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Guided Tea Tasting
Jokai Fearless Tea’s Aditya Shah, a tea-taster, planter and entrepreneur, will conduct this specially curated tea-tasting workshop. The first part of the workshop will be a traditional tea tasting class, comprising the many varieties and grades of tea that Jokai grows, harvests and sources. Aditya will take everyone through a detailed class on how to discern good quality tea, what a dry leaf tells you, how to brew each kind of tea, and especially how to read the nuances in flavours in tea.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Know Your Desi Vegetables
A dedicated space within the Festival where visitors can engage in a descriptive and immersive exploration of diverse local produce. This bustling area accommodates a continuous flow of attendees, providing them with a platform to connect with the essence of traditional culinary heritage
Project by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
The Village
The Village at Serendipity Arts Festival 2023 aims to capture the essence of Indian village life, providing a platform for cultural exchange, learning, and appreciation of the diverse traditions that thrive within rural communities. It serves as a reminder of the rich heritage that shapes Indian cuisine, craft, and culture, while offering Festival-goers an opportunity to engage with and learn from the community members in a meaningful way.
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Paint with Food
‘Paint with Food’ is an immersive and innovative activity designed to foster creativity, curiosity, and a playful approach to both art and food. This engaging activity offers participants, especially children, the opportunity to use a spectrum of artistic supplies, ranging from water colours, fabric paints, food pigments, collage materials, and dry waste, to create artworks depicting food in unusual ways.
Facilitated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Doing Good through Food Challenge
A walkthrough segment made of panels and frames will have multiple activities for children and adults to engage in or learn about. At the end of the walkthrough and after going through all engagements, the participants will be certified for Doing Good Through Food.
Project by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Ghee and Our Connection with Our Ancestors
This workshop showcases the traditional method of churning butter from dahi (known as the bilona method) and talks about the historical significance of fermentation as a form of preservation and natural flavour development in traditional Indian ghee.
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
The Locavore Shuffle
A universally favourite segment at The Locavore Meetups, the Shuffle invites strangers to be seated facing each other and converse with cues provided to them. These cues range from topics like food and memory, food and identity, recipes, kitchen utensils and equipment, global food systems, local markets and their vendors, and much more.
Project by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Paneer and the Origin of Cheese in India
Historians debate the origins of paneer. Did the Portuguese bring paneer to India? Chef Aditya Raghavan delves into ancient texts to uncover a possible explanation of how paneer emerged as a product of mixing milk with yogurt.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Zine-Making Workshop
These workshops will engage participants in creating a zine: an independently produced booklet, made for love, not profit. Everyone who attends these workshops will get the chance to submit the zines they make to Potluck: The Cui-Zine Library, housed at The Grove in the Old GMC Complex during the festival. Facilitated by Riya Behl and Devashree Somani of Zinedabaad Collective, each workshop explores diverse thoughts, feelings and stories on food.
Facilitated by:
Zinedabaad Collective -
Reimagined Coastal Food
The workshop will be centered around Red Snapper Ceviche and Sasam Salad from Slow Tide. These dishes exemplify blending local origins with innovative techniques, aligning with Slow Tide’s ethos inspired by Anjuna’s 60s cultural blend.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Brewing Balanced Beers, the Susegado Way
This workshop presents the broad flavour palate of beer and traces each principal characteristic to an ingredient or process step of the brew. We will then discuss balance and why it is important in the context of beer. Much of this will involve sampling various Susegado beers.
Facilitated by
Aditya Challa, Susegado -
Khao Suno – Kids Only
A storytelling corner for children that engages the audience in stories of food and food cultures across territories while using props and puppetry. To encourage participation, food stories will also be co-curated on the spot by building on cues/sentences by the previous child in line for them to tap into discovering their relationship with food through this activity.
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
The Dairy Traditions from Colonisation and Migration
There are two significant colonisation episodes that have shaped Indian dairy: the Portuguese brought Chenna to West Bengal and the Parsis brought fresh cheese making techniques to western India. This workshop starts by introducing guests to the traditional cheese making practices of Central Asia and Europe. What the Parsis brought to India with them was this tradition.
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Cultivating Sustainability: A Permaculture Gardening Workshop
Permaculture encompasses not only a series of organic farming strategies but also a lifestyle. This workshop will invite you to explore techniques for growing plants, tending to gardens, making compost, and more. You can also expect to engage in a brief discussion on the ‘permaculture approach.’
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Khao Suno
A storytelling corner for children and adults that engages the audience in stories of food and food cultures across territories while using props and puppetry. To encourage participation, food stories will also be co-curated on the spot by building on cues/sentences by the previous child in line for them to tap into discovering their relationship with food through this activity.
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Goa’s Coconut Vinegar: A Comparative Tasting of a Forgotten Culinary Gem
This workshop introduces a first-of-its-kind vinegar tasting to the public, showcasing the vinegar heritage of Goa. Through Vaz’s research, he has found a fascinating array of vinegars used in Goan cuisine, now largely forgotten. Reviving old techniques, this session will showcase five of these varieties for everyone to taste, smell, and experience.
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Zero Waste Cooking Workshop
This workshop will focus on understanding food waste through an interactive session that explores the journey of food waste from the farm to households, including the challenges in the supply chain, and discuss the impact of food waste at the restaurant level, alongside personal experiences in waste reduction.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Film Screening: P for Pyaaz, P for Paisa, P for Paani
In the fragile hydrogeological region of Narmada valley, a sizeable number of affluent farmers start to grow onions. Being a highly lucrative commercial crop, this trend is soon followed by the local farmers. But onion is a water-intensive crop and when the cash income is the target, what would be the impact of this new practice on the depleting groundwater table in the region? This film explores that question.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Bazaar to Table
The food at Sienna has always been inspired by the many cuisines, cultures and communities that make Bengal one of the most distinctive regions of the world. The local markets of the region define not only the Bengali way of life, but the cooking at Sienna.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Local Ingredients Cocktail Workshop
The cocktail making workshop will feature the use of local and regional ingredients from India to create unique and flavorful cocktails. Participants will have the opportunity to taste and experiment with these ingredients and learn techniques for crafting their own signature cocktails. This workshop is perfect for those interested in exploring the intersection of culture, tradition, and mixology.
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
A Collection of Motley Tales of Your Favourite Brews
Join us for a storytelling session led by Praveen Rengaraj of Motley Brew, that will take you into the misty mountains of estates and plantations. Uncover the qualities that make iconic varieties of tea and coffee, learn about the leaves and beans, discover accidental techniques that created fabulous roasts, and how flora, fauna, weather and climate affect nuances of flavour and craft.
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The Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Movement in India
This talk will touch upon the difference between commercial chocolate and bean-to-bar chocolate, the ethical issues the bean-to-bar movement addressees, and the impact of fermentation, farm level practices and factory level processing on the flavour of chocolate. Attendees will also get to taste chocolate and nibs from two different origins in South India.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Film Screenings – Culinary Narratives from the Heartland: The Voice and Vision of SPS Community Media
Discover rural India’s culinary tapestry through the lens of SPS Community Media at the Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF). This Neemkheda-based initiative has documented authentic stories, emphasizing sustainable farming practices and culinary tales. At SAF, they present a curated selection of short films, offering insight into topics like sustainable farming, edible wild foods, and rural life.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Film Screening: Jowar Gatha (The Jowar Ballad)
Indigenous varieties of sorghum and millets, diverse cuisine, interlaced with the traditional practice of farming come alive in Jowar Gatha (The Jowar Ballad). While farmers lament the decline of Jowar (sorghum) and millets due to changing cropping patterns in the drylands of Central India, rich traditions of life around these crops manifest through traces of songs, rituals, and stories.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
The Poetry Playground
The Alipore Post Poetry Playground is designed to make poetry and creativity accessible through guided prompts, allowing participants to engage with poetry and explore writing through a lens of curiosity and play.
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Brief History of Meads and an Insight into Our Story
The session will be an engaging and informative experience for all the participants, delving into honey, the significance of bees, and Moonshine’s mission to save the bees, one pint at a time. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste 6 different types of honey, including 1 multi-floral and 5 mono-floral varieties, and 6 different types of meads, featuring Moonshine’s flagship variants and some limited-edition seasonal drops.
Facilitated by
Moonshine -
Goan Cooking Workshop
This workshop will take the audience through the ingredients and techniques of traditional Goan cuisine.
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Feni Deconstructed: A Sensory Experience
Explore the intricate world of Feni, a finely nuanced spirit born from cashew or coconut palm, dispelling its misconceived “smelly” reputation. Savour its velvety texture, harmonious sweetness, subtle spiciness, and delicate bitterness, all while immersing yourself in a symphony of tropical aromas. Uncover the enduring traditions that have shaped Feni distillation for over three centuries, an art that hinges solely on a single primary ingredient, untouched by time. Delve into the fascinating Feni journey, from ripe cashew apples to the age-old bhatti distillation, in a workshop filled with profound insights and engaging conversations.
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Archiving Family Food Traditions and Recipes
In this workshop, Archana Pidathala will take you through her journey of what it took to sift through her grandmother’s recipe archive (collected over five decades) — and bring it to life as the cookbook ‘Five Morsels of Love’. She will discuss the radical power of home cooking, the importance of documenting family recipes, and will provide a framework for getting started on your own recipe archival or cookbook project.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Cross Sensory Communication
An interactive activity centered around communicating the intangibles of a product & brand through visual identity & literature – through the context of Goan craft spirits. Attendees will have the opportunity to implement their learnings through a hands-on brand creation experience.
Facilitated by
Mohit Sadhnani, Fullarton Distilleries -
The 2.7-Billion-Year Story of Goan Chicken Curry
This live demonstration will feature the preparation of a Goan chicken curry while delving into the realms of evolutionary biology, biochemistry, physics, and cognitive neuroscience. We will journey back to 2.7 billion years ago when the emergence of Eukaryotic cells, resulting from a symbiotic event, set the stage for complex multicellular life and the evolution of plants and animals.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Ferments of India
The talk on “Ferments of India” is a mosaic essay that aims to explore the rich tradition of fermentation practices in India. This interactive and educational workshop will delve into the various fermented foods, beverages, and culinary techniques that have been an integral part of Indian culture for centuries and draw parallels between them. It will include show and tell and also a tasting of a few different types of ferments.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Infusions Masterclass by Greater Than Gin
#InfuseGreater is a comprehensive masterclass designed for members of the bar community who are eager to elevate their infusion techniques to the next level. This session aims to debunk the misconception that infusing spirits is just a matter of mixing a few ingredients into a bottle. Learn more about the maceration method, where ingredients are soaked in spirits to extract flavours; the rapid infusion process; sous vide infusion, often used for precise and consistent infusions; and the technique of fat-washing.
Facilitated by
Co-Founder and Master Distiller Anand Virmani and Brand Community Manager Vedant, Greater Than Gin -
Sowing a Climate-First Future with Minor Millets
Led by Millet Coach Shalini Rajani, this workshop is an enriching opportunity to rediscover and integrate ancient, nutrient-rich millets into your everyday cooking, aligning with The Locavore’s Millet Revival Project with Rainmatter Foundation.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Debunking Food Misinformation Online
The internet is rife with food misinformation, much of it aiming to exploit fear and anxiety and very little of it backed by science. This keynote talk will dissect the nature of food related misinformation with practical examples and provide thinking tools and simple heuristics for the busy layperson to quickly spot and learn to ignore food related misinformation.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Solutions for Human-Animal Conflict
As the lines between urban and rural, planned and unplanned territories fade, it becomes difficult to claim and divide portions of the land between humans and forest animals. With the increasing human-animal encounters and conflicts that often end on a bitter note, a millet and mango farmer from Karnataka seems to have cracked the right share for harmony. For his efforts as a peacemaker, he has been highlighted in the media, as his illustrated comic book catches the eye of many. This interactive session is an opportunity for the farmer to take the urban audience through his day and how he went about devising a solution for such conflicts.
Curated by:
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team -
Aging Gracefully
Feni is a distilled alcoholic beverage made in the state of Goa. Feni is available in three main categories and 26 expressions: Pure Expressions, Botanical Expressions, and Liqueur Expressions. Each expression has its own unique flavour profile and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways.
Curated by
Thomas Zacharias and the Locavore Team
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