First National Young Chefs Convention Sees Overwhelming Response

THE FIRST National Young Chefs Convention (NYCC), organised by the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA), which was held on August 29-30 at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in New Delhi, saw over 500 young chefs from across the country participating. The first of its kind event was focussed on imparting practical knowledge to young chefs, and saw chefs from across the globe flying into town to share their experiences with the gathering.

NYCC was inaugurated by guest of honour Kenko SONE, Minister (Economic & Development), Embassy of Japan; Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC; K B Kachru, Chairman, Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Inc.; and Master Chef Hirotoshi Ogawa, Director / Secretary General, All Japan Sushi Association (AJSA) with a lamp lighting ceremony.

Other dignitaries at the two-day extravaganza included Chef John Sloane, Vice President, World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS); Chef Thomas A Gulger, Continental Director – Africa & Middle East, WACS; Chef Manjit Singh Gill, President IFCA; Dr Chef Soundararajan Palanippan, General Secretary, IFCA; Chef Vijay Bhaskaran, Vice President, IFCA; and Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, President, Young Chefs Association of India.

“The chefs community should rediscover the lost flavours of this vast country which has evolved over 5,000 years. Very few countries can claim such a long cultural heritage,” said Nakul Anand while addressing the delegates during his keynote address.

“The rich diversity in food needs to be exploited to promote India as a culinary tourism destination,” he added.  Highlighting the role Chefs can play, Anand said that Indian chefs have been able to gain global prominence through their culinary wisdom over the years.

Appreciating the initiative undertaken by IFCA, K B Kachru, urged the young chefs to take advantage of the support and guidance they receive from the experienced seniors in the industry to hone their skills for career growth as well as to become entrepreneurs themselves.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Chef Soundararajan, Secretary General, IFCA thanked the participants and partners and said that he was overwhelmed by the response received for convention. “This National Young Chefs Convention is the largest ever gathering of young chefs anywhere in the world,” he said.

Chef Manjit Singh Gill highlighted the objectives of the Young Chefs Association of India saying, “It has been the Federation’s endeavour to nurture talent in the industry.”

He advised young chefs not to look for short cuts in their career but to practice hard to become truly professional. Theoretical knowledge cannot make a professional chef, knowledge has to be gained through practice, he said. He asked young chefs to stay connected with experienced chefs and benefit from their experience and knowledge.

Chef John Sloane, a renowned name in industry spoke on one of the most intriguing challenges facing our society today. He delved into the subject of food production and its scarcity hitting many parts of the world.

Kenko Sone, Minister (Economic & Development) Embassy of Japan, who was present at the occasion, spoke on the growing footprint of Japanese restaurants across the globe. Citing a survey, Sone said that there are an estimated 89,000 Japanese restaurants outside Japan growing year on year. Respect for nature is the hallmark of Japanese food, which is one of the UNESCO intangible heritages. The two-day event has been organized in partnership with Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO).

IFCA also hosted a National Sushi Championship as part of the National Young Chefs Convention 2016.