14th Chandiwala Hospitality Ensemble – 7, 8 & 9 October, 2015

Chandiwala Hospitality Ensemble organized by Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, New Delhi, is an annual national level competition for hotel management students competing in various culinary and hotel management related fields. The event has completed 14 successful years of honing talent of all participating colleges by bringing together the Culinary Skills and Hospitality Knowledge of students from across India.

The Grand Event created a charged atmosphere of expedite learning for promising hospitality professionals through various competitions namely R-Pure Regional India Culinary Contest, Zone Bar-wizard Bar Challenge (a cocktail mix-&-straight competition), Bakery Young Chef Competition, Taiga Japanese Culinary Challenge, International Culinary Challenge, Dress the Cake Competition,  Taj Hospitality Brain Twister (quiz competition related to Hospitality Services & Tourism),  Hotel Facility Planning & Designing (preparing blueprints and layouts of Kitchen, Restaurant, Guest Room, Mini Bar, Reception and Lounge Area), Maggi Coconut Milk Powder Culinary Challenge (World Cuisine),  Cornitos Taco Mexican Culinary Challenge, Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla Floral Decoration Competition and Fruit & Vegetable Carving. In its endeavor to find out more about the culinary roots and culture of India, the event holds a novel competition every year, with Indian Chaat Competition being the new entrant to the series of contests.

Lamp Lighting Ceremony followed by Ganesh Vandana marked the commencement of the event.  Welcoming the esteemed guests, sponsors, media partners, faculty members, participants and students of the Institute, Mr. R.K. Bhandari, Principal, BCIHMCT said, “In response to the rapidly changing Industry needs, it is important that Institutions empower students with the knowledge and skills to meet today’s challenges and prepare them to grasp tomorrrow’s opportunities.”

Guest of Honor Mr. Deepak Behl, Director - Human Resources, The Grand, New Delhi enlightened the audience with his success formula – KASH which stands for Knowledge, Attitude, Skills and Habits, that have the ability to transform a person’s destiny.  Mr. Behl, who has authored Winning is Everything stated, “You make a habit, then habit makes you.”

Chief Guest for the opening ceremony, Mr. Sudhir Sibal, Independent Hospitality Professional, Ex Vice President (Hotels) - India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd., congratulated the faculty at BCIHMCT for the ensemble of such a large scale. He said, “If you have attitude and aptitude you can achieve success, and students must always listen to their teachers to have a vision”. He also went on to say that sincere hard work never goes unnoticed.

Chef Shaju Zacharia, VP, Indian Culinary Forum, Chef Vivek Saggar, General Secretary, Indian Culinary Forum and Chef Ajay Sood, Joint Secretary, Indian Culinary Forum also graced the inaugural function.

One of India’s top celebrity chefs, Chef Rakesh Sethi, Executive Chef at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, whose gourmet cooking skills have made him a household name across the Indian subcontinent, not only judged the culinary competition but also interacted with the participating student chefs. He acknowledged, “The research done by students in putting forth traditional recipes is outstanding, and also they are the power houses in storing knowledge and presenting the dishes. Dishes like chutney made of ants, roasted chicken cooked on Palm tree logs and Kashmiri Cuisine are deeply attached to culture and attention-grabbing.” His advice to upcoming chefs is to join the industry initially and then only start their own venture.

The Chief Guest of valedictory function on October 9, Mr. Virag Joshi, President and CEO, Devyani International Limited, Guest of Honour, Chef Rajeev Janveja, Corporate Chef, The Lemon Tree Hotel Company and Mr. Bhuwan Mohan, Secretary, Shri Banarsidas Chandiwala Sewa Smarak Trust Society shall give awards and certificates to the winners.

The Gala Dinner hosted at the Valedictory Function themed as “Street Food of India” will recreate ambience from Chandni Chowk to Chowpati ki Khao Gali moving on to Kolkata’s Park Street and ending at Nungambakkam’s High Street showcasing some classic dishes such as Aaloo Tikki, Pao Bhaji, Masale Bhaat, Luchhi Chholar Dal, Idli/ Vada Sambhar, Doodh Jalebi, Pal Payesam, Mohan Thal and Langcha.

A cash prize of Rs. 5000 along with a trophy – Eclat Young Talent Award will be given by Eclat Hospitality’s Mr. Prabhjot Bedi.

BCIHMCT in partnership with COWE - An NGO working for Women Empowerment would be encouraging Women chefs in this year's Chandiwala Hospitality Ensemble. Women chefs at CHE 2015 shall be given direct entry to advance round of "Rasoi Queen" chef competition to be held in November, 2015.