For a change, the popular adage of too many cooks did not apply this time. The occasion was the Independence Day celebrations, and corporate house Vitae International Accounting Services Pvt Ltd. chose to celebrate it with a fireless cooking contest for its staff. About a dozen teams participated in this no-electricity and no-fire cooking competition.

In the given 45-minutes, the teams chopped, mixed and presented their dishes. The dishes were creative, innovative, and colourful too. One of the teams prepared a dish representing the three states of South India, while another made their food based on the colours of the Indian Flag. Dishes like salads, sandwiches, and digestive drinks, among others, found their way to the judges’ table.

S. Edson Nirmal Christopher, Professor and Head of Department, Catering, at the CSI Bishop Appasamy College of Arts & Science; Nabeel AR, Assistant Professor, Catering, at CSI Bishop Appasamy, with two years of industrial experience; and Raja E, from Food Production at Vivanta by Taj Surya, who specialises in preparation of salads in various cuisines were the judges at the event.

The best six teams will be given a chance to participate in the final round, to be held on August 13.

With the challenge not to use fire and electricity for cooking, participants used fresh ingredients and created newer and healthier versions of dishes.

Lata Daniel, Senior Manager at Vitae, said, “Three things came to my mind when I was looking at all the dishes – creativity, conservation, and contribution. Creativity for what you created, conservation of energy, and contribution to society by saving of energy.”