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WOODBRIDGE, N.J.
A food festival geared towards introducing Indian-American children to healthy eating habits and regional Indian cuisine and styles, was held April 12 at the Renaissance Woodbridge here. Hosted by Varli magazine, the Varli Food Festival for Kids, included tasting stations from over 35 top Indian restaurants from the tristate area, as well as Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., live cooking demos and a Junior Cook-Off.
Restaurateur Rohini Dey was the host presiding over the festival. Dey is the founder and owner of the Indian-Latin restaurant Vermilion, located both in New York and in Chicago. Roni Mazumdar, the owner of New York-based The MasalaWala restaurant, served as the emcee.
Over 800 guests attended the festival, many of whom were families with young kids. Not only did the children enjoy the food and then festivities, some also participated in live cooking demos and a Junior Cook-Off with celebrity chefs. Ford model Monica Watkins served as the host for the Live Cooking Demo with Hemant Bhagwani, chef and owner of the Toronto-based Amaya. Acclaimed Indian chef Suvir Saran also presented a live cooking demo.
“This festival is all about inspiring the next generation of foodies to explore and appreciate everything Indian cuisine has to offer,” Varli Singh, founder of the Varli brand said. All proceeds from the Varli Food Festival will be used for the Diya Foundation, a Varli initiative to help children in need.
The Live Junior Cook-Off was one of the highlights of the festival, judged by Dey, K.N. Vinod, chef and co-owner of Indique in Washington, D.C., chef Abdul Yaseen of London’s Cinnamon Kitchen and restaurateur Vishal Bakshi. The key ingredient in the competition was paneer; young contestants and their foodie cooking partners were asked to use it to create an innovative and delicious dish.
Young sous chef Diya Singh won the competition with her cooking partner, Hozpitality Group Founder Raj Bhatt. Their winning recipe was a show-stopping Paneer Kebabs and Stuffed Capsicum dish.
The large ballroom and foyer were filled with aromas of delectable Indian food from participating restaurants he participating restaurants included Tulsi, Chola, Dhaba, Haldi, Chand Palace, Mithaas and Dhoom, among others. Ricky’s Spice Market also exhibited at the festival, offering guests samples of Indian spices, Diya Basmati, and ready-to-eat snacks to take home.
Diya Basmati, Varli’s charitable rice brand, was featured in the dishes of many restaurants throughout the festival. The most impressive display was a biryani made with Diya Basmati, stuffed inside a whole goat and a 10-foot-long Seekh Kebab created by Chef Ram Dhandu of Dhoom Restaurant. Attendees were also seen in large numbers at the Spice Zone and Five Chefs booth, where they served individual pots of chicken and vegetable dum biryani made with Diya Basmati rice.
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