My Life in Meals

Varli Indian Food Festival

The First Annual Varli Food Festival took place on April 7, 2011, featuring 13 big name Indian chefs and 35 Indian restaurants from all around the tri-state area. Needless to say, this was an awesome event with great food, drinks, and ambiance. The best part, besides the EATING, was that 100 percent of proceeds from the silent auction and cookbook sales, and 10 percent of proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Food Bank of New York, a hunger-relief organization that works to relieve poverty in all five boroughs.

They had great little personal touches throughout the event. For example, while waiting on line to register, they provided you with Indian sweets from Mithas, to give you a taste of what’s to come inside. Event staff checked attendees in on Ipads, which gave off the appearance of looking cool and high-tech, but in reality was highly inefficient and took way to long to check people in. The good old paper print out of the guest list would have been a much better way to go.

The other awesome thing they did was have a “spice market”, or a mini grocery store where you could fill up the gift bag they provided you with all sorts of complimentary packaged Indian food and spices! I heavily took advantage of this and stuffed my bag to the breaking point! Also available exclusively to those who purchased a ticket to the Varli Food festival was a booklet of gift certificates worth $500.00 to some of the finest Indian restaurants in NYC.

The main attraction of this event was Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, a superstar in India and host of the longest running television show in Indian history, Kahana Kazana. I even brought one of his cookbooks to sign, but unfortunately didn’t get to meet him. The other chef I was thrilled about being on the line up was Vikas Khanna, chef and owner of the hottest new Indian restaurant in NYC, Junoon. Chef Khanna was also just voted New York’s hottest chef by both by Eater and Metro, which might have been part of the reason all the girls had a keen eye out for him!

Although I didn’t get to meet either of those two superstars, I was able to meet quite a few other top chefs. One of the ones I was most excited to meet was Karthik Kumar of Bricklane Curry House (pictured above). Anybody that has watched Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel, knows him as the chef that prepares his world famous curry “phaal” with a gas mask on. Phaal (a picture of me eating it above), is an excruciatingly hot curry; more pain and sweat than flavorful as described on their website. Many customers frequent the restaurant to do the “Phaal Challenge”, and are required to state a verbal disclaimer not holding them liable for any physical or emotional damage after eating this curry. Watch Adam Richman, host of Man vs. Food, cry, sweat, and squirm while doing the Phaal Challenge here.

Upon meeting Chef Kumar, I told him I wanted to step up and try the famously spicy curry, and sure enough he had prepared some for the more adventurous eaters. It was definitely one of the spiciest things I have ever eaten, but I enjoyed the challenge! He urged me to come back and do the challenge in the restaurant with a full portion, so I can get my picture on the wall with the other champs and get a free beer for completing it!

Photos with some other great chefs below:

Chef Jehangir Mehta (above) is chef and owner of Graffiti in NYC’s East Village. You may have seen him as a contestant on Iron Chef America against Chef Morimoto in 2009.

Chef Hemant Mathur (above), chef and co-owner of Tulsi, and former chef of one of my favorite Indian restaurants in NYC, Devi.

The event also had great drinks, with everything from cocktails to beer and wine. I especially enjoyed the Avion Tequila margarita bar (yes - that’s the same tequila that’s featured on Enterouge!). It was the perfect drink to cool down from the Brick Lane Curry heat!

All in all a wonderful night bringing me back to my Indian roots. Would love to attend again next year!