovative drawerrefrigeration systems for the Indian market.

The products are already being manufactured in Pune since2010 by Accurate Industrial Controls,and they catered to the Australian,Middle East, the UK and the rest ofEuropean market. Now theseproducts will be available for the Indiamarket also. This would enable Chefs in India to benefit from thedifference that Adande users already enjoy in kitchensthroughout Europe, Australia and the USA.

According to Nigel Bell, the Chairman, Adande Refrigeration,this technology “Enables the refrigeration to be done in a drawerformat where the drawers can be transformed to a chiller or afreezer according to requirements.”

All the Adande insulated drawer units combine fridge andfreezer capability. Moreover, these refrigeration set ups areegronomical and can be easily fit into kitchens with limited spaceThe drawer units are modular, providing the flexibility to beincluded in many different kitchen designs and offeringexceptional flexibility and capacity with a small footprint, which

is critical in tight kitchens. AdandeDrawers can be installed singly or stackedtwo or three high, using a single 13 ampplug, to provide the optimally performingand highly energy efficient cateringrefrigeration or commercial refrigeration solutionon the market today.

Unlike traditional refrigeration products, the design of theAdande refrigeration systems ensure cold air is maintained withthe food thereby extending food life, improving quality, savingwaste and reducing energy consumption by 40-60 percent.These differences are most extreme in hot, busy kitchenenvironments where refrigeration units are opened frequently.

“These drawer refrigeration systems are just ideal for theIndian hospitality market, and has the potential to make theChefs much more productive,” said Neeraj Seth, ManagingDirector, Celfrost Innovations.


N E W S S C A N

Yauatcha has given a fillip to the high-tea culture in Mumbai.Here premium teas are served paired with scrumptious dimsums. Yauatcha is a Michelin-starred dim sum tea house,which was first opened in London, in 2004. The Mumbai

outlet is the second restaurantunder the brand of Yauatcha.

Here it deserves a mention thatYauatcha received a Michelin starwithin one year of its opening.Yauatcha is part of the HakkasanGroup which includes Hakkasan,Sake No Hana and The Bar at NiJu San.

The present dim sum basket atthe Mumbai outlet of Yauatchaincludes a delightful selection ofsignature dishes like Truffle

Edamame Dumpling, Chicken & Prawn Shumai, CrystalDumpling, Hargau, complimented with your choice of teafrom one of the finest selections available at Yauatcha, Thiswould facilitate to wrap up the afternoons in a relaxed way,with a wondeful taste in the mouth. Chicken & PrawnShumai, Crystal Dumpling Hargau, Shitaki MushroomDumpling, Prawn & Enoki Dumpling are some of thedelicious dim sums to pair it with your favourite teas. Thoughthe menu is dim sum-dominated, but besides dim sums, there

are a number of wok items at therestaurant which serve ascomplementary dishes to the dimsum menu. The extensive teamenu at Yauatcha has also beencarefully selected to ensure patronshave a selection of only the finestgreen, blue and white teas.Thearomatic array of teas at Yauatchaare Black tea— Tian Hong, Greenteas—Taipei San Xia, Dragon WellGreen Tea, Flower tea— JasmineGreen Tea, Blue teas— Four

Season Oolong, Tsui Yu Oolong. Here, the Indian teas alsodeserves special mention with, Earl Grey, Cammomile,Mint,Organic First Flush Darjeeling, and Kashmiri Kahwa.

Sip and Savour at Yauatcha—the Dim Sum Tea House

PizzaExpress Comes to IndiaPizzaExpress, one of the leading casual dining restaurantchains in this blue planet, has launched its first restaurant inIndia, at Colaba, Mumbai. PizzaExpress, which opened its firstoutlet in 1965 in London, today has over 450 restaurantsacross the globe. With its presence in China, Europe, HongKong and the Middle-East, it is amongst the most renownedpizza chains globally.

The brand has been brought to India under an equal JVbetween Gourmet Investments (P) Limited, promoted by theBharti Family Office, and PizzaExpress Holdings Pvt Ltd,promoted by the Gondola Group of the UK. The JV expectsto rapidly establish its presence across key Indian cities to tapthe maturing casual dining market in India.

Neil Wickers, International Managing Director ofPizzaExpress, commenting on the launch said, “We are pleasedto announce the opening of our first restaurant in India andare confident that our quality offerings will delight customers.India is clearly the market of the future and as we expand ourpresence in the country we aim to close the gap between finedining and affordable fast food through our product offerings.It will be our aim to be amongst the top casual dining brandsin India in the years to come.”

Ramit Bharti Mittal, Director of Gourmet Investments,said, “PizzaExpress restaurants in India will deliver same greattaste and experience as enjoyed by customers across the world.We have undertaken extensive research to design our product-mix for the Indian market and are confident that ourcustomers will enjoy our offerings.”

Apart from great tasting pizzas, the PizzaExpress menu atthe Colaba outlet does also include pasta, range of fresh saladsand home-baked desserts like the Chocolate Fudge Cake andVanilla Cheesecake. The menu includes vegetarian as well asspicy options to suit Indian preferences and does not includeany beef preparation. PizzaExpress has plans to rapidlyestablish its footprint in key cities across India and tap the fastgrowing casual dining market in the country


N E W S S C A N

A Massive Culinary EnterpriseInsurance, TimeShare, Wind EnergyGeneration,ComputerEducation, Textiles,Corporate Gifts andInternationalTrading. Having agroup turnover ofover INR 800 Crore,the Group is poisedto tread newhorizons year afteryear. MirahHospitality & FoodSolutions Pvt. Ltd. is the Hospitality division of theGroup which owns and operates critically acclaimed,multi-award winning brands like Rajdhani, Café Mangii,and Falafels apart from Citrus Hotels, Palette Food Courtsand Nouvelle Hospitality Solutions. Mirah Hospitality hasalso got international brands like Manchester Café Barsand the London based Dim Sum Chain Ping Pong inIndia apart from Strategic alliance with brands like MadOver Donuts and Impresario Group.

Speaking on the occasion, Zorawar Kalra, ManagingDirector, Massive Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. articulated, “Aftersetting up and successfully exiting the critically acclaimedmulti-award winning brand Punjab Grill, we have beenbusy exploring options of our next offering for thediscerning foodie. It gives us immense pleasure inintroducing our new venture which will helm our firstbrand of Indian fine dining – Masala Library by JiggsKalra, in partnership with Gaurav Goenka led MirahHospitality. Mirah Hospitality, with its 360 degreehospitality solutions and award winning brands such asCafé Mangii, Rajdhani and Manchester United was anobvious choice for us to partner with. We are positive thatour guests will continue the love and adoration for ourefforts at providing the ultimate Indian fine diningexperience as they have done in the past.”

Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, the fine dining brandunder the Massive Restaurants umbrella, aims at recreatingthe erstwhile culinary traditions in turn offering a trulygastronomical adventure for connoisseurs of fine cuisine,with a focus on authenticity, and will boast of a uniqueambient culinary setting.

Massive Restaurants, with their new concept Indian finedining brand, promises to offer its discerning guests andconnoisseurs of fine cuisine a unique gourmet diningexperience. The first two locations for the concept Indianfine-dining signature brand are underway and will come upin Mumbai & Delhi simultaneously in the first quarter of2013, post which the company plans to launch over 10restaurants within India and strategic internationallocations, within the first year of its operations.

Following the astonishing success of the critically acclaimedPunjab Grill over five years back, eminent food writer andcritic Jiggs Kalra, commonly referred to as the ‘Czar of theIndian Cuisine’ and ‘Taste Maker to the Nation,’ alongwith his entrepreneur son Zorawar Kalra has nowendeavoured onto a new venture – Massive RestaurantsPvt. Ltd. with India’s leading hospitality brand, MirahHospitality. Lodha Capital Markets acted as the solefinancial advisor in the partnership, which will operateunder three brand verticals of fine-dining restaurants, smartcasual dining restaurants and luxury mithai.

Speaking on the partnership, Gaurav Goenka, ManagingDirector, Mirah Hospitality & Food Solutions Pvt. Ltd.said, “This is another benchmarking association for us withMr. Jiggs Kalra and Zorawar who have garnered worldwidecritical acclaim in the field of hospitality, over the years.Mirah Hospitality has been committed to continuallyprovide high quality dining solutions to its guests’, improvethe quality and effectiveness of its products and servicesand provide innovations in its product offerings. We areconfident that this partnership will provide the finestIndian cuisine in India and overseas.”

Mirah Group is a well-diversified group engaged inReal Estate development, Hospitality, Travels and


N E W S S C A N

Showcasing the Tandoor Concept

Seagram’s Nine Hills’ wines were the talk of the town, bywinning three gold medals in one of the most prestigiousawards in the wine category in the country — the IndianWine Consumers’ Choice Awards 2012.’ These uniqueawards provide an opportunity to the Indian consumers toselect their favourite wines as per their preferences andpalate. Three of Nine Hills’ wines: Nine Hills Viognier,Nine Hills Shiraz Rose and Nine Hills Cabernet Sauvignondelighted the consumers, who bestowed on them the Goldtitle in their respective category.

The award winning wines are finely crafted by Frenchwine maker, Jean-Manuel-Jacquinot who has done acomplete study on the Indian tastes and palate beforedeveloping the complete range of Nine Hills wines.Manuel-Jacquinot did spend over two months in Indiatravelling across the country doing basic groundwork andresearch to develop the winning wine blends.

Nine Hills Viognier, a pale golden coloured wine, is amedium dry wine, which is slightly sweet, complex andaromatic, displaying aromas and flavours of peach, lycheeand violets. It is best paired with salads, seafood and Thaicuisine. The other popular wine, the vibrant pink NineHills Shiraz Rose, is a crisp and refreshing medium dry wine

with aromas of strawberries and cherries. It is best pairedwith creamy and mildly-spiced grilled, vegetarian andContinental dishes. A crowd favourite, the Nine HillsCabernet Sauvignon, a terracotta red with purplehighlights, is again dry and medium-bodied. It expresseshints of cherry, vanilla and capsicum, and its well-balancedacidity and soft tannins charm the palate and leave alingering finish.

The award ceremony was held at the ITC Grand Centralin Mumbai. It was conducted through a blindfoldedtasting session of the complete spectrum of domestic winesof premium category. The judging was done on variousparameters — appearance, nose, palate and finish. A selectset of 80 consumers was chosen to taste the 125 premiumIndian wines in order to evaluate them.

Raja Banerji, GM-Marketing, Pernod Ricard India said,“We are delighted to see Seagram’s Nine Hills win threegold medals. These awards reinforce our commitmenttowards the consumers, resulting in their strong affinitytowards our various brands across various categories. We areextremely passionate about various wines in our stable, andwill continually work to bring to the discerning Indianconsumers the best of the wines in the future as well.”

Nine Hills’ Wines Lifted Indian Wine Consumers’ Choice Awards 2012

Electrolux Professional showcased Tandoor Concept by

Electrolux with professional Chefs in Mumbai, in a seminar

cum culinary demonstration organised at the advanced

training kitchen of Bunts Sangha’s Ramnath Payyade College

of Hospitality Management Studies in Kurla (E), Mumbai. The

event was held on 10th January 2013.

Chef Silvano Costantini, Electrolux Chef Academy Italy, and

Chef Varun Bajaj, Corporate

Chef, Electrolux

Professional Innovation

Centre in Gurgaon,

successfully prepared

biryani (in clay pot),

chicken & paneer tikka,

curry, idli, samosa & dhokla

before the attending Chefs

from The Oberoi Flight

Services, The LaLit

Mumbai, Hyatt Regency Mumbai, RPH faculty members, and

Chefs from the Sadanand Restaurant, at Crawford Market.

Tandoor Concept, which has been painstakingly developed in

the India Innovation Centre in Gurgaon, facilitates Chefs to

cook Indian food to perfection in the Electrolux range of

equipments and that too in much less time.

Speaking on the occasion, Marco Pesce, Country Manager

— India, Electrolux Professional said, “Electrolux

Professional launched its India Innovation Centre in Gurgaon,

in Oct 2011, and it is today a hub for training, innovation, and

demonstration on Electrolux Professional equipments. It has

been our constant endeavour to organise customised

demonstrations for culinary skills development for catering

professionals with our Electrolux Chefs, and also to showcase

our product innovations in food service, such as through this

seminar cum culinary demonstration here in Mumbai. We

look forward to bring more value to the hotel industry and

culinary professionals as we take these sessions to Chefs

across the country.”

Besides demonstrating culinary techniques, Electrolux

Chefs at the seminar also explained in detail to the guest

Chefs how user-friendly Electrolux equipments are. These

machines have very high productivity and provide flexibility,

which means saving space and improving ergonomy in

kitchen, and higher flexibility reduces food wastage. For the

owner, using these Electrolux Professional equipments is a

great opportunity to save in costs. Made of European

technology, there is a high saving in running cost in terms of

gas, electricity and water, in these machines.


R E P O R T

Celeste Chocolates Expands its Footprint

On this momentous occasion, NidhiBhageria, Proprietor, Celeste Chocolates,said,”We at Celeste strive towards deliveringthe most exclusive and exquisitechocolates in India. With the support ofour customers and with our vision toexcel in the customised chocolatebusiness, we have opened our fourthchocolate boutique. We plan to open tenmore stores by 2014 in India andabroad.”

The Michelin-starred Chef VikasKhanna was the guest of honour at theevent. The event also witnessed the Chefunveiling the cover of his forthcomingbook titled ‘Khanna Sutra – FoodLessons in Love,’ which is published byOm Books International. “We areextremely proud to associate ourselveswith Chef Vikas Khanna, who launchedhis forthcoming book’s cover at our storeopening today,” expressed Nidhi.

“We hear people say ‘cook from yourheart’, but Khanna Sutra is all aboutletting your heart cook for you. Andthat is exactly what Celeste offers topeople from all walks of life, who wantto experience bliss inchocolates. Together love and chocolateshas always been a beautiful concoction,”asserted Khanna.

In this forthcoming book, Khannahas focused on recipes that facilitate thespecial ingredients to stand out. On thisoccasion Ajay Mago, Publisher —OmBooks International said, “We arethrilled to unveil the cover of ChefVikas Khanna’s new book Khanna Sutra:Food Lessons in Love at the opening ofthe brand new Celeste boutique. Thebook is all about unusual recipesguaranteed to surprise and exciteeveryone.”

Chef Vikas Khanna with Nidhi Bhageria

Celeste Chocolates Expands its Footprint

Celeste chocolates, one of the majorplayers in the country in the realm

of gourmet chocolates, recentlylaunched its fourth signature chocolateboutique in New Delhi. CelesteChocolates has been at the forefront ofthe rapidly evolving gourmet chocolatebusiness in India, specialising in hand-crafted chocolates available in premiumrange for every occasion, which includecelebrations like Valentine’s Day, Diwali,Christmas, weddings, birthdays and anyother occasion.

Celeste procures high qualityingredients and indulges in excitingcombinations so that time-honouredrecipes are prepared with a distincttouch of creativity, characterised byunique flavours and silk-smoothtextures, subtle tastes and pleasantaromas. The company offers amagnificent bouquet of premiumchocolate products encompassinghundreds of varieties. The recentlyopened chocolate boutique of CelesteChocolates is located on Sardar PatelMarg, in New Delhi.


R E P O R T

The glitterati from the culinary fraternity across the nationgathered for the recently held 9th Annual Chef Awards2012, which was hosted by Indian Culinary Forum, on

19th December 2012, in The Ashok, New Delhi. As per thetradition of Annual Chef Awards hosted by Indian CulinaryForum, the ninth edition of its Annual Chef Awards, like itsprevious editions, was also celebrated on the International Chef ’sDay.

The awards ceremony was graced by who’s who of thehospitality fraternity and its chief guest, K. Chiranjeevi, theUnion Minister for Tourism. The former superstar from southturned Minister also launched a coffee table book of CulinaryExcellence — the signature recipes of 50 Master Chefs of India,in celebration of 25 years of Indian Culinary Forum.

Here it deserves a mention that the Indian Culinary Forum isan Indian association of professional Chefs. It was formed inNew Delhi, in 1987 as an exclusive non-profit-makingorganisation, dedicated solely to the advancement of the culinaryart of India. The forum’s objective is to act as a link, a platform,and a useful and necessary instrument for the national communityof Chefs.

The festivities kicked-off with the seasoned Chefs competingwith each other in different categories. A four-day-long TradeTest for Chef Awards’12 was judged by the esteemed jurycomprising of Austrian Chef, Martin Kobald and ICF committeemembers, Chef Gill, Chef Jitender Uppal, Chef Davinder Kumar,

Kitchen Artist Award: Chef Mahesh Kumar Srivastav,

Hotel Samrat

Master Baker Award: Chef Anand Singh Rathore, Old

World Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

Master Chef International Confectionery Award: Chef

Chandan Rati, Country Inn & Suites

Master Chef Indian Sweets Award: Chef Inder Singh,

ITC Rajputana

Master Chef Kebabs Award: Chef Mukesh Gautam,

Country Inn & Suites

Master Chef International Cuisine Award: Chef Kishan

Singh Rawat, Country Inn and Suites

Chef of the Year Award: Chef Vaibhav Bhargava, Olive

Bar & Kitchen

Food Critic Award: Dr. Pushpesh Pant

Lady Chef of the Year Award: Chef Ishika Konar, Pullman

Hotel

Master Chef South India Cuisine Award: Chef Shakti

Raj, Hotel Radisson Blu

Master Chef Oriental Cuisine Award: Chef Basant Rana,

Hotel Park

Silver Hat Chef Award: Chef Tarun Dacha, Sarovar Group

Golden Hat Chef Award: Chef Arun Batra, Tajsats Air

Catering

Lifetime Achievement Award: Chef Sudhir Sibal

Indian Culinary Forum Hosted 9th Annual Chef Awards 2012Chef Vivek Saggar, Chef Shaju Zacharia to name a few. Thecompetition endeavours to bring Indian Chefs at par with theirinternational counterparts and make them eligible to participatein international culinary competitions.

“We take great pride to inform the Chefs gathered here thatin the near future an exclusive Culinary Institute is proposed tobe set up,” informed Chiranjeevi on this occasion. There coursesin specialised areas of culinary art would be conducted by worldrenowned faculty. “There will be a mother institute which willserve as the main institute along with its extension institutes indifferent regions,” concurred Chiranjeevi.

On that celebratory occasion, Chef Davinder Kumar, President,Indian Culinary Forum, said, “I feel delighted to have been a partof ICF for so many years now. I feel immense pleasure to presentthese awards to the deserving Chefs who have proved their culinaryskills and have made a remarkable place in this industry.”

“We are celebrating International Chef ’s Day and ChefAwards since 2004 and this is the 9th year in the running. Webelieve Chefs are not only the ambassadors of our country, butthey also form an integral part of the hospitality industry. Duringthese celebrations Chefs presented the best of their skills incategories of cooking, garnishing and serving in the platter,”elaborated Anil Bhandari, Chairman, Organizing Committee ofChef Awards.

Award Winners of 9th Annual Chef Awards 2012


R E P O R T

FIFICelebrates its Third Anniversary

An Interactive Meet to Address the

Hospitality Concerns

On 4th January 2013, HOTREMAI (Hotel & Restaurant EquipmentManufacturers’ Association of India) members’ had an interactive meet

with hospitality project & material heads at the India Habitat Centre, NewDelhi. The meet began with Vijay Wangnoo, the President — HOTREMAI,greeting the august gathering and thanking them for their presence. He explainedthe background and purpose for organising the interface between project andmaterial heads & HOTREMAI members.

R Kumar, the Founder President of HOTREMAI, wished the distinguishedguests and the members a very happy and purposeful New Year and brieflyintroduced the association, its aims and objectives, activities undertaken in theinterest of its members and the industry at large, and its growth over the periodof time. Nirmal Khandelwal,the immediate past President,HOTREMAI, expressed hisdelight to see the meet beingorganised and wished it a greatsuccess.

HOTREMAI membersintroduced themselves to the

project and material headsfrom the hospitalityindustry before throwingopen the meet for aninteractive session. Theinteractive session coveredissues & topics rangingfrom expectation ofhospitality industry frommanufacturers and suppliers for meeting the challenges of new projects andchanging environment, emphasis on locally manufactured products vs.imported ones, customisation of equipment, need for having a strong R&Dto improve quality of products, and concerns on commercial terms. Projectheads were of the opinion that Indian manufacturers for the hospitalityIndustry should bring in latest technology, improve quality of manufacturingand go for certification of their products by leading certification agencies,and eventually strive towards not only capturing the Indian market but alsointernational markets.

The suggestions of Basil Massey from Duet Hotels, Naresh Kumar fromLemon Tree Hotels, Ajay Simrani from Yum Restaurants along with theconcerns of HOTREMAI members were discussed at length. Whileconcluding the meet, based on the suggestion of Deepak Bali, Sr. VP– Projects,Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, it was mutually agreed to form a core groupcomprising of honourable guests who attended the meet and nominatedHOTREMAI members of Executive Committee to jointly address the issuescommonly faced by the hospitality industry and HOTREMAI members.

Recently Forum of Indian Food Importers(FIFI) celebrated its third anniversary at Le

Meridien New Delhi. The guests of honour at theevent were SS Ghonkrokta, former Director,Enforcement (FSSAI), Nancy J. PowellAmbassador, USA, Gustavo De Aristegui, theAmbassador of Spain, Ernesto Carlos AlvarezAmbassador, Argentine Republic, and JanHenderson High Commissioner, New Zealand..The guest list included a number of embassies,trade commissions and FIFI Members.

The prime objective of FIFI is to provide acommon platform for promoting, encouraging &supporting food importers from India and for thedevelopment and facilitation of trade. One of itsother endeavours is to address relevant laws relatingto food products like PFA, MFPO and weightsmeasurements, etc. and to seek redressal of theproblems faced by the foods importers in India,which are presumed to impede their growth.

FIFI has been bringing forward critical issuesfacing the food & beverage industry which includeincreased levels of regulation in the form of quality,documentation; demands for variety andinnovation; low profit margins; and shelf lifemanagement. FIFI liaise with various governmentagencies to undertake a review of import policyregulations and food labelling laws, in order toreduce the regulatory burden on food importers

without compromising on state revenues, consumerhealth and safety.

FIFI has been acknowledged by governmentbodies like FSSAI, embassies, trade luminaries,media and marketers.

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review Dec-Jan ’1336

C O V E R S T O R Y

If we can call the Italian story of conquering the world with pizzas and pastas and countries turning into fastfood nations by burger selling corporations as fascinating stories in the realm of food & beverage business thenno less a compelling account would be the mesmerising tale of the global popularity of the curries. Thoughcurries probably originated in the Indian sub-continent, but their popularity has spread across the world, overthe course of centuries. Today Great Britain has more than 9000 restaurants serving curries. In that island,Indian curries are extremely popular.However, today curries, which have undergone several innovations and modifications over the years, are notonly germane to India’s culinary character. If you traverse the globe you will find curries in their manymanifestations, ranging from fiery Thai curries tempered with coconut milk or cream to Japanese deep friedcurry doughnuts or Caribbean goat curries. But there can be no doubt that curries have found favours frompeople of several regions across the globe. Here Ashok Malkani explores the tempting world of curries.

Currying

Flavours


C O V E R S T O R Y

Mention curries and, inevitably,you drool as you rememberthe spicy concoctions. Also

when you talk of curries, inexorably, youbelieve that they have originated, andare popular only in India. Curries mayhave originated in the Indian sub-continent, but they are popular acrossthe globe. And curries are not onlyabout spices, but also about herbs.

Curry is a generic term primarily usedin western culture to connate a widerange of dishes whose origins can betraced to the cuisines found in parts ofthe Indian sub-continent(in India,Pakistan and Bangladesh to be precise),and in the cuisines of Sri Lanka, Thaiand other South Asian and South-eastern Asian nations. Many New Worldcuisines influenced by the cuisines ofthese above mentioned nations, such asthe cuisines of Trinidad and Fiji, alsohave their curries. The common featureof curries is the infusion of complexcombinations of spices and/or herbs.The curries also generally include thepresence of fresh or dried hot chillies.

Curries may contain fish, meat,poultry, and seafood, both withcombination of vegetables or without

vegetables, and there may also be currieswith only vegetables and no non-vegetarian food product in them. Curriescan come in wet as well as dry forms.Wet curries have significant amount ofsauce and/or gravy, whereas dry curriesinvolve very little liquid in their cookingprocess, which is allowed to evaporate.Eventually, in dry curries ingredients arepresented as coated with the spicemixture.

Origins and Flow of CurryThe origin of the word curry is believedto be Indian. The etymology of currycan be traced to the Tamil word kari,

which means sauce. Personnel fromBritish East India Company who weretrading with Tamil merchants along theCoromandel coast, first tasted kari in themid 17th century. There they alsobecame familiar with a spice blend usedfor making kari concoctions, which wascalled kari podi or curry powder.

The British probably got a taste ofIndian curries only during the mid 17th

century, but the history of curry datesback much further. Even during theIndus Valley Civilisation, the dishes ofhighly spiced meat were believed to bethere. They can be precursors to modernday curries. Archeological evidence thatdates back to 2700 BC indicates thatthe people from Mohenjodaro usedmortar and pestle to grind spices whichincluded mustard, fennel, cumin, andtamarind pods. They used these spices toflavour their food.

The influence of Indian curriesflowed to Burma, Thailand and Chinaby Buddhist monks, whereas the coastaltraders spread the aroma of these curriesto Indonesia and the Philippines. Boththese developments could be traced tothe 7th century AD. Though curry mayhave had its origin in the Indian sub-


C O V E R S T O R Y

continent it was carried by Buddhistmonks and traders to other Asiancountries during the course of centuries.Later curry moved to Europe, SouthAfrica, and the Caribbean too, where itwas modified to include the infusion oflocal ingredients. In Britain, the firstcurry recipe appeared in the mideighteenth century. Then probably itwas difficult to assume that one daycurries would become an integral part ofthe modern culinary culture of Britain.

Thai and IndianAmong the curries, perhaps Thai andIndian curries are very popular. In Thaicurries fresh herbs play a crucial role,whereas the mainstays of the Indiancurries are dry spices. However, thatdoesn’t mean that Thai curries do nothave spices, or the Indian curries do nothave herbs.

Many view there is another importantdifference between these two schools ofcurries. However, this second differenceis valid only if you exclude many of thecurries from South India from thecomparison. By and large the Indian

curries, except the curries from SouthIndia, do not usually use coconut milk,whereas Thai curries have coconut milkas their essential ingredient. According toan expert Chef who has proven expertiseon Thai cuisine, letting the coconut milkcool down for a little while before theaddition of the curry paste/spices, canmake for a great Thai curry.

Many north Indian curries dependon dairy products such as ghee, dahi, etc.but the curries from South India havetheir share of coconut milk infusions.Especially in Kerala and Karnataka, therole of coconut in curries is very muchrampant and if you objectively comparethe Kerala curries with Thai curries, youwould find that there are varioussimilarities. In this context, the fancyhypothesis that the Thais did get theircurries from South India cannot be ruledout altogether, for the reference ofcoconut in the Indian texts was muchbefore than in the texts of any othercountry. However, at the same time itmust be conceded the curries of Indiahave been greatly influenced byMughals and Portguese.

Variety of CurriesAs far as Indian curries are concerned,the country has a wide variety of curriesspruced with meats, poultry, seafood, orvegetables; marinated in aromatic spicesand simmered in a thick gravy-like sauce.Both vegetarian and non-vegetariancurries have wide varieties. From muttonkorma to vindaloo to dal makhni tosimple stew-like basic Indian curry, therole of curries is omnipresent in Indianculinary traditions. In fact, curries arethe edifice of Indian cooking. Cumin,chilly, turmeric, and coriander are some

of the common spicy elements of Indiancurries. The other popular spices inIndian curries are ginger, clove,cinnamon, cardamom, garlic, fenugreek,caraway seeds, and saffron among others.Myriad spices are used in various curriesin various combinations. In India, spicesare grind and then cooked in ghee or oil.

Lime juice, tomatoes and tamarind arealso often added to prepare Indiancurries, which facilitate to endow themwith great sour taste. As yogurt also has arole in most of the Indian curries, theyare not generally unhealthy, ascommonly perceived to be. And ofcourse, Indian curries’ wonderful tasteand variety have contributed to theirglobal popularity. Sometimes, cream anddry fruits are added to make the curriesrich. Often herbs are used to garnish theIndian curries or to season them.Sometimes herbs also lend aroma to thecurries, though their role in Indiancurries is not major but subsidiary,unlike that of in Thai curries.

As discussed before, Indian curriesreflect awesome varieties and could notbe treated as a homogenous culinaryentity. Like its languages and customs,the curries in India also differ fromregion to region. For example, the curriesfrom Andhra Pradesh are drasticallydifferent from the curries from Punjab.Even within the state of Andhra Pradeshthe curries are likely to differ in terms oftaste and flavour across geographies. Inthe Telengana region of the state, thecurries are flavoured with spices likeclove, cinnamon, anise and bay leaf,whereas in the coastal region of AndhraPradesh curries are flavoured withcoriander powder, cumin seeds/powder,black pepper powder, red hot chili


C O V E R S T O R Y

peppers /powder, asafetida, ghee,fenugreek seeds, curry leaves andturmeric. The coastal Andhra Pradeshhas an impressive array of curriescomprising vegetables and a few curriesmade from meat.

Shredded coconut paste or coconutmilk is the characteristic of the curriesfrom Kerala. Mustard seeds, sliced redchillies fried in hot oil, onions and curryleaves are the other common elements ofthe curries of Kerala. The non-vegetariancurries of Kerala are heavily spiced.Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove,garlic, green and red peppers, coriander,and turmeric are some of the importantspices of Kerala cuisine.

Curries from Bengal and Orissa havegreat influence of mustard seeds andpoppy seeds. Bengalis have a long loveaffair with fresh fish and sea food, and agreat many curries are tailored inBengal’s culinary traditions to bring thebest of taste from these food products.The hilsa curry with grind mustardseeds, and prawn curry with influence ofcoconut milk and mustard seeds are alltime Bengali delicacies, which ifpromoted well, can match the popularity

of the best of the curries of the world.The curries from Maharashtra, which

include vegetarian curries, meat curry,chicken curry, and fish curries, rangefrom mildly spicy to very spicy. Inwestern Maharashtra, the spice contentof curries is high, and does haveinfusions of groundnut powder. Thecurries from the Vidarbha or the easternregion of Maharashtra are also spicierthan those of coastal Maharashtra. Thecurries from the Konkan region ofMaharashtra, which is the coastal regionof the state, have extensive use ofcoconut along with spices.

Taambda rassa (red curry) andpandhra rassa (white curry) of chickenand mutton from the city of Kolhapur of

Maharashtra and the varhadirassa(varhadi chicken curry) from theVidarbha region are some of thedelectable curries from the state ofMaharashtra. The coastal region ofKonkan is famous for its fish curry.

The highlight of the curries of Goa isvindaloo, which generally happens to bea spicy dish of lamb and chicken wherepotatoes are being frequently used. Thename vindaloo has a Portuguese originand signifies a combination of vinhad’alhos or wine (vinho) and garlic (alho).Vindallo in its authentic form should bea combination of wine, garlic and Indianspices, but many Indian varieties ofvindallo add vinegar instead of wine.Originally, meat used in vindaloo wasthe pork meat. The introduction ofpotatoes in this curry dish was an Indianinfluence, and came much later. Todayvindaloo from Goa has attractedpopularity in the Great Britain and theUS. Besides vindallo, Goan Fish Curryis another famous curry cuisine fromGoa.

Gujarat too has a number ofvegetarian curry dishes, where gravies arebased on buttermilk or coconut milk.


C O V E R S T O R Y

Goan Fish Curry

Ingredients

Fish — 500gm

Red chilli powder — 1 tbsp

Turmeric — 1 tsp

Cumin seeds powdered — half tsp

Coriander powder — 1 tbsp

Coconut grated —2 cups

Tomatoes chopped— 1

Green chillies —5

Curry leaves — 2 sprigs

Tamarind— 10 gm

Salt — To taste

Oil — 2 tbsp

Method

Clean and cut fish into slices, wash

well; smear with salt and a little

turmeric. Soak tamarind in a little

water to extract the pulp. Chop

tomatoes. Slice onions. Roast and grind

red chillies, turmeric, cumin and

coriander.

Grind coconut to a fine paste and mix

with the spices. Heat oil in a pan, fry

onions, and add the split green chillies

and coconut paste. Fry for three

minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes

and three cups of water. Add fish,

tamarind pulp, curry leaves and salt.

Simmer till fish is cooked.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts

4 tbsp olive or groundnut oil

5 cardamom pods

5cm cinnamon stick

1 1/2 onions

2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 large tomato

1 tsp tomato purée

150 ml water

Salt to taste

Yoghurt or 1 tin coconut milk, if

desired

Fresh coriander to garnish

Method

Chop up the tomato finely and set

aside for later use. Next, finely chop the

onions and set aside. Finally, cube the

chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces,

season with a little salt and also put to

one side.

Mix together in a bowl the ginger,

garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric,

cayenne, garam masala and paprika.

Put the oil into a pan over medium

heat. When hot, add the cardamom

pods and cinnamon stick, leave for a

few seconds and then remove. Add the

onions and cook while stirring, until

brown.

Add the spices

Add the masala paste and stir for a

minute.

Add the remaining ingredients

Add the tomato and tomato purée

and stir for a minute till thoroughly

combined.

Pour in the water and bring to a

gentle simmer, stirring constantly.

Taste the sauce and season with salt

if necessary.

Cook the chicken

Add the chicken cubes and mix well

into the masala. Simmer for 10-12

minutes, stirring every few minutes,

until the chicken is cooked and tender.

Check this by piercing the chicken with

a sharp knife. If it goes straight through

and comes out clean, it is done. For a

weaker curry flavour, add either one

small tin of coconut milk or one

medium sized carton of yoghurt. Mix

well and simmer for another five

minutes.

Place the chicken on a serving dish,

garnish with coriander leaves and

serve.

REC IPES

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

○

The main ingredient in these dishes doesvary. It can be brinjal, potatoes, okra,tomatoes, and other vegetables too.Besides these there are kofta dishes. Thenthere is undhiyu, a culinary specialtyfrom Gujarat, which happens to be aspicy, wet mixed-vegetable casserolecooked in an earthenware pot. Thisbroth is often enjoyed during thewinter months.

Besides a blend of dried spices or apaste of a combination of spices, desighee, butter and cream play importantroles in the curries from Punjab, as dogarlic, ginger, onions and tomatoes. Infact, these four vegetables play the roleof base in the curries from Punjab.Maha Di Dal and Sarson Da Saag arethe famous curries from Punjab. RoganJosh is another famous non-vegetariancurry dish of India, which hasoriginated from the state of Jammu &Kashmir. This is a lamb curry with the

gravy exuding a reddish hue. Anamalgamation of Kashmiri chillis andan extract from the red flowers of thecockscomb plant (mawal) areresponsible for the reddish colour ofthis delectable curry dish. Goshtaba,which compriss of large lamb meatballscooked in yoghurt gravy, is anotherfamous curry dish from this trouble-torn and beautiful state, whichoccasionally graces the westernrestaurants.

Today curries have transcended allborders and are popular in not onlyPakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, but alsoin China, Japan, Burma, Indonesia,Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, theUK, the US, and the West Indies. Curryis one of the most loved dishes in theworld. The inherent flexibility of curriesprobably reflects the pluralistic legacy ofIndia. Most of the countries wherecurries are loved have developed theirown recipes of curries. ■


B U S I N E S S

No food can survive without itsingredients. Yes, evennaturally obtained food like

apple or banana or mango has theiringredients. Without food additives,food can survive, but may not be astasty, or as attractive looking, or asnutritious or remain as fresh after along period. Food additives addattributes to food items. Foodingredients which are not additivesalso can impart these above mentionedattributes to the food items. In fact,food additives are also ingredients offood items in the market, that is theyare part of the final food products thatare being sold in the market, butthough every additive is an ingredient

Adding Value to F&B2012 marked the 100 year anniversary of vitamins. Today, people are more health conscious

and as a result of that several health products are finding favour with the processed food anddrink manufacturers. Ashok Malkani finds that in this backdrop, the food ingredient/additive

sector has potential for buoyant growth. According to a research network, global sales of foodadditives were estimated at around $24.5billion in 2010 with a forecast future

growth rate of 2.5 percent per annum. The future for the industry — globally as well as inIndia – seems to be bright, but not without its share of challenges.

but not every ingredient is an additive.Food additives can be both direct

and indirect. Direct food additives arethose additives which are intentionallyincluded during preparation orprocessing of a food item to serve aspecific functional purpose or somefunctional purposes. Direct foodadditives can be defined as ingredientswhich are incorporated into food itemsin small dosages to influence theirproperties in some desired way, whichin turn is expected to positively impactthose food items’ quality ormarketability at the final stage, whenthey are presented before the market.The indirect food additives are thosewhich unintentionally migrate into the

food products during its growing,manufacturing, processing orpackaging stage. Here in this piece, weare primarily dealing with direct foodadditives only.

Not Additional, but IntegralOne must realise that food ingredients/additives are a critical part of food &beverage industry and are used formaintaining quality, consistency, taste,aroma and texture of the food &beverages. Food ingredients/additivescan also facilitate in processing of thefood items or enhance their healthquotient which helps to preserve orincrease the nutritional quality of thosefood items.

Adding Value to F&B


The health element of food ingredients and additives isnot recent, though now their role in healthy food has gainedmarket momentum. For example, the addition of iodine insalt is not new, and it has led to prevention of goiter to agreat extent. Similarly, the addition of Vitamin D in milk hasgreatly helped in countering the emergence of rickets, and

niacin in bread has kept the disease ofpellagra in check.

Food additives also help inpreserving the food products bysignificantly delaying the deterioration offood products and their consequentspoilage. We can very easily gauge the role

of food additives in F&B business. Withoutthe use of food additives the bottom lines of

many F&B industries would have gone fast downhill. Foodadditives like flavouring agents, colouring agents or artificialsweeteners also help to make the food look and smell moreappealing and taste better. Overall, without food ingredientsand additives we cannot imagine our present day F&Bindustry.

Additional HistoryHere it deserves a mention that the use of food additives isnot new in the history of mankind. In fact, the use of foodingredients/ additives were there before the dawn ofcivilisation. Fire was probably the first additive, whichhelped to cook the early man’s hunted meats, thereby makingthem more edible than before. Soon salt followed, whenpeople realised that it can enhance the taste of food and alsofacilitate in its preservation.

The use of cloves in hams to prevent bacterial growth hasbeen a feature of the ancient times. The use of food coloursand seasonings can be dated to the ancient Egyptiancivilisation. Spices and condiments were important items oftrade since the ancient ages. Mustard was a popularcondiment in Europe of the middle ages. In fact, the searchfor spices inspired many explorations during the medievalperiod. However, then the food ingredients/additivesindustry was neither as big nor as organised; nor assophisticated and mechanised, as it is now in the nascentstage of the twenty-first century.

The Right UsageThe ingredients/additives in food & beverages can take theform of preservatives, food colours, emulsifying andstabilsing agents, enzymes, artificial sweeteners, flavours,dietary fibre, omega fatty acids, antioxidants, nutraceuticals,probiotics and prebiotics, vitamins and minerals, amongothers. Most of the food ingredients are derived from naturalsources, but some of them can be prepared synthetically aswell. For example, food additives such as preservatives,artificial sweeteners, and a few flavours can be derivedsynthetically.

However, food additives, though can improve themarketability of processed food items, should not beindiscriminately used. “There are some guiding principlesfor the use of food additives. They should be justified fortheir technological effectiveness and purpose. They shouldbe safe for use. There should be maximum adequate levels,


B U S I N E S S

absolutely necessary levels of usage andADI (Acceptable Daily Intake)properly evaluated while consideringtheir safety and permitted usage levelsin foods. They should not be addedwith the intention of misleadingconsumers about quality. They shouldalso not significantly affect adverselythe nutritional quality of foodproducts,” stated GM Tiwari, ex-Chairman, Protein Food & NutritionalDevelopment Association of India,Mumbai.

According to Tiwari, “Any newadditive before approving mustundergo rigorous toxicity studies,including acute and chronic studiesinvolving biochemical evaluation,teratogenic studies, reproductivestudies, besides the LD50 tests.However, exposure assessment is veryimportant in determining the riskinvolving any additive under themodern practice of determining safety.The risk analysis, adopted nowadays,involves risk assessment, wherein the

hazard is identified and characterised.Exposure is assessed and thus risk ischaracterised,” disclosed Tiwari.

The Healthy WaveGrowing consumer interest towardshealthy diet has fostered thedevelopment of several entirely newfood ingredients/additives over the lastthree to four decades. As conventionalrecipes for healthy eating haveemphasised on fat and sugar reductionin the diet, there has been a trend ofemergence of fat replacers andsweeteners.

Many hydrocolloids are used as fatreplacers and they have gainedcurrency from consumers’ growingdisinterest towards fat and sugarconsumption. The rising demand forfunctional food has given a fillip to thefunctional food ingredients market too.Omega-3 fatty acids and phytosterols,probiotics and prebiotics are now invogue in the functional foodingredients’ market. The demand for

functional food products has also ledto more and more food items beingfortified with beneficial vitamins andminerals.

One can say that the changinglifestyles and increased disposableincomes have led to the market needfor functional food products in selectpockets of urban India, which areoften fortified with new-age healthyingredients. They offer functionalhealth benefits over the basicnutritional value of the givenfoodstuff.

Over the long-term, the healthingredients/additives market in India,which is characterised by probiotics/omega fatty acids, is expected towitness rapid development, largely as aresult of greater consumer exposure toimported health food products.

The Impeding FactorsAlthough the food ingredients/additives industry in India has greatpromise, at the same time, it is alsobogged down with severalimpediments. According to Aditi Basu,the Senior Consultant at Capgemini,they are “Lack of commercial-scalecultivation of raw materials whichleads to low yield in terms of qualityand quantity, is a major constraint.This, in turn, fails to attract newinvestments in this sector.”Furthermore, according to her, “Lackof a centralised regulatory system at thefarm-gate level and the presence of toomany middle men is a major problemin raw material sourcing since it is tooscattered and leads to traceabilityissues.”

Aditi also expertly noted that the“Paucity of a cold storage infrastructureand also the scarcity of an upgraded


B U S I N E S S

logistics and transportation system forperishable goods lead to substantialwastage of agricultural produce,adversely affecting the foodingredients industry.”

In fact, there is no denying the factthat poor cold chain infrastructurewhich results in huge wastage ofagricultural produce has impeded thefood processing and hence the foodingredients sector of India to harnessits full potential. Moreover, if the foodprocessing industry of the countrydoes way with the middlemen andendeavours to procure its raw materialsfrom farmers directly as a rule, thenthey would get their ingredients atmuch lesser price. This would in turngive a fillip to the food ingredientssector. The modernisation of supplychain infrastructure with fewermiddlemen in agriculture sector is theneed of the hour.

Market with PotentialToday food ingredients and additivesrepresent a global, multi-billion dollarmarket, dominated by additivecategories, including flavour andflavour enhancers, hydrocolloids,acidulants, and emulsifiers. The globalmarket for food additives are expectedto reach a whooping figure of $37.7billion by 2018.

The global market for food anddrink ingredients was estimated to be$30billion in 2010. During 2011 itis believed to have escalated to$39billion. The market is set for

further growth as thedemand for innovativeingredients increases.

According to Aditi,the Indian market forfood ingredients/additives wasapproximately $500million in 2008, whichaccounted for a smallsection of the global market. However,the potential for Indian foodingredients/additives market is huge.Particularly, in the backdrop ofimpressive growth of the processedfoods market in India, the future offood ingredients’ market seems bright.Presently, the food processing industryin India is growing at 6-7 percent perannum.

The fast expansion of foodingredients market is in tandem withthe growth in the market of processedfood & beverages. With the growingdemand for processed food anddrinks, more and more innovativeingredients are emerging in the F&Bindustry. The processed food productsgenerally need higher levels ofadditive-style ingredients than theunprocessed foods, in the way ofpreservatives, flavours, colours, etc.,which makes ample room forinnovation exercises.

What is more relevant in the Indiancontext that for the food additivesuppliers the emerging markets of Asiaand Latin America are gainingincreasing importance, with the

demand for further processed foodsexperiencing impressive growth inthese regions.

Influencing FacetsToday, several factors are influencingthe multi-billion dollar foodingredients/additives market. Besidesavailability of affordable rawmaterials, cold chain infrastructure,regulatory approvals, etc. theconcerns for food safety, the healthand nutrition factor of the foodingredients/additives, especially inthe context of the growingprecedence of lifestyle diseases likediabetes and obesity, and mostimportantly, the research &development are among the factors

guiding the market size of the foodingredients/additives for the nearfuture. Globally, the demand formore complicated food ingredientsby food processors is also fosteringthe demand for food additives.

The market size for foodingredients/additives is expected toonly grow in our times wheneconomics permits and lifestyledemands greater role for processedfood products, but those foodingredient and food additivemanufacturers who would be able tosuccessfully channelise these above-mentioned factors towards healthyrevenues are only expected to survivethe increasing consumer demands andalso the demand of competitionprevailing in this fast evolving market.

In the Indian context, one can say thatbesides considering the above-mentionedfactors, the adoption of moresophisticated food processing methods,and restructuring of food processingcompanies are also needed to evolve thefood ingredients/additives market. In thisregard, proactive public-privateparticipation is called for. �


F E A T U R E

After its success in Ludhiana, TheBrewMaster has arrived in Delhi.In Ludhiana, the brand has its

presence in the form of a pub cummicrobrewery cum fine dinningrestaurant, spread across 10,000 sq. ft.Though the facility in Ludhiana cameinto being only in September 2011, it isalready destined to be a success story.

The BrewMaster, however is not yourrun-of-the-mill brand; it contains manysub-brands within itself. Its finedinning restaurants come under thebrand of The Mix, its banqueting andparty options are catered to byHappenings, Chaos embodies TheBrewMaster’s night club and lounge,and Terrazzo reflects its sky bar options.The BrewMaster and all its associatedbrands are a part of the HumbleHospitality Group. The group firstforayed into the happening realm ofmicrobreweries and stand-alonerestaurants about one-and-half years agowith its first outlet at Ludhiana, whichhas been soon followed by the Delhioutlet.

The Mix is HappeningThe BrewMaster’s Delhi outlet, which islocated within the glitzy in-vironmentof Moments Mall in Kirti Nagar, becamea part of the West Delhi’s F&Blandscape as recently as November2012. The bar license for the classy

outlet embodying sleek and yet rusticdecor, which has presently a 90-covermulti-cuisine restaurant(The Mix) andone banquet hall(Happenings) withinits ambit, was awaited at the time ofwriting the piece. After the bar licensecomes into effect, on weekend nights

Brewinga Success Storya Success Storya Success Storya Success Storya Success Story

By Swarnendu Biswas

Brewinga Success Storya Success Storya Success Storya Success Storya Success Story


The Mix would transform into a Chaos, quite literally, as hipand happening music would complement the high spirits. Yes,after the outlet gets permission to serve alcoholic beverages, onweekend nights the multi-cuisine fine dining restaurantwould transform itself into a nightclub, with partying spiritsreigning through the ambience.

The multi-purpose F&B facility is spread across 11,000 sq.ft. out of which the multi-cuisine fine dining restaurant spansacross 3000 sq.ft area. It is situated on the right side uponentering The BrewMaster. The Mix offers delectablerenditions of varied cuisines from across the globe, which areexpected to cheer the souls of food connoisseurs. Each of itstongue tickling recipes is skillfully prepared in its ownauthentic way. The live Teppanyaki grill at the fine diningrestaurant can further induce the appetite of the guests.

The restaurant boasts of an elaborate and intricatelytailored a la carte menu during weekdays, which includeEuropean, Mexican, oriental, Mughlai and Punjabi delicacies.The Mix at Delhi operates from 12 noon to midnight. Herean average a la carte meal for two costs about Rs.1000, if oneexcludes the taxes. Over weekends, the restaurant offers alavish buffet spread of various cuisines along with liveTeppanyaki dishes and mouth-watering desserts. It soundsunbelievable that this weekend buffet cost for an individualguest is only Rs.499 plus taxes.

Besides these, on weekdays The Mix offers an extremelyaffordable ‘Lunch Munch Buffet’ to satiate the afternoonhunger. This buffet offers a tempting selection of over 12Continental items including pizzas, pastas, salads, soups &sandwiches.

Designed for the BreweryHowever, the Delhi outlet doesn’t have a microbrewery atpresent. “As the Delhi government’s excise policy doesn’t allowmicrobrewery within restaurants at present, we are keepingexpansion in that direction on hold, presently,” explainedAnuj Mahato, the General Manager of the Delhi outlet of TheBrewMaster, while indicating the management’s interest tostart a microbrewery within premises of the Delhi property assoon as the state government’s regulations regarding thisbecome liberal enough to legalise such an endeavour. The areademarcated for the proposed microbrewery at the Delhifacility is very much visible to the guests. And the ambience ofthe property is also perfect for the microbrewery to beinstalled.

“Normally breweries are installed in run down places,having exposed bricks, texture paints, various levels in ceilings,odd niches, etc. What we have tried to do was to incorporatethese details while providing the comfort of new-age dining,”explained Pankaj Giroti, the Chief Executive Director, TheBrewMaster.

The décor of The Mix at Delhi already exudes the charm oftraditional breweries from Germany. The interiors of The Mixis characterised by leveled sitting, exposed brick at odd places,niches in walls, and small comfort zones, which together lendsa rustic appeal to the place, amidst its sophistication. “In orderto achieve these, we had to incorporate the appropriatefinishing. We used veneer final finish which gives effect ofburnt wood, kept the sand stone on floor slightly underpolished to give an old look, and used slates on wall to achieve


F E A T U R E

exposed effect along with mdf jaallis tocreate comfort zone,” elaborated Giroti.

Tastes for all Seasons“In terms of beverage options, The Mixwill have something to offer foreverybody,” averred Mahato, as I sippedon the warm light creamy chicken soup.“When the bar license for the outletbecomes a reality, which in any case isexpected within the coming weeks, thecomplete The BrewMaster drinks menuwill be served; which include therefreshing and gourmet in-housecocktails/mocktails, along with anextensive selection of both IMFL andimported spirits and liquors,” profferedGiroti.

One of the delights of the maincourse at The Mix experience at TheBrewMaster’s Delhi property is the Surfn Turf. It has tender lamb chops, tigerprawns & chicken breast served on thebed of exotic vegetables. While havingthe delicious experience I waswondering whether the Surf n Turfexperience was more sumptuous or morefilling. I came to the conclusion after themeal that it is both.

Overall, the impressive range oforiental delicacies like the Beijing Lamb,Malaysian Chicken Satay, Prawns inWhite Garlic Sauce and many others atThe Mix is amply complemented by its

Hawaiian Pizza, Norwegian SalmonStick, Greek Salad and several otheroccidental F&B offerings. And they arespruced with authentic Mughlai tastes,and aromas from Punjab

The flexibility of the dinning optionsat the outlet can be gauged from theauthentic butter chicken and naan,which followed the Continental spreadof Surf n Turf. Though I was full, Itasted the authentic delicacy fromPunjab and it tasted among the betterbutter chicken dishes that I have hadeaten so far. To test their gastronomicrepertoire, I asked for a very Indiandessert of gulaab jamun and promptlygot a warm dish of this traditionalIndian sweetness.

The warm décor and the awesomevariety of wonderful F&B options at theproperty are geared to attract animpressive stream of discerning crowd.“Already The Mix at Delhi is attracting150 footfalls per day on weekdays, and300-350 footfalls on weekends,”informed Giroti.

The Group’s VisionSartaj Singh Sahni, the Director of TheBrewMaster, informed me that TheBrewMaster brand is all set to expand itspresence in Jalandhar too, in February2013. “It would be a 14,000 sq.ft.property, having a 90-cover restaurantwith two live kitchens. Of course, therewill also be a microbrewery and twobanquet halls within the facility,”confirmed Sahni. The banquet halls willcover an area of 1250 sq.ft.

“The Humble Hospitality group’smajor focus will remain in tier-II & tier-III cities. The group is also under theprocess of awarding franchises of TheBrewMaster and its associated brands,both at home and abroad,” concludedSahni. The group’s business focus ontier-II and tier-III cities with theircomparatively affordable real estate ascompared to the metropolitan cities, andwith their huge untapped potential ofeating out possibilities seemed a wiseand savvy business decision. �

Sartaj Singh Sahni


A G R I

Soybeans belong to the legume family and are native to east Asia. They have been animportant protein source in the orient for millions of people for over five thousand years.

Soybeans have been in the western world also, since the 20th century.

A Healthy Substitute

Soya:Soya:

Soybeans can be grown on avariety of soils and a wide rangeof climates, ranging form

tropical Brazil to the snowy islandHokkaido in the north of Japan. Assoybeans mature in the pod, theyripen into a hard, dry bean. Althoughmost soybeans are yellow, there arealso rare varieties in black, brown orgreen.

High yield — A given area of landplanted with soybeans can producemuch more protein than land plantedwith other crops, or if the land wereused to raise cattle.

Storing soybeans — Greensoybeans (edamame) should berefrigerated and used within twodays. Frozen edamame can be kept forseveral months. Dried soybeans maybe kept in an airtight container for along period of time.

Cooking soybeans — Soybeans canbe cooked and used in soups, sauces

and stews. To prepare two cups ofsoybeans for cooking, soak in aboutsix cups of water for six to eighthours. Soaking shortens the cookingtime and improves the texture andappearance of the beans. Drain, rinseand cook soaked soybeans in about six

cups of fresh water. Don’t add salt atthis point or it will delay thesoftening of the soybeans. Pressurecook for about 40 minutes, then thebeans will become tender. Whencooking soybeans, make it worth bycooking two or three times what isneeded and freezing the rest for lateruse.

Protein source —Whole soybeansare an excellent source of protein(soybeans contain on average37percent protein) and dietary fibre.Soy protein is the only vegetablewhose protein is complete. Soyprotein has attracted a lot of attentionrecently due to its ability to lowerLDL (bad cholesterol) levels.

Soy ProteinSoy protein has been used since 1959as ingredients for its functionalproperties in a variety of foods such assalad dressings, soups, vegetarian


foods and meat imitations. The functional properties of soyprotein are emulsification and texturizing. Recently thepopularity of soy protein has increased mainly due to thehealth benefits of soy protein. It has been proven that soyprotein can prevent heart problems.

In the US a soy protein health claim is allowed underthe following conditions:

• One serving must contain at least 6.25 grams of soyprotein.

• One serving should contain max 3 grams of fat, unlessthe product consists of or is derived from whole soy andcontains no fat in addition to the fat inherently present inthe whole soy.

• Less than 1 gram of saturated fat which shouldrepresent maximum 15 percent of total calories.

• The serving should contain less than 20 milligrams ofcholesterol.

• The food should be low in sodium: less than 480milligrams for an individual food, less than 720 milligramsfor a main dish and less than 960 milligrams for a mealproduct.

There are three types of soy protein products:Soy Protein IsolateSoy protein isolate is the most refined form of soy

protein and is mainly used in meat products to improvethe texture and eating quality. Soy protein isolates containabout 90 percent soy protein.

Soy Protein ConcentratesSoy protein concentrate is basically soybean without the

water-soluble carbohydrates. Soy protein concentratecontains about 70 percent of soy protein.

Textured Soy ProteinTextured soy protein, often called TSP, is made from soy

protein concentrate by giving it some texture. Textured soyprotein is available as dry flakes or chunks. Textured soyprotein keeps its structure when hydrated. Hydratedtextured soy protein chunks have a texture similar to meat.They can be used as a meat replacement or can be added tomeat. Textured soy protein contains about 70 percent ofsoy protein.

Soybean OilSoybean oil is widely used oil and is commonly called‘vegetable oil.’ Soybean oil is a very healthy food ingredientdespite the bad publicity regarding fats and oils in general.Soybean oil does not contain much saturated fat. Saturatedfat causes heart diseases and is mainly found in productsfrom animal origin. Soybean oil is also used by the foodindustry in a variety of food products including saladdressings, sandwich spreads, margarine, bread, mayonnaise,non-dairy coffee creamers and snack foods.

Soybean oil contains natural antioxidants which remainin the oil even after extraction. These antioxidants help toprevent the oxidative rancidity.

Soybean oil has normally a shelf life of one year but it isbetter to store the soybean oil only a few months at roomtemperature. Soybean oil should be stored in a dry and darkplace. It should be stored away from heat and in order tokeep soybean oil for longer periods it should be keptrefrigerated. ■


P R O F I L E

Oils for HealthBy Ashok Malkani

The belief that oils and fats are harmful is a misconception. In fact, according to PrakashChandra, Director, Kamani Oil Industries Pvt. Ltd. they play a vital role in nutrition. He aversthat they are the most efficient source of food energy. Though excess of fat was considered as

a culprit for many lifestyle diseases, right quality and quantity of fat is required for normalfunctioning of body, he stated. Speaking about his company’s products, he stated that they are

trans fat free. The excerpts from the interview with him follow:

You claim to be India’sleading specialty oils & fatsmanufacturer. What are theseproducts and what are theirbenefits as compared to oilsmanufactured by othermanufacturers?

Kamani Oil Industries Pvt.Ltd. is oneof the leading manufacturers in the fieldof specialty oils and fats in India. We areFSSC 22000 certified which includesISO 22000 and HACCP principles,hence we have a very rigid qualityassurance system in place. Our productsare Halal and Kosher certified.

The company is dedicated towardsproviding highest quality oils and fatsand has a wide range of products forspecialised applications, for the food,pharma, cosmetic and nutraceuticalindustries. Our product range includes awhole range of specialty vegetable oils,hydrogenated vegetable fats (vanaspatiand bakery shortenings), margarines,dairy fat replacers, confectionery fatsand exotic butters. We have nowintroduced trans free range of productsfor the food industry.

We have a state-of-the-art productionfacility which has been constantlyupgraded to ensure productionflexibility. The products aremanufactured under hygienicconditions and we follow strict GMPprinciples.

The effects of fats and oilsare believed to be notbeneficial for health. Do youascribe to this view? If yes, thenhow will you convince the usersto consume your products? Ifyou do not believe that this istrue then please state yourreasons.

Oils and fats play a vital role innutrition. They also play an importantrole in food preparation by enhancingthe food flavour, adding mouth-feel,texture, and conducting heat duringcooking. It also provides eating pleasure

and feeling of satiety.Furthermore, oils/fats are the most

efficient source of food energy. Eachgram of fat provides 9 calories of energyfor the body, compared to 4 calories pergram for carbohydrates and proteins.

Fats/oils also help the body usevitamins i.e. they act as carriers for oilsoluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K.

There are more benefits of fat. Manyof the vital organs, especially thekidneys, heart, and intestines arecushioned by fat that helps protectthem from injury and hold them inplace. Hence oils and fats form anintegral part of any healthy andbalanced diet.

Kindly give some glimpses ofthe range of products that yourcompany has come up with forcatering to specialisedapplications for the foodindustry?

We have a whole range of trans freeproducts for different applications likebakery, confectionery, nutraceuticals, icecream/frozen desserts, snack food, hotel/catering, and sweet meat industry.

For the bakery industry, we havedeveloped a premium trans free aeratedbakery shortening K-Lite, which is amulti-purpose and multi-functional fat.It can be used in cakes, biscuits, cookiesand butter cream icings. For the snack


P R O F I L E

food industry, we have developedspecial culinary oil —Foodlite — whichcan be used for multiple frying and canbe used as cooking oil too. In theconfectionery segment, we have a wholerange of cocoa butter substitutes fordifferent applications – compoundchocolates, centre filling and enrobing.For the frozen desserts, we have a transfree vanaspati (Koolex) which is dairyfat alternative. Dairy fats contain transfats and cholesterol whereas Koolex ischolesterol free and trans free.

Your advertisements claim thatyour products provide betterhealth benefits of zero trans fatand zero cholesterol. Doctors, onthe other hand, state that no oilcan be without fat and hence becholesterol free. Could youplease throw some light on thisongoing debate?

All vegetable oils and fats being plantbased do not contain cholesterol. Onlyanimal fats and dairy fats containcholesterol as well as trans fats. Thoughexcess of fat is considered as culprit formany lifestyle diseases, right quality andquantity of fat is required for normalfunctioning of body. Apart from being asource of energy, fat acts as source ofessential fatty acids and supply fatsoluble vitamins. A diet very low or highin fat may not be optimal for goodhealth. It is very important to choose thecorrect type of fat. Intake of fats alsoaffects the blood cholesterol levels whichare directly linked to heart diseases, themost common being the coronary heartdisease or CHD.

There are four basic types of fats youneed to understand: monounsaturatedfats (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fats(PUFAs), saturated fats (SAFAs), andtrans fats. MUFAs and PUFAs are goodfats; trans and to some extent, SAFAs arebad fats. SAFAs raise HDL (good) andLDL (bad) cholesterol levels. MUFAslower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintainHDL (good) cholesterol. PUFAs reducelevels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, but toomuch of PUFA can also lower your HDL(good) cholesterol. Trans fats, which areformed during the process ofhydrogenation, tend to increase the LDLlevel which is the bad cholesterol anddecrease the good cholesterol. Thedecrease in HDL( good cholesterol ) maylead to cardio-vascular diseases (CVD).

Kindly give a brief account ofyour R&D infrastructure, whichhelps you to manufacturequality products

We are a research-orientedorganisation and our prime focus ishealth, nutrition and innovation. Tomaintain our leadership position in theindustry we are constantly workingtowards acquiring a deeper knowledge ofthe oil molecule. Our aim is to createvalue by producing technically superiorproducts. We have a fully equippedapplication centre with facilities suitingcustomer requirements. We have a foodinnovation lab, which is a knowledgecentre to facilitate development and co-creation of products with our customers.Our in-house R&D is equipped withpilot plant facilities for developing andoptimising the existing processes interms of reducing capital and operatingcosts. I may add that our R&D has beenrecognised by the DSIR (Department ofScientific and Industrial Research),Government of India.

Over the years, we have developedsome highly innovative products like K-Lite, Foodlite, and Sweetjoy.

Why would the bakers preferK-Lite?

In the current scenario, bakers usedifferent fats for preparing differentbakery products – cakes, cookies, cream,biscuits, etc. The bakeries have to keepan inventory of all these fats whichbecomes very cumbersome on usage.There is a possibility that a wrong fatmight be used in the final formulation.This is a practical problem which thebakers are facing. We have been closelyworking with the bakers to understandtheir specific requirements and needs.After a lot of experimentation andresearch, our R&D team has developedK-Lite – a trans free aerated multi-purpose and multi-functional bakeryshortening, which can find applicationin various bakery products. It performsbetter than any commercially availablemargarine or bakery shortening.

Today it is preferred over margarinebecause margarine contains 82-84percent fat, the rest is water and otheradditives. The shelf life of margarine isless as compared to the shortenings whichare 100 percent fat. Margarine is alsoprone to microbiological deterioration, isgenerally more expensive, and may also

contain trans fats.

What would you say are thestrengths of your company?

Our commitment towards qualityand customer service is one of our majorstrengths. It has helped us become theleading supplier to the major foodprocessing industries. Our otherstrengths include our infrastructure, ourresearch & development, and our salesand technical support.

Which are the industries thatyour company caters to? Pleaseelaborate.

We cater to the FMCG companies invarying segments, which includeconfectionery, bakery and general foodindustry, frozen desserts, pharma andnutrition, food chains, cosmetics andpersonal care, etc.

Some of the companies using ourproducts are: Nestle, Cadbury (nowMondelez), Britannia, HUL, ITC, Parle,Heinz, General Mills, Amul, Vadilal,Cipla, GSK, Abbott, Raptakos,Dominos, Pizza Hut, KFC, Amway,Godrej, Loreal, Marico, etc.

Your company claims that itis able to tailor-made productsfor specific requirements. Canyou elaborate on this? Whatspecific requirements do youcater to…and how?

Our unwavering commitment andour experience of working closely withour valued customers help us tocustomise our products to meet theirdistinct requirements. We can tailor-make fats for any special end-useapplications. We are regularly updatingourselves on the technologicalinnovations happening around theworld and are actively working onproviding healthy solutions to ourcustomers.

At Kamani Oil Industries, ourendeavour is to constantly innovate andimprovise our products to provide truevalue to our customers. We keepeducating ourselves on all nutritionalaspects to provide healthy oils and fatsto the consumers.

We take pride in associating with ourconsumers as solution providers and areinvolved with them to help themenhance the nutritional and taste profileof their end product. ■


M E A T

Of the SheepOf the SheepThe features of a goat’s and that of

a sheep’s meat are almost similarand are not readily identifiable

from a layman’s point of view. Sheep’smeat is considered best when it isyoung. Lamb meat, to be specific, isreferred to as the meat of young sheep.It is also more expensive and has certaintaste, which is sometimes not acceptablelocally.

The word mutton is used for themeat of grown up sheep and goats,usually after they achieve the age of oneyear or so. “In the Indian context, as faras the independent and smallrestaurants are concerned, it isconsidered as ‘understood’ from thecustomers’ perspective that whereverlamb is mentioned in the menu, it is thegoat meat and not the lamb meat.However it is interesting to see that inrestaurants of hotels, goat meat is servedwherever lamb is mentioned, with fewexceptions,” asserted a renowned Chef.

Meat SpecificsLamb and mutton are graded by twograding systems: quality grading andyield grading. The purpose of thegrading is to facilitate in ranking of thelamb, both as live animal and as meatproduct. Using the grading systems,products can be more easily priced andmarketed according to given values.

Quality grades help indistinguishing the predictedpalatability of the meat product. Yieldgrades determine differences amongstcarcasses between the amount ofproportional trimmed meat incomparison to fat and bone in thecarcass. There are five yield grades,between one and five. The lower the

yield grade the better, as this meansthat the carcass most likely exhibitsmore of meat as compared to waste (fat,bone, unused by-products).

The fat content of sheep meatimparts it with a particular taste forwhich it is savoured all over the world.In the process of ageing, the chemicalcomposition of the meat changes slowlyand the texture becomes more tender.

Taste QuotientThe Indian meat market, even aftervegetarianism revolution, has remainedat a moderate level with demand notfaltering in a significant manner.Especially in mountain regions, sheep isreared for meat and is one of thepreferred ways to counter heat for itsmeat being hot to counter the chillyweather conditions.

If meat is processed and blast frozen,the quality gets affected only marginallythough constant thawing and freezingspoils the meat. Indians prefer goat meatto sheep, as there is a certain degree ofnegative variance about the quality ofsheep meat that can be felt on tasting so.However, in Indian food preparationswe generally use a wide variety of spicesand pastes due to which it is often notpossible to figure out whether lamb orgoat meat has been used in thepreparation.

This becomes evident when people inthis business give their opinion aboutsheep meat. Says Shakeel, an employeeof a meat supplier, the quality of sheepmeat is far inferior to that of goat meat.He goes on to say that the use of lamb isextensive because it is superior qualitymeat that is used in various cuisines,both Indian and international. But as

the lamb grows into an adult sheep, thequality of the meat deteriorates. Goatmeat is also redder as compared to sheepmeat.

Consumption PatternSheep are also reared because they are asource of wool to us. The locals of theregions of Himachal Pradesh and J & Kprefer the meat of sheep to goat andsimilar trends could be found in theregions of north-east India. But, in theplains, goat meat is preferred to sheepmeat.

“People are not ready for sheep meatyet. Its consumption is restricted to onlylamb for delicacies like kebabs and otherroasted meat preparations, primarilysnacks,” said an employee of the Karim’soutlet at Delhi’s famous Jama Masjid,who insisted on anonymity.

Actually, there are no prominentpreparations of lamb as such, howeverthere are specific regions in the hillswhich prefer lamb to goat meat. It is alsobelieved that so is the case in other partsof India as well.

ElementsAccording to the conventional style ofcookery, the types of cuts from thecarcass of lamb are shoulders, legs,breasts, middle neck, scrag end, best endand saddle. In a single carcass theshoulder, leg and breast cuts containtwo pieces each.

When we go to a butcher’s shop, weusually see the hanging carcasses of deadanimals. “The features of a goat and thatof a sheep’s meat are almost similar andare not readily identifiable, from alayman’s point of view,” says a meatsupplier to many hotels. ■

will soon provide a single source

comprehensive consultancy on

Food Processingin partnership with

www.bryair.com

Foodpro IndiaA Division of Bry-Air (Asia) Pvt. Ltd.

Email:[email protected]

This is India’s first such professional consultancy service

which will fulfill the longstanding need for acquiring know-how and

techniques for a well-organised system of collecting, handling,

forwarding and processing of fruits and vegetables.

The development of this industry is in keeping with the

Government of India’s “National Mission for Food Processing”

with the objective of drastically reducing the

enormous wastage of fruits and vegetables in the country.

a global leader in consultancy of Food Processing lines

USA

RB

/BA

/125

4FC

A5


B A K E R Y

Running a bakery is a creative and challenging business,whether be it a stand-alone bakery, a retail bakerychain, or industrial bakery operations for that matter.

However, in this feature we are concentrating on the points to beconsidered for the running of a start-up stand-alone bakerybusiness.

An entrepreneur venturing into bakery business shouldremember that simply love for baking wouldn’t do, the passion forbaking should be complemented with knowledge and expertise ifthe entrepreneur wants to survive the competition, especially withlimited funds. It should do well for her/him and many suchentrepreneurs to remember that bakery business has greatpotential for growth in India, but the competition too is huge.

Location and CostsFirst of all, as an entrepreneur starting a bakery she/he should besure of her/his location. That is she/he should be sure that thelocation where she/he is thinking of starting the bakery businesshas a need for a new bakery or not, or whether the consumerprofile there is suited for the kind of baked products which she/hehas in mind or has expertise in producing. If the answer to any of

these questions is no, the entrepreneur should proceed to anothersuitable location that is within her/his budget, without thinkingtwice.

Secondly, it is important to calculate in detail the fixed andvariable costs involved in running the bakery operations,especially for the first six months, when the profits are notexpected to trickle in. Two examples of fixed cost are the rent ofthe outlet (assuming the entrepreneur doesn’t own the propertywhere she/he decides to create a bakery) and the depreciation onthe bakery equipment or the lease costs on them; two examples ofvariable cost are the cost of ingredients and human resources orlabour.

Though salary is often regarded as part of fixed costs, butsince most of the bakeries in India operate in the unorganisedsector, it is more pragmatic to assume that human resource or staffor labour costs as variable costs, which can fluctuate according tothe production needs.

However, if you decide to cut down your ingredient andhuman resource costs without discretion, you may end uplowering the quality of your products, which may get yourbusiness swept away by the harsh and biting winds of

By Swarnendu Biswas

Points to Ponder for

Start-up Bakeries


competition, to the oblivion. It is therefore advisable to allocatemoney for quality ingredients and workers before starting thebakery operations, for in bakery business, creativity andingredients play crucial roles in success.

One may curtail their cost by curtailing their quantity andnumbers, depending upon the production needs, but it is notadvisable to curtail on their quality, especially in these times whenthe consumers for bakery products are getting evolved by the day.Overall, a prudent calculation of day-to-day costs of running astart-up and stand-alone bakery operations can help theentrepreneur to plan her/his would be revenue, pricing andprofits better.

The Right PricingThe pricing of your bakery products would not only dependupon your cost of operations, but should also depend on thepricing of the products of your competitors nearby. If you arecharging markedly higher for your bakery products than yourneighbourhood competitor, even though your products aremarkedly better than his, there is every chance that his regularconsumers would be reluctant to switch from him towards you.And new consumers would also be tempted to get attracted toyour competitor’s products only.

However, both these setbacks for you would happen only ifyour competitor too produces reasonable quality products. If heproduces absolute trash then of course, his regular consumers andalso the new consumers may be attracted towards your bakedproducts even at lieu of a much higher prices, but then youcannot always rely on your competitor’s incompetence to startyour business.

It is always better therefore to price your products judiciously,while taking into account of not only your cost of production,but also the prevailing price range of your competition nearby. Itis because you need to cover your costs and make a healthy profit,but first of all you need your products to be sold.

Minimise Waste, Maximise FreshHowever, you can promote those baked products where there isbetter profit margin over those products of yours where the profitmargin is comparatively lower. Display the products where profitmargin is higher in a much more attractive way than other itemswhere the profit margin is lower. As a start-up entrepreneur/baker/ you also need to keep a close watch on the items whichyou sell the most and also the least in your bakery, and adjustyour inventory accordingly to minimise waste. Waste is a greatwaste of scarce money for the start-up operations.

It is also advisable to display fresh baked goods as this wouldhelp shape the first impression of your consumers and potentialconsumers. The aroma from a freshly baked bread or cake canmake a potential consumer into a real one within no time. And inbusiness, like in other facets of life, often first impression becomesa lasting impression, though definitely not the last impression.

Promotion and InnovationIt is intelligent for start-up bakeries to offer free samples of theirprized products (the products which the entrepreneurs think areexpected to be sure shot winners in their consumers’ tastes) inorder to garner more consumers. However, the free samplesshould be small enough to induce the taste and not satiate it, sothat interest over the product gets ignited.


In this age, innovation is becoming the key to unlocking thedoors to success, and this is more true for the bakery business,where creativity is always held at premium. Therefore, as theowner of a new bakery you should give particular attention tomake your products stand out from the crowd. Innovation can bein terms of ingredients, presentation or preparation of products.

If your bakery is located in a reasonably well-off locality of a bigcity, it would do good if you venture into the domain of designerdesserts, which are gaining much popularity in the upwardlymobile metropolitan India. To simulate the ideas or fascination ofyour clientele into tailor-made or custom-designed cakes andchocolates for them during birthdays and other festivities canhelp you garner welcome revenues. And you would pleasantlysee that if you give something different in terms of look thattastes great too, people are not minding some extra costs.

However, this trend of designer desserts has not caught on inthe small cities and towns of India as yet, but even if you are abakery owner in a small town you can make a beginning in thisdirection, provided you do not increase the price of yourdesigner products too much in your price-sensitiveneighbourhood or society.

Another way of attracting the upwardly mobile and well-heeled crowd is by presenting healthy bakery in these healthconscious times. Sugarless cakes and chocolates, and egg less andvegan cakes teeming with fruits and dry fruits can have goodmarket, as would multigrain breads, and pastries with fruittoppings and less cream. Here also however, a point of caution isneeded. The bakeries presenting health conscious products are

more likely to be appreciated in upper middle class and affluentlocalities for there only the price for these healthy products arelikely to be accepted. In middle class and lower income groupareas also healthy bakery products could be marketed, but only ifthey are served with moderate price tags, which of course entailslesser profit margins or lesser quality.

Suitable AmbienceOf course, innovation should not only be extended to products,but can also be extended to ambience and décor. If your bakeryis located in an upwardly mobile or posh area of a metropolitancity, the ambience and décor should be sleek and somewhatunique, and you need to pay some good amount of money (if itis a loan, its interest would add up to your fixed cost expenses)or invest some quality imagination to achieve this. You often may

need both.However, if your bakery is located in a traditional middle-

class area and if you intend to target the consumers withmoderate means and old-fashioned tastes, it is advisable not betoo funky with your ambience and décor; it may prove to becounterproductive and your would be consumers would bereluctant to come to you by perceiving you to be too costly orhigh-end. In that case, it is better if you keep your bakery’sambience and décor simple and straightforward; howeverinnovativeness in products (without hurting the religioussentiments) and healthy bakery options would be appreciatedin conservative middle-class areas too, provided if you can keeptheir price from going berserk.

Themed ProductsOf course, it is better if you position your bakery outlet as aone-stop solution for the need of baked goods among yourconsumers and potential consumers. The product range ondisplay should be comprehensive and must includescrumptious Indian snacks too, besides cakes, biscuits, breads,muffins, chocolates, pastries, etc.

However, at the same time, it is also a clever move to updatethe menu frequently so as to not let the boredom set in amongyour consumers and potential consumers. This would alsofacilitate your bakery to stand apart from the competition. Alsolet the seasonal elements reflect in your offerings, which willhelp build expectations for your seasonal products in the nextseason.

Besides that, keeping a theme corresponding with variouscelebratory occasions and producing a specially designed bakeryproduct according to that theme can also be an excitingproposition for the consumers and potential consumers. Forexample, rose shaped cakes carrying the theme of love duringValentine’s Day, or decorative candle shaped pastries duringDiwali; carrying the theme of enlightenment, can attract new-age clientele to your bakery.

Work CultureAs a start-up, you cannot afford to lose quality production timedue to dissatisfied, lazy and inattentive staff. Ensure that yourstaff remains satisfied and also ensure that you keep only thoseemployees who besides having the requisite professionalexpertise and the eagerness to innovate are also eager to learnand please their guests. This will help you to get repeatcustomers. And of course, attention to housekeeping shouldalso be given to maintain a spic and span bakery, embodyinggood hygiene. This would also attract repeat consumers.

It is not to say that taking account of all these factors willsurely make your bakery business a success, but their adherencewould definitely facilitate the success of your bakery businessendeavour. These above-mentioned aspects are not onlyimportant for a start-up stand-alone bakery beginning itsoperations with limited funds, but also for a retail bakery chainoperating in glitzy malls, or a bakery selling high-end productsin the cosy and secluded marketing environment of five-starhotels, with its guests being predominantly moneyed peoplestaying or frequenting in five-star properties. But for smallstand-alone bakeries, adherence to these factors is all the morecrucial for survival, especially in their nascent stage ofoperations. �

B A K E R Y


B E V E R A G E

Syrup, a thick sweet liquid forcooking or table use is a humblemixture of sugar dissolved in

water, often flavoured with fruit orother aromatic extracts. However, thisvery humble preparation is capable ofcreating some exotic results if used bythe right hands, and it can taste soradically refreshing that it helps wintrophies and awards for Chefs andBartenders who know how to handlethem.

In an informal manner, the term‘syrup’ could be used for excessivesentimentality; as almost a derogativeterm. Used wrongly or incorrectly fromthe bottle it can turn equally disastrous,ruining perfectly fine ingredients, bothin visual form as also in terms of thetaste that it brings. Too much or toolittle is not an option when handlingyour syrups!

Demand for syrups in the Indiansub-continent has been on the rise, withno sign of abating in the near future.We are adding them to our cocktails andmocktails and sometimes to fool thelittle kids into drinking their quota ofmilk for calcium intake we spike themilk with chocolate, strawberry or othersyrups.

Syrups can be added to cocktailswith alcohol of choice, mocktails forthose who do not care for alcohol andcan indeed be infused to thosebeverages which gives us an energyboost of a different kind — tea &coffee!

The syrups are great infusions forespresso, brewed coffee, tea, granitas,

smoothies, Italian sodas, desserts oranything else. As a mixer and base forcocktail, mocktail or flavoured drinkthey have many applications. They allmake our culinary life truly flavourful.

This increasing demand for syrupsmeans newer international brands beingmade available. Most bars boast of vastcollection of syrups of every conceivablecolour and flavour. Some have naturalfruit juice, others just flavourings buteach has its own contribution andpossibilities. Syrups need to be handledwith sensitivity and care for optimumresults.

The Colourful SyrupsToday’s syrup colours are of various huesand range from the popular bright blueto mint greens; cool pinks to dusky redsand the favourite with many, blackcurrant in varying degrees of purple.

Newer trend is for lighter colours.Kiwi greens, light and fragile oranges aremore fashionable. Watermelon is great insummer and gives a fresh feel. It can bemixed with Bacardi, gin, tequila or anyalcohol.

The Taste ChangersFew people prefer flavour of bitteralmond. Few love the smell of aniseedand follow the trail of absinthe in Franceto some very seedy bars. Yet someonesays some naughty things about thefragrance of the humble coriander anddrinks a Bloody Mary only for theroughly torn coriander that floats infavourite bar’s cocktail!

Add a drop of cinnamon syrup to

dramatically change any smoothie andyou instantly make it more for an adultthan a child; the innocence of vanilla ispristine, the versatility of it lends itselfwell. The almond syrup mixesharmoniously with sparkling water, cola,iced tea, coffee, or Pastis. The list of tasteenhancing syrup and their application isquite long.

Helpful Pointers for SyrupsAlways refrigerate your syrups. HazelnutMartini is good as an after dinner drinkand for most people mint flavour wouldnot be unsuitable at the end of the meal.Pernod is a substitute for absinthe withthe wood factor removed. Learn thebasics about your syrups and you couldexperiment confidently. Syrups need tobe used with caution and due respectfor the sweetness. Bartenders usecrushed ice, soda, or water dependingon what the customer wants but theproportion of syrup should remain moreor less the same.

Burgeoning PossibilitiesJust as muddled fresh fruits can be usedin varying proportions for differentpossibilities, the syrup makers out thereare constantly trying out newer options.With their research and surveys, most ofthem are hugely successful. If you wantto try your own options or ratherpotions, go ahead – don’t let thetradition restrict your imagination.

Suggested Mixes with Alcohol ofChoiceEvery bartender should have his

Syrup Sensations


B E V E R A G E

favourite syrup concoction. Then be itthe garnish or syrup proportions; youcan have different results. For starterstry & enjoy!

120 ml orange juice60ml Banana nectar20 ml strawberry syrupOr80 ml banana nectar80 ml pineapple juice20 ml of apple syrup and20 ml strawberry syrupStrawberry syrup is delightful with

sparkling water, brown ale, lemonade,cold milk, granita or rum in a cocktail.

For almond flavour lovers40 ml Banana nectar40 ml passion fruit juice60 ml fresh lemon juice40 ml almond syrup20 ml strawberry syrupThe almond syrup mixes

harmoniously with sparkling water,cola, tonic water, iced tea, hot coffee,iced coffee, cold milk, or Pastis.Grenadine syrup adds a wonderfulflavour to sparkling water, lemonade,cola, tonic water, cold milk, granita,lager beer, or vodka. The cinnamonsyrup is refreshingly novel with cola,

tonic water, hot tea, iced tea, hot coffee,iced coffee, cold milk, or rum.

Spiking Your CoffeeHazelnut is the most popular with coffeedrinkers for it actually complements thetaste and aroma of coffee the best.

Yes, when the first Barista opened up,more people wanted to try the variationof different flavours with theircappuccinos and Americanos and theseexperimenters have now reached theevolution of having identified theirfavourites.

Hopefully, with newer outlets beingadded to the list of coffee cafes, morepromotional schemes would make moretastes available for the experimental anddiscerning clients to try out. A word ofcaution here: Do identify yourfavourite coffee and understand itsbody and aroma before you startexperimenting with flavours andsyrups. Before appreciating goodsyrups in your coffee you have to firstknow a good coffee from a bad orindifferent one. Syrups cannot rescue abad coffee, though they can enhanceand improve a good coffee and make ittaste great.

Disaster ZonesIf you mix something citrus with a cream-based liqueur it will curdle. The sameprinciple applies to contradictory flavourstoo. Vanilla essence is universally acceptablewith most other ingredients, but would bewasted when used with almond flavouring– be it in a drink or food item. Never mixgreat quantities when experimenting. On asmall scale, trying out at a single cocktaillevel is easier to rectify rather than a wholepitcher of punch with alcohol and syrup.

If you are asking a bartender to makeyou a cocktail that he has never tried before,ask for his/her opinion. Most likely theyknow the possibility of tastes that wouldclash. Before you mix two fruit syrups inthe same drink or dessert, think if youwould mix those fruits in a plate. If theanswer is yes, go ahead and try; if yourmind tells you a big NO, tread with careand caution.

Respect your syrups and they willmake you a winner every time, on anindividual level as also on a professionalfront. Know your syrups and you coulduse them like a magician, churning outsignature dishes that would leaveeverybody wondering if they imagined aflavour or was it really there. ■


P U B

These days, we are not onlyfinding that more and morepeople in India are developing a

love for the beer, but they are alsobecoming more discerning about their beerchoices. This perhaps explains the suddenintroduction of microbreweries in India’salcohol beverages industry.

Microbreweries are introducing a cultureof having freshly prepared beers inside thepub. Crafting and brewing fresh beer is anart, which has initiated a new dimension inthe Indian food & beverage industry.

These microbreweries or brewpubscome across as restaurant-cum-pubs whereyou can consume fresh-off-the-tap beers,which have been brewed in their in-housebreweries. They not only taste better on anaverage than your branded beers floodingthe market, but as they are fresh and haveno preservatives, they are healthy drinkingoptions too.

Located at Star Mall, NH-8, Gurgaon,Lemp Brewpub and Kitchen does have thepotential to attract such quality beer lovers

within the Delhi-NCR region or thetourists coming into this region for businessand/or leisure.

This commodious and comfortablepub-cum-microbrewery, spread across11,000 sq.ft. is not your average outlet tohave a drink or two. It is the franchiseproperty of Lemp Brewing Co., the firstlager beer brewers of the US. LempBrewing Co. has a 173-year-old rich historybehind the peerless aromas and tastes of itsover 200 recipes of beers. The masterbrewery has given for the very first time inits history a sole franchise to KaviarHospitality Pvt. Ltd, who translated themammoth project into Lemp Brewpub andKitchen, in January 2012. The legendarycompany’s perfection in the art of craftingtraditional boutique beers is also reflected inthe beer offerings at Lemp Brewpub andKitchen, at Gurgaon.

The friendly and warm décor of thepub-cum-microbrewery is a unique blendof trendy and rustic interiors, which sets themood for warm, casual and inviting

conversation, and rendezvous.“The opening of Lemp Brewpub and

Kitchen in Gurgaon will give the craft beerenthusiasts here a taste of the much lovedAmerican flavours.” affirmed AkshayLuthria, the Director of Kaviar Hospitality.“The customers here have mature palatesand are ready now for an enhancedexperience. We welcomed the opportunityto expand the brand in this cosmopolitanpart of India where its products will beappreciated for their quality and historicvalue,” he further explained.

Both Akshay and his business partnerShashank Sangall were nursing the desire toopen a microbrewery and provideauthentic and quality craft beers to thepeople, which should be vastly differentfrom the regular bottled beer options thatyou can find in the market. They werefascinated by the history of Lemp andwanted to run a franchise operations of thecompany in India. Lemp too was exploringthe option of developing a market in India.Both their interests merged to create this

By Tapapriya Lahiri

Frothing With Golden FreshnessFrothing With Golden Freshness


first of its kind business tie-up, where thepeople of Delhi-NCR have got a newhaven for quality lager and ale beers.

Ishan Grover, a Brewmaster with LempBrewpub in Gurgaon, explained how abeer is brewed in their brewpub. Here thefour pure ingredients of water, malt, hopsand yeast are used to blend a heady rustybrew. “The individual blends of malts andhops are gently mixed with RO filteredwater in the brewing process to produce thetemplate of flavours and aromas that, with alittle patience, become beers.” Of course, itgoes without saying that there are nochemical preservative, additive, colouring,sugar, or artificial stabiliser in their beers.Lavender Lady, Jurrasic Dark, StandardLager, Cherokee Red, Ultra Pale Ale, andWit Beer are the six different types offreshly brewed beers, which a guest canenjoy at this Gurgaon property.

Lavender Lady, a dessert beer made withfine non Dutched cocoa powder, malt, andhops comes across as a strong but velvetysmooth brew. Mildly sweet and full bodiedin feel, it is balanced by the rich naturalchocolate flavour. Jurassic Dark is a darkbeer that contains hints of chocolate, andtoasted malt flavour and aroma. The hops

are restrained, so that the yeast producesand enhances unique banana and cloveflavours to balance the sweetness of themalt.

Ultra pale ale is soft in bitterness; thepale ale focuses on the hop flavour andaroma. With subtle notes of malt in thebackground, the tropical citrus notes of thegrapefruit and tangerine capture the palatewith a slightly tart but crisp finish. TheBelgian style wheat beer or rather ‘WitBeer’, served with orange garnishings issimply ethereal in terms of flavour and taste.The light bodied beer which is slightlyspicy in taste has a 150-year-old recipe that

is still very much in tune with today’sglobal trends. White wheat gives thecreamy but light mouth feel and spices likecoriander and orange peel make for arefreshing beer.

Of course, Lemp Brewpub andKitchen is not the only happeningmicrobrewery in the happening F&Bclimate of the country. In Chandigarh,you can find Hops n Grains,which isowned by Peitho Foods Pvt. Ltd., aventure run by Amritanshu Agrawal, theMD of Peitho Foods Pvt. Ltd. and hisspouse Dr. Priyanka Gupta.

A medical doctor by training, Priyanka is

P U B


P U B

deeply involved in the creative aspects ofthe restaurant and pub-cum-microbrewery,which include décor, planning of eventsand brand positioning, whereas herhusband, an MBA, happens to beprimarily involved in the financial aspectsof the operations. Her creative vision isreflected in the ambience of the place,which according to her helps to create a feelgood atmosphere among guests of all ages.“It is place where both father and the soncan love to be in and appreciate it in theirown ways,” she affirmed.

Hops n Grains can impress you with itsfreshly brewed indigenously produceddelicious beers teeming with nutrients,which are of course adequatelycomplemented by an impressive collectionof other heady spirits, and a delectableselection of a wide array of platters,appetisers and main course dishes of bothIndian and Continental varieties.

At the microbrewery of the property,which comes across as a pub-cum-microbrewery-cum-restaurant, the beersflow directly from the brewery to the barthrough insulated pipes, and the beerlines run directly from the tanks to thetaps to give you the freshest beer possibleat the optimum temperature. The beersnot only taste authentic their preparationlooks authentic too. The huge stainlesssteel tanks washed in blue light in thebackdrop lends an aura of authenticity tothe preparation of the beers. “From

production to serving stage, ourbeers are kept at zero degreescentigrade, which is the idealtemperature to keep beer in thebest shape,” informed Amritanshu.

There are four varieties of beerregularly on offer at the pub of Hops nGrains, which are Dark Beer, PremiumLager Beer, Wheat Beer and GermanBock Beer. Besides these, Green AppleBeer and Black Currant Beer are alsobeing served on some importantoccasions. Here it deserves a mention thatbesides the beers produced at itsmicrobrewery, Hops n Grains do not sellany other beer to its customers.

The beers produced at themicrobrewery comprise of high qualityingredients, which include Australianbarley, German hops and yeast fromFrance. Generally, the Australian barleyshave much bigger size of grain thanIndian barleys, which help the beer to beendowed with more carbohydrates, morenutrients and less skin. “A good barleybase does endow our beers with the rightproteins and carbohydrates, therebymaking them not only refreshing andtasty but also healthy,” explainedPriyanka. Hops give the colour, taste andaroma to the beer, and like yeast fromFrance, German hops are considered tobe the best in the beer business.

Though the beer drinking in India isstill largely confined to the bottledconcept, but at the same time, thetrend of craft beer and microbreweriesare gaining momentum. In Pune, youcan find Doolally and also TJ’s BrewWorks, and in Bangalore, The BeireClub is championing the culture of

hand-crafted beers.TJ’s BrewWorks in Pune is a venture of

Rian Hospitalities. The company has plansto set up microbreweries/brewpubs acrossmany states in India. TJ’s BrewWorks inPune provides a lively and colourfulexperience, with indoor and outdoorsections and lots of activities, games,interactive beer stations with a Leaguetable. All these come with refreshinghand-crafted beer options and great food,of course.

The different levels of seatingarrangement at TJ’s BrewWorks addcasualness and fun to the place. The wallsare treated with orange, yellow andburgundy colours to add warmth. TJ’sBrewWorks has a live grill for aninteractive dining experience. The heart ofthe place, the brewery is encased in a glasswalled room.

The Biere Club claims to beBangalore’s first craft brewery, wherepatrons while dinking one batch of hand-crafted beers can watch another batchbeing made. The guests can also suggestflavours and styles, which the brewery isearnest to explore. Of course, sticks, grillsand other sumptuous delicaciescomplement your enjoyment of refreshingsignature beers at this place.

Succinctly, to cater to the discerning andhealth conscious beer guzzlers, Gurgaon,Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh havewitnessed the emergence of microbreweries,a trend which is expected to spread furtheracross urban India, in the years to come,considering the evolution of drinkingculture and the maturity of globalisation inthe backdrop of higher disposable incomesin select pockets of urban Indian society. ■


T H E M E C U I S I N E

pulses, legumes. Similarly milk, curd andbuttermilk play their roles in place of thewater in the gravy, in the cuisine ofRajasthan.

One can see that in the desert belt ofJaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner, there hasbeen greater usage of milk, buttermilk andclarified butter as compared to other partsof the state, as the role of water in cookinghas been kept to a minimum in theseregions. At the same time, we can see thatthe use of dried lentils, beans fromindigenous plants like sarigri, ker, etc. isabundant in the cooking traditions ofRajasthan.

Lentil, Chillies and GramGram flour is an important ingredient inthe dishes from Rajasthan like khata, gatta

By Sharmila Chand

Dal-Baati-Churma, Ker Sangria,Ghevar, Mawa Kachori… anywriting on the cuisine of

Rajasthan is incomplete without themention of these unique dishes. The dishesfrom Rajasthan are colourful, spicy,flavourful, rich and delicious.

The cuisine of Rajasthan reflects greatdiversity. In some areas of the state it issimple while in other areas dishes fromRajasthan assume an elaborate character.Nowadays, the dishes from Rajasthan aregetting popular across the country.

The Geography of TasteThe cuisine of every region is influenced byits inhabitants’ lifestyle and the ingredientsavailable in that geography. The same istrue with the cooking traditions of

Rajasthan. War played an important role inthe lifestyle of the people of Rajasthanduring ancient and medieval days, whichinfluenced Rajasthan’s cooking traditions.Food that could have lasting capacity forseveral days without getting spoilt, andcould be partaken without heating werepreferred. Of course, ingredients whichwere easily available in the state also did casttheir influence in the cuisines of Rajasthan.

Due to scarcity of water andpredominantly desert landscape, the freshgreen vegetables could not be abundantlyfound in the state and this geographicalcharacter is reflected in the Rajasthan’scuisine. Therefore, dishes from Rajasthangenerally do not have an abundance ofleafy green vegetables. At the same time,there is prevalence of the use of lentils,



The Imperial Hotel in New Delhi recently had ‘Royal Rajasthan’ at Daniell’s

Tavern, where the guests had an opportunity to savour the rich and regal

specialties from Jodhpur, Jaipur, Udaipur and Bikaner, which took them on a

culinary trip of this princely state.

“Rajasthani cuisine has rich and spicy flavours, fit for kings. However, the

ingredients used for making a royal feast from Rajasthan are quite simple and

traditional. They include red chilli powder, whole coriander, pipli or black pepper

stem, and peanuts among others. The regal specialties at Daniell’s Tavern are

from Jodhpur, Jaipur, Udaipur and Bikaner, which take you on a culinary trip of

this princely state of India, while suiting both Indian and international palates,”

affirmed Chef Ved Prakash — Chef De Cuisine, Daniell’s Tavern, The Imperial,

New Delhi.

The gastronomic fare was characterised by the use of authentic spices,

along with traditional methods of cooking, where one could savour some of the

most famous and mouth-watering tastes of the state through Dhaurai Taffri,

Khatto Murg, Govind Gatte, Ker Sangria, etc. There were also incomparable

meat specialties like Maans ke Sule, and Laal Maas amongst others, though the

emphasis was on vegetarian dishes. Dry fruits, spices and yoghurt were used in

many delicacies, making the whole experience extremely extraordinary.

Royal Rajasthan Flavours at The Imperial, New Delhiki sabzi, pakodi. Powdered lentils are usedfor mangodi, papad, etc.

The use of gram flour, lentil, ghee, chilies,bajra, corn and mango powder arecommonly found in many of the dishesfrom Rajasthan. Use of turmeric, coriander,mint and garlic are also popular in the state.Moong dal papads, masala papads, mangodis,pakodis and badis are prevalent inRajasthan’s cooking style, and in many casesthey are used instead of vegetables.

The people of Rajasthan have taught usthat using everyday ingredients, anuncommon and heavenly dish like Dal-Baati-Churma can be prepared. The dishneeds dal or lentil, baati or baked wheatball, and churma or sweet cereal cooked inghee.

Dal-Baati-Churma is probably themost popular dish from Rajasthan, thoughthere are several other delectable offeringsfrom the state.

Meaty MattersBoth vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishesfrom Rajasthan can be delicious. Thoughmost people of Rajasthan are vegetarians,the state does have a number ofsumptuous non-vegetarian dishes too,

perhaps largely because of the state’s royallegacy which made hunting acommonplace activity among its royalty,in the centuries gone by.

Among the non vegetarian fares, ‘Lal

Mans’ (Red Meat) is one of the importantdishes from the state. It is prepared in richgravy of tomatoes and spices. The whitemeat on the other hand, is prepared in adifferent manner and is stuffed with dry


Starter

Dhaurai Taffri

Slow cooked prawn flavoured with

aniseed

Tawa Macchli Tikke

A royal mesmerising delicacy with

fish

Khad Murgh

Succulent pieces of chicken

cooked in clay oven

Maas ke Sule

Piccata of lamb busted with clove

Kair Sangri ki Tikki

A unique combination from the

mainland of Rajasthan

Makke ki Seekh

Corn on the cob dazzles on the

skewers

Main Course

Rai Wali Macchli

River sole combined with backyard

mustard

Khatto Murgh

Succulent pieces of chicken

cooked with chilly and curd

Laal Maas

Spicy lamb curry from Rajasthan, a

treat to the palate

Paneer ka Soweta

Unique mélange of cottage cheese

and sweet corn

Palak Papad ki Sabzi

Fresh spinach, garlic and lentil

crispies

Govind Gatte

Regional delicacy made with home

ground gram

Rice and Bread

Jowar ki Roti

A gluten free grain commonly

known as sorghum

Bajre ki Roti

Rajasthani delicacy of pearl millet

Masala Missi Roti

Gram flour bread with onion and

chilly

Gatte Pulao

Gram flour dumplings with doon

basmati rice

Dessert

Lapsi

Sweetened cornmeal immersed in

home churned clarified butter


By Chef Ved Prakash

— Chef De Cuisine

Daniell’s Tavern, The Imperial,

New Delhi

Lal Maans

Ingredients: Unit Amount

Mutton Leg Bones gm 125

Mutton Curry Cut gm 125

Onion gm 50

Garlic gm 50

Ginger gm 25

Red Chilly gm 15

Coriander gm 10

Garam Masala

Powder gm 5

Tomato Puree ml 20

Salt gm To Taste

Ghee ml 25

Method:

Wash and cut onion, red chilly, and

ginger and crush the garlic and saute

it in a little oil.

Then add the mutton leg bones and

saute it for sometime. Then add salt

and cook it for sometime. Now add

tomato puree and little water. Put this

to simmer. When it is almost ready,

then add garam masala powder and

julienne of ginger. Finish it with freshly

chopped coriander.

RecipeRecipeRecipeRecipeRecipe

The spicy dishes of Rajasthan arecomplemented by their sweets. Ladoo fromJodhpur and Jaisalmer, malpua fromPushkar, rasogulla from Bikaner, mishrimawa and ghevar from Jaipur are

Chef Ved Prakash

Flavours Embodying Royal LegacyChef Ved Prakash — Chef De Cuisine, Daniell’s Tavern at The Imperial, New

Delhi shares menu for Rajasthani cuisine.

fruits such as raisins and pistachio. It isusually slow cooked in the gravy of cashew,cream, coconut and blanched almondsand laced with powdered spices such ascardamom and cinnamon.

Khud Khasrgosh and Sula are the twoother famous meat preparations fromRajasthan. The Mughal influence inRajasthan led to the popularity of kebabs,which are still savoured by sections ofpeople in the state.

The State of Sweet and SourPickles, chutneys and papads of Rajasthanplay an important role in the state’s cuisineas no meal in Rajasthan is perceived to becomplete without these tastyaccompaniments.

Tamatar ki launji, lehsun ki chutney,imly ki chutney, aam launji ,and pudinachutney are the most popular preparationsthat lend a spicy flavour to the dishes ofRajasthan and also facilitate in digestiondue to their excellent digestive properties.

renowned among tourists and travellers.

The Spicy FactorDue to scarcity of fresh herbs andcondiments, dry and powdered spicesplay a very crucial role in lending the rightflavours to Rajasthan cuisine. Red chilliesof Rajasthan are integral part of Rajasthancuisine. They have attracted global fame.They can be used either whole or incoarsely powdered form.

Their creative use endows the graviesfrom Rajasthan with a bright red/orangecolour and also contributes to their fieryflavours. Powdered turmeric or haldi,cumin seeds or jeera, corriander seeds ordhania, fennel seeds or aniseed or saunf,fenugreek seeds or methi dana, nigellaseeds or kalonji, carom seeds or ajwain,cloves or laung or loong, garlic, driedmango powder, mustard seeds, asafoetidaor hing, cardamom or elaichi are amongthe many other spices used in the dishesfrom Rajasthan. �


R E S T A U R A N T

A Smart Haven for Varied FlavoursBy Sharmila Chand

“Freshness of food, excellencein preparation andpresentation, which reflect inthe philosophy of seriouslysublime food in a relaxedatmosphere, is what sets thisrestaurant apart.”— Sahil Arora, Executive Chef Jaipur Marriott

glass skylight, located at the back of therestaurant. The restaurant has livecooking stations, and viewing of fire,smoke and animated cooking activitytogether facilitates to whet the appetite.Grills, tandoor ovens, a wood burning

The moment you step into thespacious lobby of the beautifulMarriott Hotel Jaipur, one thing

which is likely to strike your attention isthe flame of the pizza oven illuminating arestaurant, which is creatively named asOkra. You realise that you havediscovered a special place.

You want to get over with the check-in process impatiently because you wishto head straight towards the glow of thewelcoming flame. In a few moments, youare there, and regale in the enticingaromas wafting throughout the all daydining outlet. A wonderful culinaryjourney would await you…

Okra is a contemporary all day-dining restaurant that offers exquisitedelicacies from around the globe. Therestaurant offers a lavish and exhaustivebuffet and an la carte menu with a widearray of international delicacies. Hereyou can begin with a breakfast, endwith a dinner, and have a lunch inbetween. Yes, it serves all these threemain meals of the day, interspersed withyummy snacks all round the clock.

Inviting EnvironmentThe commodious and airy restaurant haslight streaming in from the impressive

pizza oven, wok ranges, sauté stations,under-lit ice wells, all contribute towardsunfolding of the continual gastronomicdrama.

As you are escorted to your table, youadmire the sumptuous array of salads,fruits, vegetables and desserts. Sleek indesign, meticulously clean, the livecooking stations convey absolutefreshness, style and grace.

The restaurant exudes an animatedand friendly environment with thecentral point of the facility being theopen kitchen which offers the diners theoption to savour the Chefs’ artistry witheyes as they prepare their orders, beforesavouring those delicacies on the palates.

Great Taste at OkraThe menu at Okra features globalflavours with universal appeal; at thesame time emphasis is placed on regionalIndian foods.

It includes favourites such as Italiangrilled vegetable salads, grilled sirloinswith tangy mojos, tandoori chicken andfish, stir-fried Szechuan shrimp,premium pastas, and wood roasted meats,among others.

Live and fresh array of dim sums, andsushis add to the overall Asian flavours.


R E S T A U R A N T

“Offering all-day dining options,Okra comes across as asophisticated, modernrestaurant, showcasing the bestof Indian and global cuisines in aclassy setting.”— Sudeep Sharma, Food & BeverageManager, Jaipur Marriott

Sushis and Japanese raw fish rolls,teppanyaki and dim sums are on offer atthe live counters. Ethnic salads, Indonesiansatays, gourmet pizzas fresh from the oven,raw bar platter, Italian anti pasti, tapas,mixed greens and Indian pan fried andtandoor kebabs give a holistic touch to yourjourney through tastes at Okra.

There is a special section devoted tothe Indian and local regional items. Thereis also a counter for home made pastas,extensive array of pizzas, sandwiches andpaella.

The bakery section of the restaurant isvery impressive too, having an extensivedisplay of all kinds of cheese. Greatselection of freshly baked breads,baguettes, rye bread, Italian foccacia andIndian naan bread comprises the bakeddelicacies at Okra.

Desserts section is indeed huge. Thereare exotic and rare fresh fruits, also stickyblack rice, western and Asian pre-portioned desserts, sumptuous cakes,mousses and all kinds of Indian sweets.One shouldn’t miss the ice cream station.

Besides red and white wine, thebeverage menu of the restaurant has localas well as imported beers, infused vodkas,aperitifs, scotches and single malts,

aromatic coffees and teas among others.They are supplemented by an impressivenumber of non alcoholic exotic fruit andvegetable drinks. The facility’s winelibrary has a wonderful selection ofimported as well as Indian wines.

Interactive Character, LivelyAtmosphereExecutive Chef, Sahil Arora oversees thekitchen, which is manned by a staff offormally trained Chefs.

“The beauty of Okra lies in itsinteractive character with live stations forpastas, fresh breads, grills, sushi,teppanyaki, and dim sums. The pizzaoven forms the centre stage as it is on fireall day. It not only serves in cooking butalso elevates the overall character andambience of the restaurant. We have lotsof walk-in guests who get intrigued bythe illuminated flame visible from thelobby,” elaborated Arora.

With lively atmosphere throughoutday and night, Okra comes across notonly as an ideal haven for having partieswith friends but also as a perfect familyrestaurant to visit over the weekend.Suitable for all personal and professionaloccasions, children are most welcome here

with a number of high chairs available.And children visiting at this restaurantare unlikely to forget the property’spopular mini pizzas, tailored especially forthe kids. ■


C H E F V O I C E

Working Without Expectations

By Sharmila Chand

The soft-spoken Somopriyo Basu is The Chef-in-Charge of thecelebrated restaurant Italia of The Park Hotels. Basu holds abachelors degree in Hotel and Hospitality Administration from IHMMumbai. He joined The Park Hotels as Management Trainee andworked with The Park Navi Mumbai and The Park New Delhi. Hewas associated with the Aqua and Mist at The Park, New Delhibefore taking charge of Italia.

Basu brings with him a rich experience in training anddevelopment. He possesses excellent communication skills and isacknowledged for exemplary skills in menu designing, planning andstandardisation of recipes.

Apart from his expertise in Italian cuisine he has extensive andin-depth knowledge of Mediterranean and modern Europeancuisines. His culinary talent has been appreciated by eminent foodcolumnists.

The excerpts of an interview follow:

Working Without Expectations

What is the meaning of life for you?To me, life can be construed in F&B

parlance as a cocktail of emotions, and as amocktail of relations.

What would you like to say on yourwork?

I would urge the people to ‘taste’ mywork.

Had you not been a Chef then whatyou would have been doing?

Then I would have been an investmentbanker.

What is your source of inspiration?Nature is the source of my inspiration.

What is your definition of success? To me success lies in overcoming

difficulties.

How do you rate yourself as a Chef?I would give myself 8/10.

What is your favourite cuisine?It is home style Bengali food.

What is your favourite spice?It is saffron

And your favourite dish?The typical Bengali dish named aloo posto

is my favourite.

Among various kitchen equipments,which one is your favourite?

My knife remains my favouriteequipment.

What is your favourite food joint ?Karim’s is my favourite food joint.

Who would you rate as yourfavourite diner?

They can be any guest who is open tonew flavours and is willing to experiment.

What is your hot selling item?It is Chicken skewers with lemon caper

& parsley. Also John Dory with creamspinach & balsamic olive oil emulsion, andTiramisu are among my favourites.

What you are obsessed with, inyour profession?

It is nothing but quality.

What is the best compliment youhave received so far?

A group of Italians, after dining, asked

the Manager of Italia, “Your Chef is fromwhich region of Italy?” That question servedas the best compliment in my career.

What is your work philosophy?It is nishkama karma or doing your work

without the expectation of having the fruitsof labour.

How do we see you ten years fromnow?

I hope to get international recognitionby then.

What is the position of Chefs todayin India?

The Chefs are eventually getting theirdue recognition & respect in the country. Itis now considered as a lucrative career option.Many Chefs have become Page 3 celebrities& they have entered the householdsthrough televisions.

What are the challenges faced byChefs?

The erratic and irregular working hoursleave Chefs with very less time forthemselves. Moreover, the infrastructureavailable in India for Chefs is still verylimited when compared to the west.


O P E R A T I O N S

In the hospitality industry, the role ofExecutive Chef or rather of Chef isnow assuming a new significance, and

is no longer restricted to cooking. Oftenwe find that an Executive Chef hasbecome a cook, manager and financeexecutive — all rolled into one.

In today’s highly competitive andcomplex hospitality industry, often anExecutive Chef needs to be able toshoulder many responsibilities. The mostimportant of these is to ensure that goodquality culinary offerings are served onschedule and to see that any hiccups orimpediments which may arise in the flowof kitchen operations are promptlyaddressed.

The Executive Chef is also responsiblefor approving all prepared food items thatleave his or her kitchen. And besides thesenow there are a gamut of managerial roleswhich the Executive Chefs are expectedto perform.

Planning, Managing and CookingBesides the day-to-day operations, he/sheis often entrusted with planning a newmenu, maintaining a decent supply ofproducts needed in the kitchen, anddelegating many kitchen taskssimultaneously. He/she is also oftenresponsible for maximising theproductivity of the kitchen staff, andmaintaining impeccable personal hygieneas well as high work and safety standardsin the kitchen.

It is true that Chefs do get into thebusiness of cooking because they aresupposed to be artists at cooking. But ifcooking is all that they do, they are notlikely to get ahead in their career. A HeadChef in today’s hospitality industry mustbe endowed with the skills of a

businessman, a diplomat, a personnelmanager, and much more. Above all, he/she is expected to set an example for theChefs below him or her by keeping a levelhead even in pressure situations. In thisfeature, some of the celebrity Chefs talkabout their roles in these changingprofessional work environment pertainingto the hospitality industry.

“With the emergence of BusinessManager cum Chefs, the two roles aregetting fused into one. Of course, theExecutive Chef ’s responsibilities aregoing up, since he/she is the one who isnow ultimately responsible for theprofitability of the F&B operations,”elaborated Subroto Goswami, theExecutive Chef, Radisson Blu Hotel

New Delhi Paschim Vihar.“Today an Executive Chef needs to

constantly make a balance of his/herculinary skills with managerial expertise toget the maximum output from the team,”aired Neeraj Tyagi, the Executive Chef,The Claridges, New Delhi.

Facilitating Costing in Serving“Chefs have to be up to date on the marketsituations for food produce, which includemeat, poultry, fish, seafood, various crucialingredients, etc. Daily checks and goodcommunication with suppliers are anessential tool in this,” said Willi Haueter —the Executive Chef, The Imperial NewDelhi.

Ensuring cost savings withoutcompromising on the service standards is abig challenge for the Executive Chefs.“For ensuring cost savings, a very goodknowledge of the ingredients available inthe market is necessary. Once I know whatare the different varieties of ingredientsthat I can choose from, then bymanipulating the various ingredients I canbring about a balance on the cost frontwithout compromising on the experienceof the guests,” asserted Goswami.

In fact, calculated pricing has been animportant yardstick for cost savings inF&B operations across various hotels.“Right portion size with calculated pricingis my mantra to ensure cost savingswithout compromising on quality,”explained Tyagi.

Balancing Cost and ProfitEnsuring stability between cost and profitis also one of the operations of theExecutive Chefs these days. “One has tolearn to balance the seasonal, local andimported produce to tailor the menus.

By Sharmila Chand

A Chef and aManager

I do costing of each andevery dish and plate. Thepurpose of the F&Boperations, after all, is notonly about pleasing the palateof the guests, but is also togenerate profitable business.

— Chef Willi Haueter — Executive

Chef, The Imperial New Delhi.

“

”


the demand for this new age in the F&Band hospitality industry.

“I am very much in favour of this. It isrelatively easy to create a real good menu initself, without taking into account of otherconsiderations. But to create a real goodmenu that is also potentially profitable ismore difficult. I always develop a dishwhile keeping the factors of cost and profitin mind. I will not place anything on amenu, which does not show profitability,”asserted Willi Haueter.

“The new role is definitely challenging.I see it as the future for every Chef.Nowadays, the Chefs are well polishedwith business sense and managerialacumen and are no more dependent onthe F&B Manager who used to do all thefinancial and managerial work for theChef. Nowadays the Chef is not only in-charge of his/her kitchen but also of thebusiness that he/she is the ‘Star’ of,”viewed Goswami. �

Very soon the distinction ofThe Chef as ’only a culinarymaster restricted to thekitchen’ is going to go out ofthe window. The Chef willsoon be looked upon as themaster of the culinarybusiness. Which means a Chefcan run his/her business andalso can cook up amazingdishes to please the palate ofhis/her guests. It is not goingto be easy…but that is howwe love it!

— Chef Subroto Goswami,

Executive Chef, Radisson Blu Hotel

New Delhi Paschim Vihar

“

”

In his/her new-found role, theChef can add greater value tothe hotel or restaurant business.

— Chef Neeraj Tyagi, Executive Chef,

The Claridges, New Delhi.

“”

Also seasonal menu changes are necessaryto make these crucial adjustments betweencost and profit,” explained Willi Haueter,while adding, “The trick is to come upwith something that works, among whatare available and are cost wise not toochallenging.”

“Nowadays, with the opening up ofthe global market, procuring ingredientsfrom across the world is no longer achallenge. By planning dishes in whichnew ingredients are used, as a Chef I cancreate exciting dishes in the menu, whichwould attract the fancy of my guests. Atthe same time, I can keep the cost wellunder control,” affirmed Goswami.

However, Goswami maintains that theingredients which are procured fromacross the world do not come cheapthough he ascertains that he ensures thattheir prices do not become exorbitantlyhigh also. “But if the dishes with theseexotic ingredients match up to the guests’expectations then I can charge a premium,which in turn can offset my costs,”reasoned Goswami.

“Minimal wastages while preparing thefancy dishes and putting a control on highvalue ingredients, calculated pricing of thefinished products, getting the bestpossible rates from the vendor, usage ofbest possible locally available ingredients,better storage to avoid spoilage are some ofthe pragmatic methods to bring a balancebetween costs and profit,” proffered Tyagi.

Vote for New RoleMany seasoned Executive Chefs are alsoenjoying this challenging role of Chef cumManager, which is increasingly becoming


H Y G I E N E

Prevent, Protect and Verify

Each year, the country suffers hugehuman resource loss due to food-borne illnesses. What can be done

to prevent this?Food production standards and food

manufacturing practices should ensurethat impeccable standards are beingadhered to during food handling andpreparation. However, this is not alwaysthe case. In fact, in India seldom is theconcern for food hygiene is beingaddressed. In the developed west also wehave seen two major outbreaks of E-Coli0157 in the recent times, resulting in 17deaths in Scotland and 1 death in Wales.

Lethal StuffCampylobacter is the single largest causeof bacterial food poisoning. According tothe report titled UK Research andInnovation Strategy for Campylobacter“in the food chain, Campylobacteraccounted for a third of the cost of food-borne illness in England and Wales,estimated at £583 million in 2008. Theyare rampant in poultry but also in redmeat, unpasteurised milk and untreatedwater. Poultry is the main source ofCampylobacter. Part of the FoodStandards Agency’s (an independentgovernment department responsible forfood safety and hygiene across the UK)strategy is to work with the primaryproducers to reduce the incidence ofCampylobacter in poultry.

However, Campylobacter is not the

only menace behind food poisoning.Listeria causes fewer food poisoningincidents but it is a deadly pathogen with35 percent mortality rate. Newsuperbugs also represent another problemto the food industry. Cases of foodpoisoning due to the antibiotic resistantSalmonella typhimuium DT 193 haveincreased from 71 - >500 during the pastseven years.

Facilitating Food SafetyThe main causes of food poisoningincidents are inadequate processing,handling and storage of foodstuff, andcross-contamination (see Figure).Preventing food poisoning and ensuringsafe food can be achieved throughfollowing comprehensive food hygienepractices, which in turn is supported bysound management and training for the

control of risks. The Pennington Reportfollowing the Scottish outbreakconcluded, “It is small food producers/processors in Britain that have thegreatest difficulty in achieving andmaintaining the safety standards that arerequired to prevent the contamination ofready-to-eat products with E.coli 0157.”

Maintaining cleanliness andminimising cross-contamination is afundamental pre-requisite and criticalcontrol point of any food safety program,and the principles of HACCP requireeffective monitoring systems. The visualassessment of cleanliness is unscientific,subjective, unreliable and of questionablevalue. Simple rapid methods for assessingcleanliness are available and are used byboth food processors and inspectors. Theadvice from UKmeat.org is to usemonitoring methods. An FSA funded

Prevent, Protect and VerifyDr. J.P.S. Bakshi


H Y G I E N E

Figure 1: Causes of Food Poisoning

study showed that alternative rapidmethods offered advantages overtraditional microbiology testing byreducing costs and providing almostinstant results for immediate correctiveaction.

The use of simple rapid test systemsfor hygiene monitoring has the followingadvantages;

• Preventing cross-contamination,improving quality and reducing risk byassessing hazards

• Protecting consumers and thecompany’s reputation

• Verifying and proving that highstandards of cleaning and hygiene areachieved and maintained.

• Demonstrating best practice• Identifying potential high risk

locations or vulnerable practices. Thisenables enforcement samples to becollected with confidence thusoptimising efficiency and saving on costs.

The combination of rapid hygiene testresults with other process monitoringdata is powerful evidence of soundhygienic practices and control of foodsafety risks.

Simple Rapid MethodsThere are two types of single-shotdisposable tests generating results in 1 to10 minutes in the form of visible colourchange that do not require anysophisticated instrument. The test formatis an all-in-one, ready-to-use swab devicethat is activated by a simple snap andsqueeze action; nothing else is required.The greater the contamination the fasterthe colour change occurs and the moreintense the colour change.

ProClean detects the presence ofprotein residues and provides results in10 minutes. If the surface is clean then agreen colour is displayed, if the surface isunclean various shades of purple aredisplayed. This test is primarily intendedfor meat processors and butchers butcan also be used for cateringapplications. High sensitivity proteintests such as AllerSnap can be used aspart of an allergen control program.

SpotCheck Plus detects the presenceof simple sugars (specifically glucose andlactose) that are present in mostfoodstuffs. Results are obtained in 60seconds and the colour changes fromcolourless (clean) to green (dirty). Thistest is faster, more sensitive and detects abroader range of foodstuffs than protein

tests such as ProClean. The test can beused by food processors, caterers,restaurants and supermarkets.

ATP (adenosine triphosphate)monitoring has been used by the foodindustry for more than 30 years and it is awell accepted method, giving almostinstant quantitative results in 15 seconds.The technology employed is calledbioluminescence because it uses a lightemitting enzyme reaction. The test systemsconsist of all-in-one, ready-to-use testdevices and a small portable instrument toconvert the light signal into a numericaloutput. Modern electronics and designhave made ATP systems affordable to awide range of users. This system iscalibrated and has a quantitative outputthat is directly proportional to both foodresidues and micro-organisms. The greaterthe numerical output and ATP content ofthe sample, the greater the level ofcontamination and potential risk.

ATP bioluminescence is the mostsensitive hygiene testing system thatdetects a wider range of foodstuffs thancolour tests. The results are date stampedand traceable and can be downloaded tocomputer for further data analysis and/orreport writing.

The latest development of the ATPtechnology is a more sensitive instrumentnamed EnSURE and more specific teststhat can all be performed on the samesystem e.g. SuperSnap, MicroSnap,ZymoSnap, and CrossCheck. Theseenable the detection of specific residues(giving results in minutes) as well as the

detection and enumeration of specificbacteria; giving results within a workingday or a shift of seven hours.

Cleaning and environmentalmonitoring are critical for allergencontrol. A combination of three highsensitivity detection methods (ATP,protein and specific allergen tests)provides a more comprehensive, sensitiveand rapid result that in turn delivers atimely cost-effective solution. The regularuse of high sensitivity ATP and highsensitivity protein tests enable highstandards of cleaning to be maintainedthat can be supplemented with specificallergen tests less frequently and asrequired.

It is accepted that rapid testingmethods that detect food productresidues on product contact surfacesprovide for a direct, objective andrelevant measurement of cleaningefficiency, hygiene and risk. Rapid resultsfrom hygiene monitoring systems meaninstant correctiveaction can be takento avoid potentialcompromises tofood quality, foodsafety and also tominimise the riskof food poisoning.

The author is GroupManaging Director, Global ExcellenceGroup. You can reach him [email protected]


E Q U I P M E N T

When a kitchen is being used to its optimum potential then it kicks up large amounts of heatand moisture and varieties of smells. At that point a good exhaust system is the best way to

negate these elements that are left hanging in the air.

Flow Away


Though ventilation is consideredwhile designing a kitchen butdetailed study should be

undertaken for kitchen exhaust systemalong with Chefs who are going to bebenefitted. Further, all kitchen managersand restaurant owners should be wellaware of cleaning and maintenance ofany cooking establishment.

When a kitchen is being used to itsoptimum potential then it kicks up largeamounts of heat and moisture andvarieties of smells. At that point a goodexhaust system is one of the best ways tonegate these elements that are lefthanging in the air.

Air QualityThe air quality (temperature, moisture,pollution, etc.) certainly has become animportant factor in the food industry, askitchen atmosphere is of primeimportance for those who prepare food.Nothing goes well or everything becomesa flaw if kitchen exhaust system is notplanned for well in advance. Getting ridof heat is crucial as nobody wants to sweatover a hot stove. Most of the best fanshave heat transfer systems that allow formost of the heat to be absorbed by the fanitself then moved to another location.However, sophisticated and energyfriendly fans have the added bonus ofbeing able to transfer that lost heat energyback to appliances so that the energy canbe reused.

Getting rid of moisture is anothermajor function of kitchen exhaustsystem. As steam evaporate, it floats in airand as it cools from its state of steam, itturns back into water again, which ifallowed to condense on any appliances orfurniture could cause serious damage.

The best systems are those that trapthis moisture before it is allowed to changestate back into water. Much like the heat

transfer system it will then expel themoisture into the outdoors where it willbe reabsorbed by the environment.

Apart from that, smell and cross-contamination of odour during foodpreparation is feared regularly. Ask anyMaster Chef what makes a kitchenbeautiful. Chances are he would say thatit is not just how a kitchen looks; it isalso about how it works.

No matter where our area ofoperations is, it is imperative to have theright airflow all around us. Surprisingly,with new techniques evolving everydaythat give us the upper hand inmaintaining good ventilation system, westill confront hiccups in using suchproducts because we do not study well,or plan well.

New TechnologiesWhat one really needs to think about ishow the introduction of newtechnologies and modifications caninfluence the existing HVAC systems. Itmust be kept in mind all the time thatnumerous air-moving components arepresent in kitchens that are potentiallyharmful for good systems.

To get the results we desire from agood exhaust system, first we need tosee a restaurant as a collective entitywith multiple ventilation systems.Exhaust system is always taken intoconsideration along with otheradjoining areas for public or private(establishment) use. It includeskitchen exhaust hoods, makeup airunits, dining-area HVAC equipmentand restroom exhaust fans, etc. wheretheir performance is inescapablylinked.

Experts caution against the generalview of separating the exhaust function ofeach area, which might lead to wastage ofcapital and simultaneously lead to the

dissatisfaction of the operator, designer orbuilder. This leads to redesigning and thatis a tedious process for those who completethe work and again had to sit to plan outthe models of exhaust system for better aircirculation.

The exhaust systems function on thetheory that air exhausted from a spaceshould be adequately compensated withan equal amount of air from anothersource. It is all about identifying,specifying and controlling sources that arekey to preserving IAQ standards.

Designing these ventilation systems towork in harmony means engineers have tounderstand the unique factors in a diningarea that influences IAQ and HVACoperations. From seating capacity toexhaust air (read fumes from cooking)movement to grease exhaust to the kind ofequipments being used are importantconsiderations. Even air pressure incirculation is considered a major factor inIAQ matters.

Overhead Grease Exhaust HoodsAn overhead canopy for grease exhausthas no provision for introducinguntempered air directly into the hood orfor introducing tempered air into thekitchen.

Grease exhaust hoods should beconstructed of 18 gauge, type 304stainless steel with a satin polish. Allexterior seams should be continuallywelded, liquid tight, and should beground and polished to match the originalfinish of the material.

The hoods include incandescent lightfixtures on approximately 3 foot centers,wired to a junction box on top of thehood, full length pitched grease troughwith removable grease cup, aluminumbaffle type filters, hanger brackets andfactory installed collars and supply air firedamper. ■

49Nov-Dec ’12

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

To hammer 275x185.pdf 1 2012/10/15 9:50:42


P R O D U C T P R E V I E W

Catering to the F&B IndustryFor many years, Ping Pong Global is serving the hospitality

industry across the globe. The company, which is having its

offices in mainland China and India, has been upgrading its range

with the

latest

products,

with special

focus on new

as well as

existing

clients. Ping

Pong Global

has the potential to handle a project from the inception to the

finalisation stage, while catering to the complete satisfaction of

its clientele and its architects.

Plastic knife, fork, spoon and cups, plastic strivers, stran,

silver plastic cutlery cups and plates include its new product

line. The company has also recently launched a unique and

attractive range of disposable crockery with new plastic raw

material, which is expected to add a new dimension to the

catering business in the country.

Ping Pong Global Ltd.

[email protected]

Servicing Hospitality ImpeccablyOsca Resources offers a variety of services across

various facets of the hospitality industry such as food &

beverage, catering, hospitality recruitment among many

others. Presently, Osca Resources

caters to the needs of international

markets as well. The major markets

which the company caters to include

the Indian Sub-continent, South-East

Asia, East Asia among others.

Over the years, the company has

introduced various non-alcoholic

beverages in India. One of its

products is named Vincero. It is 100 percent alcohol free

wine. Vincero targets health conscious wine

drinkers.

Among its various services, the company is

also engaged in recruiting capable Chefs who

successfully meet the requirements of the

company’s clientele. The company also ensures

to maintain the quality as well as consistency of

food & beverage services, and further interact

with its clients to get their feedback .Osca

Resources’ sophisticated and modernised

infrastructure as well as its experienced and

qualified employees together facilitates it to

offer highly specialised, professional and expert services,

which are directed primarily towards client satisfaction.

Osca Resources

[email protected]

Facilitating the F&B Bottom LinesAhata is a manufacturer and supplier of cold rooms,

freezer rooms, blast freezers, ripening chambers and water

chillers. All these products can have great benefit for the

food & beverage industry. For example, the cold rooms can

save wastage of food products and thereby can facilitate

to improve the bottom lines of restaurants, hotels and

dairies in a big way. Similarly, blast freezer & blast chillers

can reduce the temperature very quickly and cut the

bacterial growth.This facilitates to achieve hygiene and

increase the storage life of food products.

Ahata has made cold room with display facility, which

is an innovative option. The

machine has features of cold

room as well as visi cooler. As

is Ahata’s Kitchen Cold Room,

which besides its multiple

features, is very apt for kitchens

with limited space. Furthermore,

the company’s blast freezers &

blast chillers also have market

edge, as they are designed while keeping in mind the

Indian conditions, are easily repairable and at the same

time are cost-effective. Ahata’s products can have wide

applications which include applications in restaurants,

hotels, dairies and also in agriculture.

Ahata

[email protected]

Ensuring Stringent Quality with Cost-

effectivenessAnoushka Gourmet Pvt. Ltd. was launched by Shree Ram Textile

Mills Group in 2010. The group has presence in textiles, real

estate and processed food sector. Anoushka Gourmet’s business

focus is on creation of base and ready to cook gravies,

marinades, and ready to eat products. Some of its plethora of

ready to eat and ready to cook products are Maa Ki Dal, Amritsari

Dal Tadka, Makhani Gravy, Dilli Ke Cholle, Shahi Paneer Makhani,

Balti Gravy

among others.

All of

Anoushka

Gourmet ’s

food products

are 100

percent

vegetarian and

are without

any

preservative. The unique features of these products are geared to

save labour and energy costs in food & beverage establishments,

and can prevent wastage. The products of Anoushka Gourmet

Pvt. Ltd. are manufactured at a HACCP accredited facility with

stringent quality control norms. They are processed with retort

process system that endows them with extended shelf life and

freshness. The products of Anoushka Gourmet, which are easy

and extremely convenient to use, are available in both retail and

institutional spaces.

Anoushka Gourmet is managed by a team of competent

professionals having years of experience and expertise.

Anoushka Gourmet Pvt. Ltd.

[email protected]


P R O D U C T P R E V I E W

The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective manufacturer/distributor. In any case, it does

not represent the views of Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

Crafting Impeccable F&B

EquipmentsKumar Equipment (India) Pvt. Ltd. is one of

the largest manufacturers of commercial

kitchen, refrigeration and bakery

equipments in India. Its product range

includes hot and cold equipments, bakery

equipments, bar equipments, beverage

equipments, dish washing equipments,

cake pastry and ice-cream displays, salad

display, racks, storage equipments among

others. Kumar Equipment (India) is a

certified ISO 9001: 2008 and a ‘Trust

Passed’ accredited company.

KEI specialises in providing consultancy,

designing, layout plans with complete

technical details of F&B equipments for

commercial kitchens, canteens, bakeries &

messes, etc. on turnkey basis as well as on

individual product basis. The company’s

services also extend to designing, layout

and installation of exhaust and fresh air

systems as well as LPG pipeline, for

facilitating the safety and economy of the

projects.

KEI has been associated with kitchen

equipment industry for well over two

decades, and has been successfully

providing its expertise to hospitality

industry, residential schools, learning

institutes, hospitals, messes of Armed

Forces, industrial canteens, clubs,

cafeterias, etc. Its operations not only

spans across India but is also extended

abroad. KEI has two manufacturing units in

Bhiwadi, Rajasthan well equipped with

latest state-of-the-art plant and machinery.

Robust infrastructure, highly skilled and

dedicated workforce, and sound R&D are

the company’s strengths.

Kumar Equipment (India) Pvt. Ltd.

[email protected]

Chappati PufferRavinder Hospitality Equipment is a

company engaged in the field of

designing, manufacturing and servicing

a comprehensive range of commercial

hospitality products in India. The

company has introduced itself as one of

the leading designers, manufacturers &

suppliers of complete range of commercial

kitchen, refrigeration, food service and

bakery equipments for hotels, restaurants,

industrial canteens, fast food joints, and

clubs.

The company has introduced chappati puffer for industrial catering.

The device — chappati puffer — can make innumerable chappatis by

saving time and energy. The company has a team of experienced

mechanical engineers and technocrats to make the product perfect for

the market.

Ravinder Hospitality [email protected]

Quality and SustainabilityHummingbird Corporation begin its journey in 2005 by helping the

farmers to set-up a small food processing unit which enabled them to

sell their quality products at reasonable prices. This model was

sustainable and helped the society at large. Hummingbird Corporation

helps small food processors to market their products and facilitates

them towards sustainable growth in competitive market.

Hummingbird is in the business of processed frozen vegetables,

frozen fruit pulp, and authentic frozen ready to eat Indian foods. The

company’s ready to eat range includes samosa, spring roll, paratha,

and tikki/pattice.

Key features of Hummingbird are quality certification of the

products, hygienic packing, and fair and ethical production process.

Ensuring consistency in quality and regular quality audits are other

hallmarks of the company. Uncompromised quality parameters are

practiced at Hummingbird Corporation to deliver high quality

products. At every stage of the production process due care is taken

to ensure quality output from procurement to final product. The

company’s endeavour is to provide the food products with their

natural freshness, aroma, shape and nutritional value and the

company’s value design pack facilitates to ensure this. The

packaging options of the company are Rota packing for retailers and

bulk packing for whole sellers.

Hummingbird Foods & Beverages Pvt. [email protected]


B U S I N E S S O P P O R T U N I T Y



... Lost / Found ... Tenders / Corrigenda

... Appointments ... Flea Mkts for Used Goods

... Buy-n-Sell of Assets

... Franchise Opportunities ... Event Mgmt

Are you interested in Advt. for

Contact our Advertisement Executive at 011-25854103 / 05 or Email us at [email protected]

for special rates.

Subscribers.. . ! Subscribers.. . !


B U S I N E S S O P P O R T U N I T YA D V E R T I S E R ’ S I N D E X

COMPANY PAGE NO.

A D V E R T I S E R ’ S I N D E X

AIM TECH 75

AKASA 87

AKSAI 09

ALLIED METAL WORKS 49

ANI GLASS CORPORATION 14

ANUPAM INDUSTRIES 29

ARCHII 69

ARCTIC SALES INDIA 59

AWK STEELWARES PVT. LTD. 43

BMS ENTERPRISES 33

BUNGE INDIA PVT. LTD. 15

CELFROST INNOVATIONS PVT. LTD. 25

CONSTELLATION PROJECTS 67

COSMIC HEALERS PVT. LTD. 57

DABON INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD. 07

DEVNOW INTERNATIONAL 27

DHR HOLDING INDIA PVT. LTD. 01

DS GROUP BC

FCML PROJECTS 41

FnS INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD. 19

FIDELIO INDIA PVT. LTD. 51

GENNEXT LOGISTICS PVT. LTD. 24

HBF 2013 91

HINDUSTAN REFRIGERATION STORES 71

HOTREMAI 63

HUMMINGBIRD FOOD & BEVERAGE PVT. LTD. 89

ITPO 77

KAMANI OIL INDUSTRIES PVT. LTD. 17

KANHAIYALAL TANDOOR PVT. LTD. 61

LOOM CRAFTS FURNITURE (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 34, 35

MAKREY EXPORTS 89

MANISHA INTERNATIONAL BIC

METAL AVENUES 31

MITORA MACHINEX 22

MP ENTERPRISES 45

MRS. BECTOR’S FOOD SPECIALITIES LTD. FIC

MUNNILAL TANDOORS PVT. LTD. 23

NEENA ENTERPRISES 12

NESTLE PROFESSIONALS 11

OSCA RESOURCES 79

PARSHADI LAL & SONS PVT. LTD. 47

PETALS PACKAGING COMPANY 10

RAJKIRAN KITCHEN EQUIPMENT 18

RANS TECHNOCRATS (INDIA) PVT. LTD. 55

RATIONAL INDIA 08

REMINGTON STEEL ARTS 88

SAIMEX INTERNATIONAL 53

SHAMSONS FOODS 39

SIAL CHINA 83

SIGMA TEST RESEARCH CENTRE 16

SKY ENTERPRISES 20

STEC STAINLESS STEEL PVT. LTD. 65

SWEET & SNACK TEC INDIA & DAIRY 85

TERMINIX SIS INDIA 21

THAIFEX 2013 73

THE NEW INDIA ELECTRIC & TRADING CO. 88

VANYA INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENTS 13

VENUS INDUSTRIES 05

PRODUCT PREVIEW 84

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 87


I N T E R V I E W

What is your philosophy of workwhich brings success to you?

I always believed and still believe inworking for the right person. You shouldwork for a company that wants you tosucceed. Also I don’t play politics and justfocus on the job at hand, which helps meto succeed.

What is your managementmantra?

It is very simple, indeed. I believe thathappy employees can lead to happy guests,which in turn facilitates happy balancesheet. Happy balance sheet contributestowards making happy owner, whichmakes a happy me.

What are the top three traits orskills every Food & BeverageManager must have to excel?

F&B is all about taking challenges.The successful F&B Manager should bestrong enough to face any impediment.She/he should be willing to work for longhours; should be able to perform underpressure and should set good examplesfor her/his team to follow.

What do you enjoy about beinga Food & Beverage Manager?

I normally enjoy working under

pressure and face challenges. I also like tointeract with guests from differentcountries, monitor the F&B businesstrend, understand the new concepts in theindustry, and innovate new ideas.

What do you dislike the most?Ignorance at work causes displeasure.

This is a disease in F&B service. Oneshould understand the subject andcontribute towards healthy work culture.

Is your job challenging? Canyou point out a few challenges?

Yes, my job is very challenging. To runsix F&B outlets is not easy. Challenges aremany like maintaining customer focus andquality, achieving better results, facing thecompetitive market, and to manage staffattrition. But every challenge is anopportunity for me.

What kind of pressures haveyou encountered at work?

Except for working at odd hours, I don’tfind any other pressure at work. Since Ienjoy facing challenges, there is no pressureon me.

Can you suggest any tips orinsights to strengthen F&Bteams?

I believe the F&B Manager shouldlaugh, guide and share with the team.Professionally, I have learnt, ‘transparency’is the key word that strengthens a team.Let there be no hidden meanings andmisunderstandings amongst teammembers.

Finally, how is yourexperience at the present job?

I am enjoying it thoroughly. I am proudto be handling the most happening F&Boutlets of Jaipur.

What is the USP of your place/brand?

It is homely atmosphere with warmservice. We believe in professionalism butalong with dollops of personal warmth andsensitivity to guests’ feelings.

What is your take on thehospitality business in India, ingeneral?

Hospitality business in India willcontinue to grow at an exponential rate.The spending power and standard ofliving drives hospitality business. There isa strong desire to travel, experience newplaces, explore new trends among peopleand that is what collectively fosters thehospitality business in the country.

Embodying a Passion to ServeBy Sharmila Chand

A passionate and driven manager who stays engaged with his team and the guestson a regular basis, Sunil Grover, Food & Beverage Manager, Country Inn & SuitesJaipur, believes that there are no limitations towards offering ultimate guestsatisfaction. This attitude of his can be understood from the fact that he went overseasto gain global experience and learn foreign languages to equip himself better to servehis guests.Embodying a dynamic personality, Grover believes in creating and working with astrong team. Having great leadership skills and setting leadership standards are hisbiggest strength. He brings a great attitude to work every day and stays upbeat inhis interactions.With about 15 years experience in the hospitality industry, Grover has worked withvarious well known hotel groups. He begun his career with The Taj Mahal Hotel, NewDelhi, and then went on to work in China, France, and Dubai. His illustrious tenuresalso included a stint with The Great Kabab Factory in Dubai, as Restaurant Manager.

At present, he is happy to head some of the most happening F&B outlets in the city i.e. Dragon House, Kasbah,B2B, Mosaic, Spice, and the Lounge Bar at the hotel. The excerpts of the interview follow:

Embodying a Passion to Serve

57Nov-Dec ’12

Creating MemorableHospitality Solutions

DELENG/2005/14944

food & beverage business review

Documents