UpperCrust Food and Wine Show is back and here's why you can attend it in Mumbai

Foodies at a previous edition of the three-day celebration of gastronomy

You couldn't get your hands on a bottle of olive oil in this city if you wanted to, just two decades ago," recalls Farzana Contractor, founder-editor of UpperCrust magazine and the brains behind the UpperCrust Food and Wine Show that first popped up on Mumbai foodies' radars 21 years ago. At the upcoming edition this weekend, there'll be fruits galore - avocados, jamuns, chikoo and the good old olives - you'll find them in wines, pickles, oil and more.

Mumbai's palate has evolved, agrees Contractor. "There has been an influx of international cuisine, and on the other hand, Mumbaikars have turned globetrotters," she reasons. To that end, the show will feature live masterclasses in Japanese, Thai, and Mediterranean cuisine among traditional Indian favourites by top culinary experts and home chefs including Manish Khanna, Pinky Chandan Dixit and Sameer Karkare.

Multi-cuisine fare curated by home chefs. Pics Courtesy/uppercrust; Instagram; (right) The indoor food court this year will include Indian fruit-based wines

The 21st edition, with mid-day as the media partner, comes with its own share of surprises. The food court at the show will move into an air-conditioned hall to beat the unforgiving sun that is overstaying its welcome in the city. The wine alley, another high-footfall zone, has had a reshuffle with Indian wines and meads (a honey-based alcoholic beverage).

Among all the newness, patrons will find a familiar face in celebrity chef Amrita Raichand, who will take on an intriguing ingredient - the macadamia nut. "People are familiar about these nuts; they are ready to experiment, but there's a dearth of easy recipes," she admits. Raichand gives us a peek into her notes for the masterclass on day three, which includes a quick mithai and a comforting soup with the nut as the star ingredient.

Farzana Contractor and Amrita Raichand

Raichand reminds us that the ‘magic', which has been a mainstay in her endeavours including her TV show Mummy ka Magic that popularised the catchphrase "Healthy is not boring!" in the 2010s, is not in the macadamia nut, or the new oils, or her recipes. "I grew up eating a staple of simple dal, roti and bhindi on most days. My mother would put the meal together with love between her responsibilities as a single mother. The magic then, and now, remains in that final garnish of love," she signs off.

ON December 6,7 and 8; 10 am to 8 pm
AT World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade.
LOG ON TO @uppercrustmag
FREE