Days before coming back to the city with the third edition of Kolkata Market, its founder-cheerleader Karen Anand tells t2 how Calcuttans “surprised” her the most with their love for a good life!
What’s the line-up and and what are the highlights this year?
This year we have Madhura from Organic Mandi, who has the most fabulous extra virgin coconut oil, great quality nolen gur and beeswax massage body bars, Pure Haus cold-pressed juices, The Tea Trove with tea popsicles, Living Free with organic gourmet products and, of course, the Pune Farmers’ Market range of conserves, sauces and dressings.
Six restaurants and a pizza chain have come aboard this time — Bodega Cantina-Y-Bar with a selection of European and Asian tapas, The Grid with modern Indian cuisine, Hakuna Matata with biryani and desserts, Calcutta Stories with iconic Chinese dishes from Tangra, Cilantro with Mongolian favourites, and Souk (Taj Bengal) with Mediterranean mezze.
What was the response in Calcutta last year?
It was phenomenal — probably one of the best responses in the country! We were surprised. More than 3,000 people turned up and our own products (Pune Farmers’ Market) were all sold out by 1pm! That has not happened in any city, ever.
How has the concept of farmers’ market grown since you started in 2012 in Pune?
We have actually been pleasantly shocked at the positive response and the rate of growth. We are now in nine cities across India (in some, such as Goa and Calcutta, we host the market once a year).
It’s also seen as a fun day out with friends and family in picnic mode. So what all fun can one look forward to this year?
We have Sula wines and the Kingfisher beer bar. There are a few fun activities such as a food quiz with Zomato and a beer challenge with Kingfisher. It’s going to be a fun day as everybody in this city loves coming to Taj Bengal.
What: Third edition of Kolkata Market by Karen Anand
Where: Taj Bengal
When: December 4, noon to 8pm
Expect: A fun and vibrant lifestyle bazaar with more than 30 stalls and show tables featuring natural products, organic produce, local restaurants, wineries, organically produced and chemical and additive-free lifestyle products ranging from soaps and oils to beeswax massage bars and more!
Entry: Open to all
Karen Anand — chef, author and food consultant — on the Indian F&B scene ’16
Ingredient of the year: Quinoa
Most-talked-about new restaurants: Toast & Tonic (Bangalore), Farzi Cafe (Pune, Delhi and Mumbai), The Bombay Canteen (Mumbai), Indian Accent (Delhi)
Most-talked-about chef: Manish Mehrotra (Indian Accent)
Food book of the year: The Bangala Table: Flavors and Recipes from Chettinad by Meenakshi Meyyappan, Sumeet Nair and Jill Donenfeld; Mrs LC’s Table: Stories about Kayasth Food and Culture by Anoothi Vishal, which I’m sure is great but am yet to read it
Controversy of the year: Demonetisation! In fact, we have encouraged most stalls to accept debit/credit cards, and we will certainly do at our stall
Biggest change in the way people ate out this year: Grazing menus (ditching formal meals) and emergence of cocktails
Myth of the year: Some people think pomace olive oil is good for cooking. It’s not. It is the most crude version of olive oil, once used to light lamps when there was no electricty!
Cuisine of the year: Modern Indian (Indian food, especially street food, presented with a twist)
MIX WELL: Park Plaza ushered in the season of cakes and carols with their annual cake mixing ceremony held at Smoke Shack, the open-air rooftop lounge bar and restaurant. Guests from the French consulate in the city, including Marc Salesse (vice-consul —head of visa section, France) and wife Veronica, were present. “As Christmas is coming, we aim to revive the age-old tradition and celebrate the cake mixing ceremony with loads of cheer and lots of wine, rum and whisky to soak the fruits. We hope all will have great fun while enjoying the different flavours of our Christmas-special cakes, puddings and other confectionery,” said Subrata Banerjee, general manager, Park Plaza, Calcutta.
Picture: Rashbehari Das
Text: Sibendu Das
