Dil Khush Khana

Sept 12, 2010

Indian American Women Empowered held its annual signature Cook –Off Event “Dil Khush Khana” on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 4:30PM. The evening began with a welcome address from Anima Desai. The M.C. for the evening was Seema Sahni. The evening dinner was provided by Sandhya Desai of Haveli Cuisine in Pleasanton.

The event was well attended by more than 60 guests.The arriving guests were served with a refreshing ginger lemon juice beverage to get their palate revved up for a few hours of food and fun.

Guests were encouraged to relax and mingle, ravishing the dishes (19 healthy starters) prepared by the contestants along with red wine, white wine and soft drinks. All the items were garnished exquisitely and prepared following the Cook-Off rules emphasizing healthy ingredients. It was a beautiful warm day, just perfect for an outdoor event.

There were 7 judges, each examining the presentation and then savoring and marking the dish for taste and the ingredients on the score card. The names of the Judges for the event were Dr. Japra . President of Cardiology Associates, Yuliana Candra, Founder of catering service “Wag the Tail”, Nimisha Gandhi, Founder of “Club Dine In”, Sukhinder Singh, Founder of Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Food, Sanjai Mathur, Ayurveda chef and teacher of Ayurvedic cooking and dietetics at Vedika Gurukula, Papiha Nandy, Founder/President of Voice of India, Radio Broadcasting Company. Executive Director- BalBharti Indo-American Cultural Academy, Executive Producer of Salaam-Namaste Television, Sunil Desai of Haveli Cuisine in Pleasanton.

There were 19 contestants. The winners of the event were as follows:

1st prize - Panna Mistry- Turkey Meatballs
2nd prize- Yogini Doshi- Curried,Carrot and ginger soup
3rd prize- Sandhya Desai- Lilotri Wrap, Chandra Shah-Hari Bhari Potli

Special Prizes for originality:

1st Prize-
Shaila Nayak- Crunchy chicken& soy topped lettuce bites
Rajesh Garg- Vegetable Cutlets
Rina Roy- Fish chops.

2 special Awards for Young Adult category went to :
Shibir Desai-Tofu Bruschetta
Neil Desai- Arroz Con Pollo.

The names of some of the efficient team of volunteers are Hansa, Shakun, Jayshree, Gita, Swati. Anjali , Divya, Nila, Anibha, Rita,Bhairavi, Beena, Ravi, Hasmukh, Dinesh, Himanshu and Shibir. It was an impeccable and an enjoyable evening.