'Neo'stalgia on a platter

Chennai-based Kappa Chakka Kandhari (KaChaKaa) is holding ‘The Evergreen Kerala Food Festival’ from January 29 to 31 at St John’s Medical College Auditorium, Koramangala.

The event is in two parts — The food festival and the buffet. The food festival will be open to public from 11 am to 8 pm with sale of pickles, snacks and savouries apart from food tasting and fun filled activities. The entry for this is free. The buffet will be open from 7 pm onwards and will have a banquet of 54 dishes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian along with a live band in a special evening setup.

KaChaKaa has coined the term called ‘Neo’ stalgic gourmet. Good food triggers memories of your childhood sitting in the warm comfortable kitchen of your grandmother, tasting the delicious wholesome dishes made by her. Chef Regi Mathew had decided with Augustine Kurian and John Paul to start this venture under the banner of Kappa Chakka Kandhari (KCK). KCK means jackfruit, tapioca and chilli which is the staple diet of Keraliites all over the world.

“Our vision is to recreate the cuisine which we enjoyed in our childhood and make it more acceptable for the new generation. Over time we hope to get this cuisine ingrained as a food habit of people who crave for good food,” said Chef Regi Mathew who passionately believes in the concept of good food. He further said, “A serving of steaming authentic dishes such as ‘Chena Puzhungiyathu’ and ‘Mulagupottichath’ on an absolutely idyllic rainy day is enough to put a beaming smile on every foodie worth his salt.’’

Augustine said, “We are going in for an experience brimming with ‘neo’stalgia presented in a contemporary fashion. We hope to give people the memories of them as a child sitting in the floor waiting to taste the titbits that were lovingly given by their grandmother.’’

“The two food tasting experiences in Chennai and one in Bengaluru saw over 200 and 300 odd guests walking in and relishing the dishes. This has validated our stand that the demand and need for this authentic food is very much there,” he said. For details, log in to www.kachakaa.com.