Kumkum Shah (right) gives a live cooking demo at fitness studio Velocity in Bistupur on Tuesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Pumpkin soup sounds like an invalid’s diet — at best a weight-loss punishment — but trust veteran food consultant Kumkum Shah to stir it up and transform it from B for boring to T for terrific.

The Pune-based food consultant, on Day One of a two-day live culinary show hosted by fitness studio Velocity in Bistupur, demonstrated how healthy can be truly tasty.

An elite by-invitation-only event for Velocity members and a few other women, each participant had to pay Rs 1,000 for the two sessions to learn how to cook 14 memorable dishes out of health foods such as watermelon, mushroom, beetroot and the like.

“I have always tried to experiment where food is concerned. If you talk about normal food, anybody can make it. You must try something different to add taste to food while retaining its nutrition. I take care of every aspect in terms of preparation, taste and presentation as all three matter to me,” Shah, a food consultant for Praia Beach Club, Goa, said.

On Wednesday, Shah will rustle up more treats.

They will include gulab jamun ice cream cake, cucumber coolers with red pepper and garlic, items she terms “best suited for summers”.

“Just watch out for spice twists such as kasundi or mustard sauce,” smiled the lady who wants to start her own pan-India food chain. “I want to call it Moam, the Hindi word for wax, because I will serve food that melts in the mouth,” she said.

Velocity founder Jalpa Parikh, a young entrepreneur who also happens to be Shah’s daughter, said the live session on healthy and tasty food was “a fresh concept that everyone who came enjoyed”.

“We gave recipes to everyone and told them we wanted them to cook and serve what they saw here at their homes,” Parikh said, adding she was “proud to be mommy’s girl”.

Billed a premier fitness studio in the city, Velocity offers zumba classes, yoga and exercise for complete physical and mental wellness.

“We have always tried to offer more than workouts, which any neighbourhood gym would give. And that’s why food sessions these gel well with our overall business model,” Parikh smiled. “You could say the event is a healthy icing on the fitness cake.”