Washington Apples HighTeaMeet at St. Regis Hotel

An invite by FBAI for an exclusive Washington Apples high tea meet  at St. Regis hotel on 38^th floor is something that nobody can refuse, specially not me.

I was running late, but reached in time to attend the live demo of ‘Puebla Avocado Tartare’ by Chef Himanshu Taneja.

This was followed by a talk by Keith Sunderlal – India Representative of the Washington Apple Commission who spoke of health benefits of Washington Apples. Rebecca Lyons, International Marketing Director of the Washington Apple Commission (she flew all the way down from Washington USA). She  spoke widely about different apples that are grown in the orchards on western belt of US and how they are harvested. She said “The apples don’t just fall off the tree like mangoes, or other such fruits, but they have to be hand-plucked, every single piece.” Did you know that 50% of apples are from US and 30% of Washington Apples are exported?

Whoever said “One apple a day keeps doctor away” knew the nutrient value of this fruit. It contains vitamins, minerals and fibres. It reduces the risk of Alzheimer and Parkinson’s disease., it controls blood sugar level, it is useful for treating anaemia, helps prevent cancer, facilitates digestion, the list is endless.

A dessert is a must, so we had another demo of ‘Seb Ka Chenna Payesh’

Apples, apples everywhere, as far as eyes-sight could stretch. I was attracted immediately to those shiny brass pots at the end of the room, a panipuri station and was completely bowled over by crunchy, spicy Puri stuffed with apples and vodka…yes, I loved it.

It was spicy  but very tasty, had just two then walked over to the apple drink station of sweet and sour apple juice.

Alhambra, the banquet room on the 38th floor of the hotel St. Regis had a big spread of savories and sweets, all made of one main ingredient- Washington apples. There were pies, quiches, savories, mustard broccoli quiche, Granny Smith, clove with cottage cheese sandwich, the apple jelebi, sweets, drinks and more

Did you know that apple float in water because 25% of their volume is air.

It was nice interacting with other food bloggers and got into conversation with interesting ones, some spoke of their travels and some of food photography and some simply about food blogging.  We sat by the window, 38 floors up and has bird’s eye view of Mumbai city where rich and poor live side by side, both dependent on each other for finding a better shade of comfort.

It was an lovely afternoon spend with like minded people all who loved Washington apples.

Enjoyable event indeed! Thank you FBAI for lovely afternoon.

High Tea with Kishco

On a heavy rainy day, a cup of hot coffee is always welcomed. I entered the Drawing Room of  “Smoke House Deli” at Pali Hill, Bandra, into a roomful of well dressed people, all associated with food industry.

A table displaying the range of cookware attracted my attention. I went immediately to the table to have a closer look. The cookware was the Kishco Innochef- a new brand, made of superior technology, designed to be super efficient, sturdy and long lasting.

I particularly liked one flat-based pan and immediately thought I could make Spanish Paella in that. It was heavy pan 3-ply with total thickness of 2’5 mm, therefore food may not get burnt and the food could be cooked evenly. What I liked best about this pan was that this could be used on stove tops, electric plates, ovens and also on induction cookers.

While I was having coffee and munching on a cookie, Namita Jain introduced the DVD on Dining Etiquette, a lively animated film that aims to impart fundamental knowledge on table manners to school children. Namita Jain is a name synonymous with health and fitness. She has been columist for leading publication and has authored 10 books endorsed by celebrities on health and wellness. Today as an entrepreneur, Namita has taken charge of the family business as a managing director of Kishco.

“The Kishco brand has been a hallmark of fine dining and elegance since 1950. We take this legacy forward as we aim to educate and inform the new generation of the nuances of dining etiquettes” says Namita.

While the finger food was passed around, an animated film was shown to us that had a conversation between brother and sister over dinning etiquettes. This is made specially for children (and even for adults to some extend) that educates children on table manners, posture while eating, bag rules, social mingling among other things. The film is made interesting by interactive short quiz of what they have learnt. I am sure children will enjoy it.

I am planning to show my sister’s five-years-old grandson and see his reaction to this animated film.