Every year, Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali, transforms into an open-air culinary theatre and learning ground with the Ubud Food Festival. In its landmark 10th year, this three-day celebration at Taman Kuliner offered more than menus, it celebrated ‘heritage’, weaving together Indonesia’s rich culinary lineage with masterclasses, demos, food tours, and panel discussions on sustainability and storytelling. It was not just a festival, but a testament to food's power to connect with the past, places, and people.
I arrived in Ubud slipping through mist-draped lanes as Warung steam wove ancestral whispers. As India’s sole representative and a first-time panelist, I felt both butterflies and exhilaration, but more than anything, I felt homecoming.
I hosted two panels that felt both intimate and expansive. With Susan Jung, Valensia Edgina, and Kevindra Soemantri, we explored how crafting food narratives, like describing a weekend feast or a childhood recipe, inspires empathy and memory. We deep dived into Susan’s new book, Kung Pao & Beyond and I had the best time learning about the audience’s favourite fried chicken recipes from around the word. I also I reflected on how in India, every fifty kilometres brings a new food language, whether it's the mustard-rich curries of Bengal, the fiery curries of Andhra, or the coconut-laced dishes of Kerala, each region carries its distinct identity through taste, geography, and tradition.
Rini Chatterjee, Valensia Edgina and Kevindra Soemantri
Later, on the ‘Cultivating Change’ stage with Max Geraldi and Aisah Nurul Fitri, I learnt about heirloom grains, composting traditions, and the resilience of India’s small farmers parallels to Bali’s own agricultural heritage. These panel conversations were not lectures — they were shared discoveries, moments of mutual learning and heartfelt exchange.
My immersive encounter with Locavore NXT followed: Asia’s sustainability beacon nestled among rice paddies, founded by Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah. In its mushroom vault and fermentation lab, I saw a design revolution — solar panels, rooftop food forest, closed-loop water systems, and a circular waste centre achieving 98% landfill diversion in year one.
That evening, chef Peter Smit, who helms Dirty Supper in Singapore, launched the Dirty Supper pop-up. His 10-course tasting menu, whole-animal, tell-it-like-it-is cookery was rooted, earthy and unapologetic. I was utterly amazed by the Dirty Supper pop-up, who knew a pig’s head could taste so elegant? And that my chocolate ice cream would contain pig’s blood in the most refined way? It was a wild, beautiful lesson in culinary audacity, reminding me that the joy of discovering new ways of eating is simply unrivaled.
The team at Ubud Food Festival
As dawn broke again, chef Made Masak led us under the jungle canopy to forage fresh greens and mushrooms, lighting embers for a forest feast. Later that same afternoon, the unifying ‘Wealth of Nature’ panel wove together conversations on soil, identity and ecological stewardship.
None of this would have hummed with intention without Janet DeNeefe, the Australian-born founder and director of the festival and the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. For over three decades, Janet has woven together literature, hospitality, and sustainability into Bali’s cultural identity. Her vision shaped the 10th edition’s tribute to female culinary guardians, sustainability, and heritage.
Janet DeNeefe (centre), the Australian-born founder and director of the festival at a press meet
A special mention to Uniph, Jesse, Nicola, and Fity, the core organising team, offered gentle guidance at every juncture, ensuring I felt heard, seen, and woven into Ubud’s community. Their kindness transformed what could’ve been a solo reflection into a collective embrace.
Outside festival hours, I immersed myself in Ubud’s coffee culture. At Seniman Coffee Studio, I sipped single-origin coffee; at Pison Ubud I found panoramic rice-paddy serenity; Revive Café offered breezy expat charm; Ubud Coffee Roastery celebrated daily ritual; and Expat Roasters wove global specialty coffees with Kintamani-bean roots.
Guests at the festival
Top eats in Ubud
Away from festival intensity, I explored Ubud’s culinary heartbeat:
- Nusantara by Locavore: An intimate ode to regional Indonesian flavors, served within rattan comfort.
- French Kiss Bali: A moody speakeasy-style French bar with live cooking, a whisper of Europe in the jungle.
- Mozaic: Ubud’s fine-dining crown, French precision meets Balinese soul.
- Embers: Rustic Mediterranean comfort from an on-site herb garden.
- IBU SUSU Bar & Kitchen: Bright Pan-Asian tapas and casual cocktails in a playful setting.
In the evenings, I found sanctuary at Kappa Senses Resort, perched over terraced fields, where Balinese tea ceremonies, tranquil villas, sunset skies, cradled me in healing care.
By the end of that weekend, I left deeply connected, to chefs, farmers, writers, and to a deeper self. Ubud taught me that heritage lives, sustainability tastes hopeful, and hospitality is a human current. The festival became a mirror, revealing home, possibility, and wings I didn’t know I had.
The writer speaks at the ‘Food for Thought’ session
Traveling solo invites risk and wonder. Every dish is a living story. Sustainability can nourish both soil and spirit. Balinese kindness lingers long after you leave. With direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, Bali is promisingly within reach.
Mark your calendars for next year’s Ubud Food Festival. Arrive with hunger, curiosity, and open hearts, prepare to taste, to feel, to belong, and rediscover yourself in the place that will always welcome you back.