The Food Lab
The Food Lab was part of our larger Culinary Arts curation at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2023. Read more about it here.
Planning culinary workshops for The Food Lab—a recurring and much-anticipated feature of the Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF)—has been a source of great joy and inspiration for The Locavore.
While the workshops offered practical cooking skills, they also delved into the cultural, historical, environmental, and ethical aspects of food. Participants met some of the most original and bold voices in the food industry, while experimenting with diverse flavours, textures, and aromas.
Here’s a small taste of the workshops we curated:
Cheese maker Aditya Raghavan conducted three workshops at the Food Lab, shedding light on the historical significance of fermentation, various dairy traditions in India, and the process of making ghee.
Ghee and Our Connection With Our Ancestors by Chef Aditya Raghavan
This workshop showcased the traditional method of churning butter from dahi (known as the bilona method) and highlighted the historical significance of fermentation as a form of preservation and natural flavour development in traditional Indian ghee. It also touched upon practices tied to our pastoral ancestors, the pastoral Kashmiri cheese kalari, and the process of making ghee.
Paneer and the Origin of Cheese in India by Chef Aditya Raghavan
Did the Portuguese bring paneer to India? Where does it really come from? The origins of paneer are a largely debated topic among historians. Chef Aditya Raghavan delved into ancient texts to share a possible explanation of how paneer emerged as a product of mixing milk with yoghurt. In the workshop, fresh chhurpi—a soft and creamy Himalayan cheese—took the spotlight. Those who attended the session had the opportunity to taste some of the finest, freshest paneer.
The Dairy Traditions from Colonisation and Migration by Chef Aditya Raghavan
While the Portuguese brought chenna to West Bengal, the Parsis introduced fresh cheese-making techniques to western India. This workshop introduced guests to the traditional cheese-making practices of Central Asia and Europe, explored Bandel cheese, and demonstrated how to make fresh milk jelly coagulated by rennet. Participants also learned to prepare fresh chenna.
Reimagining Coastal Food by Chef Abhishek Deshmane
The workshop was centred around Red Snapper Ceviche and Sasam Salad from Goa-based restaurant Slow Tide. Aligning with Slow Tide’s ethos (of blending local origins with innovative techniques), these dishes evoked a sense of familiarity while showcasing Goa’s colonial history and Peru’s influence on the state. The session included a live demonstration of both dishes, followed by a tasting session.
Guided Tea Tasting by Aditya Shah
Jokai Fearless Tea’s Aditya Shah—a tea-taster, planter, and entrepreneur—conducted this traditional tea-tasting class on discerning good quality tea, what a dry leaf tells you, how to brew different kinds of tea, and read the nuances of flavours in tea. Jokai Fearless Tea is one of The Locavore’s producer partners.
Khao Suno by Usha Chhabra
Storyller Usha Chhabra regaled children and their parents with stories of food and food cultures from regions across India using props and puppetry.
Cultivating Sustainability: A Permaculture Gardening Workshop by Tattva Permaculture
Led by Mohnish Lahir for Tattva Permaculture, the workshop was designed to give participants a holistic exploration of organic farming strategies and following a sustainable lifestyle. Techniques for growing plants were explored along with the ‘permaculture approach’, which involved tending to gardens and making compost.
Through the permaculture gardening workshop, participants also learned how to identify plants.
Goa’s Coconut Vinegar: A Comparitive Tasting of a Forgotten Culinary Gem by Hansel Vaz
This workshop introduced a first-of-its-kind vinegar tasting to the public. Through his research, Hansel Vaz found a fascinating array of vinegars used in traditional Goan cuisine, most of which are now forgotten. Reviving old techniques, this session showcased five of these varieties for attendees to taste, smell, and experience.
GOA’S COCONUT VINEGAR: A COMPARITIVE TASTING OF A FORGOTTEN CULINARY GEM BY HANSEL VAZ.
Feni Deconstructed: A Sensory Experience by Hansel Vaz
Exploring the intricate world of Feni, a spirit made from cashew or coconut palm innate to Goa, this session dispelled its misconceived “smelly” reputation. Participants savoured its texture, its subtle sweet and spicy notes, and delicate bitterness. Vaz explained the fascinating journey of Feni, from ripe cashew apples to the age-old technique of bhatti distillation.
Zero-Waste Cooking by Chef Radhika Khandelwal
From the farm to households, this workshop discussed the challenges entailing food waste in the supply chain and the impact of food waste at the restaurant level, along with the chef’s personal experiences in waste reduction.
Chef Radhika Khandelwal’s workshop highlighted creative ways to utilise all parts of any produce. Participants learned how to make kimchi out of deemed ‘food waste’ like cauliflower leaves, stems, and vegetable peels.
Conversations on Oviyos by Pratishtha Chettri
This film by Pratishta Cheetri threw light on oviyos, or traditional grinding songs sung by women in Goa as they ground wheat and other pulses in their kitchens. The screening was followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, as well as a tasting of Alle-Belle, a traditional tea-time snack.
Bazaar to Table by Chefs Auroni Mukherjee and Avinandan Kundu
Led by the chefs at Sienna Store and Cafe in Kolkata, the talk explored Bengal’s rich cuisines inspired by local markets, magic realism, and community traditions. They expanded on how the local markets in the region defined not only the Bengali way of life, but also the cooking at Sienna.
Local Ingredients Cocktail Workshop by Pankaj Balachandran
Demonstrating the use of local, regional Indian ingredients like the Moira banana and chickoos to create unique and flavourful cocktails, the session explored the intersection of tradition and mixology. Participants tasted and experimented with these ingredients, learning how to craft their own cocktails.
(L) Local Ingredients Cocktail Workshop by Pankaj Balachandran. (R) The Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Movement in India by Mansi Reddy, Director of Marketing and Partnerships at Mason & Co, a chocolate company with a focus on building a local bean-to-bar movement in South India.
The Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Movement in India by Mansi Reddy
Addressing the difference between commercial and bean-to-bar chocolate, Mansi Reddy—Director of Marketing and Partnerships at Mason & Co in Auroville, Pondicherry—threw light upon the ethical issues surrounding the bean-to-bar movement. It also explained the impact of fermentation, farm-level practices, and factory-level processing on the flavour of chocolate. Attendees tasted chocolate from two different origins in South India.
The Goan Cooking Workshop by Crescy Baptista and Oliver Fernandes
An immersive exploration of traditional Goan cuisine, and a closer look at its distinctive flavours and techniques. Workshop participants were shown how to cook fofos, soft, pillowy cutlets made with mackerel, as well as atol, a tea-time snack made of chuvilyo (a bean), ukde rice, coconut, and jaggery.
The Poetry Playground by The Alipore Post
Led by Rohini Kejriwal, the founder of The Alipore Post, the workshop was designed to make poetry accessible through guided prompts, allowing participants to explore writing through curiosity and play. It began with a poetry appreciation session, where Rohini read aloud her favourite poems on food. Participants got a taste of experimental poetry formats including limericks, blackout poetry, and found poetry.
Archiving Family Food Traditions and Recipes by Archana Pidathala
Food writer Archana Pidathala talked about what it took to sift through her grandmother’s recipe archive—collected over five decades—and bring it to life as the cookbook Five Morsels of Love. She discussed the radical power of home cooking, the importance of documenting family recipes, and provided a framework for those interested in creating a recipe archive or a cookbook project across formats.
Ferments of India by Payal Shah
This interactive and educational workshop explored the rich traditions of fermentation practices in India. Drawing attention to various fermented foods, beverages, and culinary techniques that have been integral to Indian culture for centuries, Payal Shah drew parallels between them. It also included a tasting of different types of ferments.
The 2.7-Billion-year Story of Chicken Curry by Krish Ashok
Led by Krish Ashok, the author of Masala Lab: The Science of Indian Cooking, this presentation delved into the realms of evolutionary biology, biochemistry, physics, and cognitive neuroscience—all intersecting with food. Alongside, ChefTZac cooked a Goan Chicken Xacutti curry which the participants got to taste. Krish spoke of the need for a more mindful approach to understanding the origins of our food.
Debunking Food Misinformation Online by Krish Ashok
The internet is rife with false notions around food, much of it instilling fear, and very little backed by science. This keynote talk by Krish Ashok dissected the nature of food-related misinformation with practical examples. Thinking tools and simple heuristics were offered for the busy layperson to quickly spot such inaccurate information, and learn to ignore it.
Sowing a Climate-First Future with Minor Millets by Shalini Rajani
Led by millet coach Shalini Rajani, this workshop offered an opportunity to rediscover and integrate ancient, nutrient-rich millets into everyday cooking, aligning with The Locavore’s Millet Revival Project with the Rainmatter Foundation. Participants were introduced to an array of minor millets, understanding their distinct characteristics, and the vital role they play in a climate-forward approach to food.
Solutions for Human-animal Conflict by Anand Babu Reddy and Nishant Srinivasaiah
With the increasing human-animal encounters and conflicts, a millet-and-mango farmer from Karnataka seems to have found middle ground to establish harmony. For his efforts as a peacemaker, Anand has been highlighted in the media, as his illustrated comic book, My Elephant in My Village, catches the eye of many. In this interactive session with behavioural ecologist Nishant Srinivasaiah, Anand spoke about how they both collectively devised a solution for such conflicts, especially in the context of elephants.
