Dr. Bill Gallagher, a renowned master chef and former president of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), established International Chefs Day in 2004. Since then International Chefs Day is celebrated on 20th October every year by the culinary professionals all over the world.. The theme for 2022 is ‘Healthy Food for the Future’, delving deeper into sustainability and leaving a legacy of good health for the future generations.

Indian Culinary Forum (ICF), which is a member of WACS, celebrated this day on 14th October 2022, with its 10th Knowledge Summit and 19th Chefs Awards, at Pride Plaza, Aerocity, New Delhi. In alignment with the WACS, ‘Imagining a Healthy Future’ was the theme chosen by the Forum, which boasts of a strong membership of 5000 plus culinary professionals.

ICF was established in 1987, and has since then been bringing in the much needed awareness for the profession, respect to the culinary professionals, and  unanimously driving the careers in hospitality industry to the mainstream of coveted career options. ICF has been able to ace this by staying abreast with the happenings in the world, investing in up-skilling and reskilling of the fraternity to bring them on par with their world counterparts, and provide them with ample opportunities to network with the creme de la creme of the culinary world. 

ICF’s 10th Knowledge Summit was powered by G D Goenka University, and organised by The Chefs Arena. The event comprised 3 panel discussions to go with the theme: 1. Vision 2030 – Are we Foreseeing a Healthy Future? 2. The Great Hospitality Talent Hunt – Are we Navigating Well? 3. There’s more to Food than what you see on your plate. The Summit was inaugurated by Shri K B Kachru, Chairman Emeritus, & Principal Advisor, South Asia at Radisson Hotel Group, South Asia.

The three panels comprised the who’s who of the culinary world, with brainstorming and ideation at its best. The inclusion of one student panelist on each panel made the panels unique, where different generations met on the same platform like there is no generation gap, be they in thoughts or experience sharing. The first panel discussed about food, both plant based and animal based, and how each of these is important when we look at diet holistically. Panel 2 was all about the skills in demand in the culinary sector, and what clicks with the HR. The third panel focused on deconstructing  plates of food on the basis of costs, calories, aesthetics and more. The highlight of the event was a live online interaction with Chef Atul Kochhar and Chef Ajay Chopra with Dean Rajiv Gulshan of G D Goenka University. The stimulating discussions kept the audience enthralled. 

Speaking about the event to The Chefs Arena, Chef Davinder Kumar, President, ICF said, “I am extremely delighted to share that the Indian Culinary Forum’s 19th Chef Awards, and the 10th Knowledge Summit, totally lived up to the pre-event buzz and positivity, and there were a lot of moments that even exceeded expectations. I see this as a very encouraging sign, and feel that the tone is being set for the years to come.”

This was followed by the 19th Award Ceremony, a gala event attended by an eclectic mix of professional from diverse fields, all related to the culinary sector. The Chief Guest for the event was Mr. Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, who talked about various initiatives that our government would initiate all through the year to encourage the parents to let their children take up careers in the hospitality sector with great pride.

For more details check: http://www.thechefsarena.com/ and https://indianculinaryforum.org/