What's a Food Metaverse?

The first-ever project to build a metaverse for food, gaming, and NFTs on the blockchain ecosystem, OneRare, have announced a collaboration with celebrity Chefs Arnold Poernomo, Saransh Goila and Jaimie Van Heije, to create the world's first Food Metaverse.

The revolutionary concept of the Food Metaverse on the blockchain has caught the eye of foodies around the world. OneRare will be tokenising the Chefs' signature dishes as NFTs, and players will be able to claim these special artworks by collecting ingredients and playing the game.

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Supreet Raju, Co-founder, OneRare said on the collaboration "We are very excited to collaborate with the best forces in the Food and Beverage industry celebrity Chef Arnold Poernomo, Chef Saransh Goila, and Chef Jaimie Van Heije. We would like to expand the idea of Foodverse with the help of these pioneers and celebrate their culinary journey as NFTs in the foodverse at a Global scale. With the rapidly growing reach of the blockchain, the Chefs will get to interact with international audiences for the first time and introduce them to exciting culinary concepts from their part of the world."

With the recent successful fundraise of $2M from notable angels; the biggest funds in crypto, OneRare is now ready to grow their Foodverse. Sharing his thoughts on the collaboration, Chef Saransh Golia said, "From being a chef in my home kitchen to teaching and creating recipes virtually, I've learned that food really has no boundaries. Super excited to explore this new chapter of food in the metaverse by OneRare. The fact that you can create your favourite recipes in the metaverse and own dish NFTs is fascinating for me. I'm really looking forward to showcasing my favourite dishes, and hoping to make the metaverse a delicious space."

The Foodverse also features a Playground where users can use their NFTs to battle in mini-games. We caught up with Chef Saransh Golia to find out what the fuss is all about:

Is it exciting to have food in the NFT space?

Golia: I think especially for a chef who is easily found cooking in his kitchen or in a restaurant to be able to explore the metaverse for food is 100 per cent an exciting proposition. I believe food knows no boundaries. If it travels from our home kitchen to restaurants to across the globe then why shouldn't it be in the metaverse? So pretty excited!

Tell us about the metaverse and the block chain?

Golia: Before One Rare my exposure to metaverse was really low. I have now educated myself with the block chain and the metaverse in the last few months. It's a whole new world and it has been amazing to meet people online and to understand what metaverse actually is. It really seems like it is the future. Hence, this proposition has been really exciting. I got excited about one rare because I found my connection to metaverse through food. The fact that people are exploring different art forms to develop these NFTs in a parallel universe is always exciting because it is something new for me to learn as well. I am a new entrant and I am still learning but I'm glad that I am learning with a food platform in metaverse.

Your journey and love for food?

Golia: I started cooking at the age of 12 as a hobby and it was really my passion to someday become a chef and teach people my recipe and it is really a full circle for me that I'm able to do this in this lifetime. Of course in the last decade I've had innumerable opportunities to do shows promoting Indian food. One thing that I've learnt is that Indian cuisines is one of the most indigenous cuisines in the world as there is so much history and science behind it. I think it's been a good 10 years of representing Indian food across the globe and proud to be carrying it forward.

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When it comes to cuisine does the Puritan approach have more dignity or does experimentation and twists make all the difference?

Golia: I think these are schools of thoughts and there is no right or wrong in either of them. I of course feel that any chef feels very excited about exploring and creating something new by applying their techniques and knowledge to food. However, preserving your cuisine or identity also makes a lot of sense. Like I said, it runs both ways but on a personal level I fall under preserving ancient recipes while giving the newness. It's a blend of both and that also works really well.

How do you feel about your signature dishes being tokenised and up for grabs?

Golia: I think I am really elated and excited of the fact that people can one day earn it through NFTs while cooking butter chicken in the metaverse or figuring out the butter chicken recipe on the metaverse I think that would be incredible. As I said, food really knows no boundaries. The fact that people can translate their love for food in the metaverse. I'm assuming some day they will be able to use that economy to also eat meals on the ground. I think it is a very interesting experience. I as a consumer who also loves to eat, I would 100 per cent want to play the game where I can earn NFTs or win things and create things like recipes online. I'm very excited both, as a consumer and as a cooking chef!

Two different worlds - Sustainable farm to table and on the hand the tech world with NFTs and food tokens. Your Thoughts.

Golia: I know a lot of people who don't understand let's say metaverse or about the two worlds in the food space that are run parallel. I feel that One Rare is trying to bridge that gap as they actually have farm to table discussion on the platform. I also feel that there is an incredible opportunity net both of these together. Meaning, whatever is being propagated in the metaverse could easily translate few years down the line on the ground where say farm to table actually becomes a movement which everybody follows both online and off line and there is a medium to connect both of them. This is the proposition that excites me the most that someday there will be a bridge between these two worlds and why not? I think a lot of chefs and food brands are waking up to the fact that they should be a part of this new world and I'm sure it won't take that long to connect them together which I am pretty excited about!

Your favourite dish and why is it special to you?

Golia: My favourite dish is not butter chicken! That is my favourite dish to cook but my favourite dish to eat is sindhi curry and mattar wale chawa because my mom hails from a Sindhi background and it's a community in India that's very well known for their food and the curry that she makes is absolutely phenomenal and that will remain to be my favourite meal in the whole world!

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