The Locavore Meetup, Bengaluru
Building purpose-driven communities has been integral to The Locavore’s mission from the start. The intention for this event—the first #LocavoreMeetup—was to carve out a space for people to gather, exchange ideas, and get acquainted with what we’ve set out to do: doing good through food.
The festival was our first time collaborating with local chefs using locally available produce. Through this partnership, and with the knowledge of our peers from the area, we tried to reimagine these ingredients beyond how they are typically used, and presented creative dishes to eaters from the region that test their existing ideas of the culinary value of these foods. For us, these flavours were so fresh and exciting, and we wanted to share our enthusiasm.
Attendees had the opportunity to try a variety of products by TL partner producers. Photo by Team Locavore.
The guests were also served beverages from #TL partner producers Black Baza and Moonshine Meadery. Photo by Team Locavore.
We were joined by 40 guests—researchers, farmers, media professionals, chefs, anthropologists, and writers—all bound together by an interest in food. After an introduction to The Locavore by Chef TZac, we invited two of the guests—Ruth E D’Souza, an independent journalist, and Dhiraj Chilakapaty, an urban planner—to talk about their experiences of visiting a local market in Bengaluru’s Shivajinagar with The Locavore team. Just that morning, a group of us had set off to visit Russell Market and document it. The idea was to try something new with our Market Archives series: capturing a market through the eyes of different people.
This was followed by The Locavore Shuffle—our way to nudge guests to meet others and have conversations centred around food, such as our beloved memories, favourite restaurants, feelings of discomfort around food, and how what we eat interacts with the ecology. We were so glad to see some of our local TL partners participate too!
Every shuffle we do—it’s a staple at TL events—reaffirms to us the value of conversations about food. “As the shuffle began, with a quick ring of a bell, something in the air shifted,” shares founder Chef TZac. The sound of many conversations starting simultaneously deeply moved all of us on the team, as people opened up their lives and stories to complete strangers without inhibition. The sound of laughter, hushed words, and emotional conversations made real a sense of community that is at the heart of our desire to connect through food. On this winter day in Bengaluru, we were struck by how our memories of food, our idiosyncratic likes and dislikes, people’s individual and communal cooking practices, bind us together.
Over a period of 40 minutes, each attendee got to speak to seven others; we will vouch for the fact that connections were made easily, and everyone had an absolutely wonderful time. Photos by Team Locavore.
Perhaps the conversations also flowed so smoothly because each table had a collection of prompts to rely on: ‘Tell me about the last time you tasted something for the first time?’ ‘Is there a local dish from Karnataka that you feel is highly underrated and under-represented?’
“This speed dating style of introduction was a great way to get to know people who you don’t usually have a chance to talk to. So I met some really interesting people; otherwise, in such events, you tend to stick to the set of people you’re comfortable with, rather than interacting with every one,” said Saina Jaypal, a PR professional who attended the meetup.
On the menu were Bengaluru’s trademark short eats, like potato buns, congress peanuts, and Maddur vada. The guests were served beverages from #TL partner producers: a refreshing cascara tonic made with Black Baza Coffee’s cascara and meads by Moonshine Meadery. Guests also got to sample some delicious food—raisins, honey, and pickles—at the TL corner, where we had proudly displayed products from all our partners.
While all of us at The Locavore were excited for our very first meetup, we were not prepared to be as full of awe and admiration of our fellow Locavores as we were. As we facilitated each engagement and watched the evening unfold, we were taken aback by just how committed, conscious, and deeply kind each attendee was. It was then that we knew the true collective value of our mission: to bring people that care, really care, about food and each other, together.
Our first meetup—held at the intimate Conservatory—has certainly inspired us to organise more, many more, gatherings over food. It also confirmed our long-held belief that we all seek connection and a sense of belonging, and tapping into the strength of communities will only enable us to create a positive impact through food.
At The Locavore, we love planning and executing events that highlight India’s diverse local foods, celebrating community, sustainability, and cultural heritage. Our events feature engaging workshops, discussions, immersive experiences and other formats that connect you to India’s rich food culture. Interested in collaborating or having us organise an event? Reach out at connect@thelocavore.in.
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