Living Foodz’ new show ‘Food Tripping’ explores the royal kitchens and lifestyle of western India

by Shrutee K/DNS

Mumbai, May 25, 2016: Have you ever wondered what transpired in the kitchens of kings and queens of yore? ‘Food Tripping’, the soon to be launched show on Living Foodz, will take viewers on a royal expedition to six palaces of Western India with two of the country’s most celebrated Chefs - Ranveer Brar and Gautam Mehrishi. The show which is scheduled to release on May 30, offers a rare peek into the exquisite lifestyle and culinary indulgences of the erstwhile royal families of Balasinor, Gondal, Bhavnagar, Wadhvan, Chula and Sayla.

Mr. Amit Nair, Business Head of Living Foodz, said, “Food has been an integral part of royal celebrations and this show offers a glimpse of the rich culture and culinary heritage of India. What makes ‘Food Tripping’ even more unique is the camaraderie between Chef Ranveer and Chef Gautam! Their banter and synergy truly brings their experiences to life as they co-host the show. At Living Foodz, our endeavour has been to bring unusual and interesting content to urban Indian audiences, and this show is a prime example of this.”An excited Ranveer Brar says, “I have always longed to experience royal culture first-hand. My journey with ‘Food Tripping’ made this wish come true, and it was nothing short of lavish!”

Chef Ranveer and Gautam’s memorable journey begins on a luxurious note aboard the Maharaja Express - one of the most expensive luxury trains in the world. Apart from learning recipes from queens and royal chefs, they also spend time with the families, understanding the fascinating position they hold in contemporary India as guardians of a long and rich heritage. For example, they are taken through a guided tour of the third largest dinosaur fossil site in the world by the princess of Balasinor, Aaliya Sultan Babi. Together with palace chefs and Maharani’s, they unravel for the first time, some of the most closely guarded gastronomic secrets of the families.“We witnessed the remarkable hospitality of that India’s royalty is famous for and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit a bygone era and learn some closely guarded ancestral recipes.”adds Chef Gautam. The royal kitchens of western India are heavily influenced by the rich multi-cultural influences of the owners. Ingredients and techniques have been borrowed from as far and wide as Persia, France, Britain, Mongolia and the Deccan, which makes the show a true feast for the eyes.

Tune into Living Foodz every Monday and Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. from May 30 onwards, to be a part of this royal adventure!

About Living Foodz

Living Foodz is India’s first international, 24-hour food and lifestyle television channel based in Mumbai, India. It is a part of the Living Entertainment brand of channels, which is owned by Essel Group and distributed within the country by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL). Launched in September 2015, Living Foodz explores the evolving social status of food, moving out of the confines of the conventional kitchen and home, and into a world of travel, adventure and culture. It’s innovative and path breaking shows aptly capture its philosophy ‘Where Food is Fun’. Living Foodz is the first lifestyle channel in India to fuse premium show formats and international quality with themes that reverberate strongly with the up worldly-mobile urban Indian audience. Travel, adventure, music, fusion food, international cuisine and lifestyle trends are significant elements of the shows. The channel brings the best and most unusual cultural aspects of the subcontinent to viewers.

The channel has a strong line-up of chefs, restaurateurs and food aficionados such as Ranveer Brar, Kunal Kapur, Rocky Singh, Mayur Sharma, Gautam Mehrishi, Vicky Ratnani, Maria Goretti, Pankaj Bhadouria, Ajay Chopra and Rakhee Vaswani. Recently, Living Foodz launched its flagship show ‘Ganga, The Soul of India’ which saw actress and producer Dia Mirza on Indian television for the first time. Apart from television programming, the channel also connects with the audience through specially curated events and on-ground celebrations of food and culture. Whilst the channel’s television viewership has climbed rapidly since its launch, it has also garnered a significant online fan following due to its engaging and informative style content. Having raised the bar for Indian lifestyle and entertainment on television, Living Foodz has steadily gathered a strong fan base for its unique offerings, and promises more such fascinating shows in the months to come.

About Living Entertainment Enterprises Pvt Ltd:

Living Entertainment Enterprises Pvt Ltd in India is the company housing all the brands of the Living network belonging to Essel Group. The Living Group of channels already exists in the international markets catering to a large audience in the health and lifestyle space. Living in India aims at bringing alive all things factual with an element of entertainment in order to appeal to global audiences. The Living group of channels in India will truthfully echo the ‘Living’ philosophy and encompass everything that will help one to discover, awaken and transform oneself.

The company’s pioneer channel is Living Foodz the international food & lifestyle channel that has a universal feel and appeals to the new age Indian. In the future the space will see launch of more channels under the Living Entertainment group
fulfilling the growing need of Factual Entertainment of the audiences.

About Chef Ranveer Brar

A graduate in culinary arts at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in Lucknow, Chef Ranveer Brar since then, has opened numerous restaurants at several hotels, including Taj Palace, New Delhi. In Goa, he opened Morisco (a seafood restaurant), II Camino (an Italian restaurant) and Fishtail (an open-air barbecue eatery). He then began work with the Calridges Hotel, New Delhi as their executive chef, where he opened an award winning restaurant Sevilla. At that point he was the youngest executive chef to have ever worked at a five-star hotel. His experience in the restaurant business is not limited to India.

An honorary member at the James Beard House, New York, Chef Ranveer has made his mark in the world of television with shows like The Great Indian Rasoi, Breakfast Xpress, and Health Bhi Taste Bhi and recently was one of the judges of MasterChef India.

Currently Ranveer Brar hosts ‘Ranveer’s Café’ and ‘The Great Indian Rasoi’ on Living Foodz. The show is about newer places, new experiences and mouth-watering food. Ranveer rediscovers Mumbai by breaking bread with the kolis and bohras travels across time to one of the oldest city in India - Banaras to relook at the cuisine there. Delhi – much explored but newer facets emerge with exploring the age old kitchens to Hyderabad which serves up a delicious treat with myriad experiences in food and magical stories.

This globe-trotting award-winning chef, in his free time, paints! Some of his paintings grace the walls of his restaurant in Boston.

About Chef Gautam Mehrishi

Chef Gautam Mehrishi is a proponent of Indian Food. His fondness for Indian food and his love for desi ghee were developed in his formative years.

Hailing from a family of doctors who served in the Indian army, and shifted base every few years, his family background is reflected in his calm, confidence and discipline. No matter how much they moved, the family maintained a tradition of eating their meals together. Chef Gautam fondly remembers sitting around the dining table and sharing hot meals cooked by the Maharaj. His adventurous streak was evident even then! Inspired by the food he ate, he would experiment in the kitchen late at night once the whole family was asleep.

Though he comes from a vegetarian family, he even cooked and ate non-vegetarian food. From his family, he also inherited a love for travel. This adventurous chef goes on long excursions on his bike; in particular he enjoys exploring the Himalayas. It was his grandfather who supported his passion and urged him to cook professionally. Now he has over 14 years of experience in the industry and has worked with several big names in the business. He is presently the executive chef at Sun’n’Sand, Mumbai.

Chef Gautam hosts Chef on Wheels on Living Foodz. Show is about the endless roads, a bike, a chef and absolutely gorgeous farm fresh produce. Chef on Wheels goes back to where our fruits and veggies originate and meet the people behind it while discovering the places and stories unknown in this new adventurous show Chef on Wheels.