A different roast

A previous Zomaland event

A decadent banana bread, a home-cooked meal arranged in a thali just like mother-s, or a quick, gooey mug cake. There-s no denying the fact that food has been a major source of comfort in this hour of crisis; our social media feeds bear testimony to that. And so, when season 3 of Zomaland - aggregator app Zomato-s food carnival - which was scheduled for a launch this year hit a roadblock, the obvious choice was going digital. "Given the current scenario, we started to look for ways in which we could entertain everyone at home. Food-based content is among the top trends on the Internet. This external data was validated by our users watching food shows on our platform, and so, we decided to elevate Zomaland into a digital event. And this is how Zomaland@Home was born," says Chaitanya Mathur, global head, Zomato Live, about the fest which launched last week, and will continue this weekend.

Vijay Mudaliar

But how do you replicate the energy, warmth and the smell of great food in the air that lingers in a food fest, in an online format? "We redesigned our formats, brought in a variety of artistes and added relatable food content to customise the experience for the digital audience. The events have been chalked out to ensure there is something for everyone," explains Mathur. To illustrate this, he points to the line-up of collaborators, who were brought on board in a tie-up with the Singapore Tourism Board STB. This includes comedians, influencers, fitness experts, and even DJs, apart from celebrity chefs. The format is fairly simple; from Friday to Sunday, there will be different segments such as Kitchen Roast, Table Talk, Get Fit! and cook-offs, among others on Zomato-s online platforms. "Some of these formats are new for the Indian audience. For instance, in the Kitchen Roast section, you will see Kusha Kapila and Dolly Singh try their hands at cooking in their comic ways," Mathur tells us.

Chef Sarah Huang Benjamin during one of her live sessions last week. Pic/Zomaland on Instagram

Similarly, one can expect great music while DJs Anish Sood and SA battle it out in a cook-off, some tips and tricks to perfect the Quarantini with mixologist Vijay Mudaliar, a fitness talk in a session with trainer and author Yasmin Karachiwala and a chat show called Late Night Munchies with stand-up comic Abish Mathew, among other things. Speaking about his masterclass called Table Talk, Singapore-based chef Eric Chan says, "I will be in conversation with chef Saransh Goila about our common passion for food and our journeys. I will also be hosting a solo session where I-ll share the recipe of my signature dish crème brûlée from my restaurant Mad About Sucre." Goila, meanwhile, shares that this will be his first collaboration with Chan. "Apart from chatting with each other, we will come up with a surprise dish which is inspired by our cultural backgrounds."

Chef Saransh Goila

Another Kitchen Roast session will feature Singapore-based comics Rishi Budhrani and Sharul Channa, who will rustle up a laksa. "We have always loved performing for the Indian audience. We-ll both be roasting one another while trying our hand at cooking the Peranakan dish. We-ll be chatting with Mathew about a lot of cool stuff, too," the duo tells us.

Chef Eric Chan

Mudaliar, meanwhile, says that his session will be a great way to learn some easy cocktails. "We understand that it will take some time for people to hit the bars and clubs like earlier, but that shouldn-t stop them from celebrating at home or unwinding after their day with a drink or two," he adds.

Chaitanya Mathur

The artistes and formats have been curated carefully, Mathur shares, adding that "all of them are brought together by their love for food." This fact was evident during last weekend-s live sessions, with over one million people logging in to watch them on the Zomato app, he says. Can we expect more such digital events? "Based on this season-s feedback, we will explore more Zomaland@Home formats further," Mathur signs off.

On June 12, 13 and 14
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