Second edition of Food Nerd Festival to be held in Bengaluru on Nov 16

Bengaluru: The second edition of the Food Nerd Festival will be hosted at The Conservatory in Bengaluru on November 16. The festival will travel to Mumbai on November 23.

The event, organised by Goya Media, a food and culture publication focused on India and South Asia, and Edible Issues, a collective that focuses on fostering conversation on the Indian food system.

“We organised the first edition last year in Bengaluru. But owing to the overwhelming response to it, we decided to take it to Mumbai as well this year,” Anisha Rachel Oommen, editor of Goya, told PTI.

According to her, the Food Nerd Festival brings together the brightest culinary minds -- chefs, restaurateurs, food creators, influencers, and food lovers from all over. This year’s festival is anchored around four core themes— salt, fat, acid, and heat—each helmed by renowned chefs who will guide attendees through unique culinary experiences, said Anusha Murthy, co-founder of Edible Issues.

Chefs Gautam Krishnankutty and Bala Menon will take people through the ancient art of meat curing and pickling with bold, time-tested techniques that preserve flavours like magic under the salt theme, she added.

Chef Heena Punwani of Maska Bakery will unlock the science of fats in baking, while Chef Payal Shah of Kobo Fermentary will explore the acid theme with a hands-on vinegar-making workshop and Chef Gresham Fernandes of Bandra Born will guide the visitors about the transformative power of temperature, said Elizabeth Yorke, co-founder of Edible Issues.

Oommen said the first Food Nerd Festival featured industry heavyweights like Chef Thomas Zacharias, pastry sensation Pooja Dhingra, and illustrator Alicia Souza, who shared their expertise on leveraging personal brands and growing businesses in the F&B space.

“From curating mouth-watering collaborations to learning trade secrets, the festival brought together everyone from chefs to content creators, leaving a lasting mark on the food scene,” added Oommen.

The individual sessions are priced at Rs 2,500 and an all-access pass will cost Rs 7,500.