By I.S. Saluja

NEW YORK (TIP): My friend Paul Chhabra who runs two restaurants known as Rajput Restaurant and pretty popular ones in Norfolk, Virginia, called a couple of days ago to say that he was flying with a scientist friend and his wife who is a culture tsar in her own way, in the latter’s private plane to New Jersey to attend Varli Food Festival on September 10. And he wished that I visit the culinary expo which will also be an opportunity to see each other.

I have known Varli to be a great connoisseur of food and a pioneer in the field of culinary events. A couple of years ago, Mr. Garry Sikka had hosted Varli Food Festival at Mint Restaurant in Garden City, Long Island and I was one of the invitees. And I must say, I was impressed and pleased with myself that I had attended a great food festival. What I know is Varli launched the Food Festival named after her in 2011 The food festival opened to much acclaim and soon became a popular event, with restaurants and caterers lining up for the festival and connoisseurs of food rushing to the event.

The Varli Food Festival at the beautiful outdoor location of Martinsville Gardens in New Jersey was hosted by celebrity chef and entrepreneur Sanjeev Kapoor. It was a pleasure to meet him after a long time and exchange pleasantries with him although he was constantly mobbed for photographs. Even I had a photograph with him about which my daughter Jaskiran commented that I appeared to be blushing. Well, who wouldn’t in the company of the genius that Sanjeev is.

I was told that 40 restaurants, chefs and celebrities from across the globe participated in the food festival. And the Indian cuisine, the main one, was simply delectable. And, on top, there was a huge number of visitors crowding each of the scores of food joints.