Others: Travel, Chefs Gear up, 2010 Games, IFCA, Intercontinental Hotel, India

Chefs gear up to provide 'authentic' dishes during 2010 Games

Demand for 'original' food is expected to shoot up during the 2010 Commonwealth Games when over 50,000 foreigners are expected to visit the capital city. However, chefs here are confident of dishing up authentic food to meet the demand of the market by recruiting more and more foreign chefs on temporary as well as permanent basis.

"We are in touch with the Government and have discussed at length about the requirements during Commonwealth Games. We are in process of hiring many foreign chefs at that time on a temporary basis.

"In the last 2-3 years there is a rise in the number of international chefs as hotels want to give authentic look to the dishes. We are confident of meeting the target," says Manjit Gill, President, Indian Federation Of Culinary Association (IFCA).

Adding that the foreign chefs are finding India a hot destination for their profession as Indian hotel industry is at boom, he says, "I can't comment on other hospitality sectors but food industry has chefs of all origins and the future looks brighter with many more chefs joining us soon to bring a sense of culinary veracity to the menus."

According to an industry report, the Commonwealth Games in 2010 is expected to attract 50,000 foreign visitors to Delhi and approximately 30,000 rooms will be required to accommodate these visitors.

However, Irshad Ahmed Qureshi, Master Chef, Intercontinental Hotel, says there are not more than 20 per cent foreign chefs and that too in five star hotels in India and most of them are at the higher levels and 'desi' chefs are the ones who are contributing at the operating level.

Nov 12, 2008
Source: Press Trust of India
URL: http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/34FFA25D3222ECC2652574FF00265B06?OpenDocument