By Rashmi Pradhan

BW HOTELIER brought together the who’s who of Indian Hospitality at it’s first-ever F&B Conclave and Expo which was held at Le Meridien, New Delhi on July 24, 2015.
The event witnessed the stalwarts of the industry sharing their experiences and giving valuable insights on F&B operations. During the business sessions, professionals discussed on issues pertaining to the F&B business, role of technology and innovation, food safety and future of this segment. In addition, the event witnessed exhibitors including Venus Industries, Videocon, Dish TV, Ecole Hotelier Lavasa and Easydiner.com.
The event started with the lighting of the traditional lamp by the Chief Guest Chef Davinder Kumar, President, Indian Culinary Forum and Vice President F&B Production, Le Meridien New Delhi and other dignitaries including Anurag Batra, Chairman, BW Businessworld; Bhuvnesh Kumar, CEO, BW Communities; Bikramjit Ray, Executive Editor, BW Hotelier and Sourish Bhattacharyya, Consulting Editor, BW Hotelier.
The inaugural address was presented by Hemant Oberoi, Consultant, Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces (see photo). With over four decades of experience in the hospitality industry especially F&B, Chef Oberoi talked about his knowledge in F&B, shared his experiences and spoke about his long association with the Indian Hotels Company Limited. Chef Oberoi recalled, ’During our times the chefs were not recognised and were never allowed to interact with guests. However the time has changed and now chefs are being recognized globally. Having served the hospitality industry for so long I still feel that I am young since things are changing so fast.’ He urged that in order to survive in the industry constant innovation is paramount. The dignity of a chef needs to be brought up. Chef Oberoi informed, ’Fusion has become a part of our lives. Fusion is not a problem however a chef is required to learn the basics. Create a food/cuisine that is appealing to the customer.’ Chef Oberoi signed off by saying, ’You make a change you will get a change.’

The Author is Assistant Editor at BW Hotelier.

Photo: Sanjay Sakaria.