Get ready to sample the ‘World on A Plate’
If you are travelling to Mumbai this weekend, don’t miss India’s most coveted culinary festival, ‘World on A Plate’ (WOAP). This year, Britain’s legendary celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White is coming to India for an interesting culinary debut. Here is a curtain raiser on the event...
A mushroom risotto or a mint ravioli? A platter of roasted beets or a well-seasoned rack of lamb? Sticky rice or sesame garlic noodles? Food is the universal leveler, and nothing is quite as exciting as a festival where one can learn from the best in the business and watch the finest restaurants display their talents.
It is that time of the year when the best-known names in the culinary world meet to take part in the ‘World on a Plate’ (WOAP) festival. Season 4 of WOAP begins this weekend in Mumbai, on January 19 and 20, and will feature exceptional restaurants and dessert pop-ups by the city's top restaurateurs. There will also be Master Classes by renowned chefs, exclusively curated dinners and lunches, competitions among amateur chefs and awards by some of the world's most influential culinary artists and much more. This season is touted to be its biggest edition till date, and the highlight is celebrity chef Marco Pierre White who will be one of the judges. He will also hold Master Classes for the attendees.
Inspired by culinary legends from across the globe, WOAP gives Indian chefs an opportunity to showcase food as a form of a genuine expression of passion. Today, it is one the biggest and most credible international food festivals in the country. It will be coming to Bengaluru in June this year.
“WOAP is a great experience for most chefs,” says Kiran Soans, CEO of WOAP and Goldrush Entertainment.
“The format of the event remains consistent. There will be pop-ups, a bunch of Master Classes, fine dining experiences and eventually, the award for the Restaurant of the Year. This year, Chef Marco Pierre White will curate two exclusive fine-dine dinners and hold two Master Classes at St. Regis, Mumbai. There will also be tête-à-têtes at Universal Square, High Street Phoenix, and Chef White will also judge some of India's top restaurants that will be competing for the coveted ‘World on A Plate Restaurant of the Year’ trophy.”
Joining the 2019 bandwagon are celebrity chefs Ranveer Brar, Sarah Todd, Ben Ungermann, Vicky Ratnani, Rakhee Vaswani, Ajay Chopra, Saransh Goila, and many more, who will host Master Classes and talks across two days on lesser-known Indian and global cuisines. They will also teach gourmet dessert pairings and impart tips and tricks they learned in kitchens across the globe.
“Chef White will teach his signature ‘Wild Mushroom Risotto’ alongside his Executive Chef Andrew Bennett,” adds Kiran. “He will also host an exclusive, wine paired dinner and brunch at St. Regis, Mumbai where he will hand-craft a seven-course meal.”
The festival aims to give aspiring chefs and food entrepreneurs in India the opportunity to learn the latest skills from the best in the world and have access to the best ingredients and technology.
In the past three seasons, WOAP has featured some of the most influential chefs in the global culinary world such as George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan, Ranveer Brar, Janice Wong, Elena Duggan, Ben Ungerman, Adriano Zumbo, Matt Preston and Saransh Goila, among others. Each of these culinary greats have learnt to appreciate the beauty and flavours of Indian food.
“I remember taking Matt Preston to Airlines Hotel in Bengaluru,” remembers Kiran. “He had the kesari bhaat with coconut chutney there and he loved the sweet and salty combination of tastes. Each judge has enjoyed new-age Indian food and felt that there is scope for our food to do well worldwide.”
According to Kiran, Chef White is very excited about being a part of WOAP this year. He is looking forward to being mesmerised by the local food and its mélange of new and old school cooking and exchanging notes on Indian cuisine with his fellow chefs.
There will be seven unique award categories this year, besides ‘WOAP Restaurant of The Year’ judged by Chef White. The proceeds from the festival will go towards donating meals to a certain number of underprivileged kids, as pledged in association with HUG foundation.
“The winners are usually chosen on taste, presentation and innovation,” says Kiran.
As for the food trends of 2019, Kiran feels that modern Indian food that is simple, tasty and well-plated will take centre-stage. Casual gourmet will be the hot new trend, which is a blend of street food and beautifully presented food.
The season 4 of WOAP will also stage two unique tête-à-têtes between Chef Marco, Ranveer Brar and other Indian culinary stalwarts, as they discuss the nuances of cooking across cultures, alongwith an exclusive opportunity to meet and greet the godfather himself who will sign memorabilia for attendees.
Don’t miss out on all the excitement this weekend in Mumbai!