A culinary journey - Shazia Khan

I am a big fan of Masterchef (particularly the Australian edition), as I am sure most of you are. My ex-boss knew better than to call me between 9 and 10 pm when Masterchef Australia used to be aired on Star world. I love George, Gary, Matt (Moran and Preston). I've enjoyed the show and more importantly, the masterclasses. I have a dream - to some day be on the sets of this epic show, in Australia, and cover it on this blog.

But the closest I'll come to all of this, will be this weekend - to interact with and learn from the Masterchef India Season 2 Finalist and Runner up - Shazia Khan. I've been part of various culinary workshops and have learnt from every one of them - be it a recipe from scratch or some new tip; so I definitely look forward to this one.

This event - Make me a Masterchef - is conceptualized by my baker friend Maaria Kulsum Tanveer of Adoniya and managed and executed by one of my dearest friends Tasneem Akbari of Konceptz Galore.

A young homemaker and mother of two dreamed a dream. And that dream morphed into a beautiful reality. Shazia Khan is now a known face in Indian households, thanks to Masterchef India. Cooking is the biggest stress buster, says Shazia. I concur. Her greatest inspiration is her late father, her biggest motivation are her two sons and her strength is her husband. Shazia learnt cooking from her mother-in-law who was more than a mentor and guide to her.

Shazia is a member of the board of management, at Delhi Public School Bangalore North. She is part of the family business that runs many educational institutes in Bangalore. Her school also has a wing called ‘Anubhava Shiksha Kendra’ for underprivileged students where Shazia spends valuable time teaching the kids.

One day, she says, she wants to produce a travel + cookery show that'd enable her travel to the ends of the world.

And if you are in Chennai, you sure don't want to miss this workshop, on the 9th of March 2013, at the Radisson Blu, Egmore. It is a day long event, split into 3 parts - Veg - Lunch - Non Veg. For more details check the event page - https://www.facebook.com/events/608229172526020/

Adoniya - Rich and Unique

What better way than retail therapy when you are stressed and sick. And where better to do it than at Adoniya. Added bonus was the sale of exclusive Pakistani suits by Sequence at Adoniya.

Uma and I raided Adoniya this afternoon to pick up some suits from Rashida (Sequence). I also wanted Maaria to do the stitching for me, which unfortunately has to wait until next week because I forgot to carry a sample suit.  But then, forgetting the sample suit, also means one more trip to Adoniya. Maaria - Here I come :-D

So why is shopping figuring in my food blog? This is why - the amazingly tantalizing red velvet cup cake with cheese icing and the cold refreshing lemon soda (with the perfect blend of mint).

This is how the plate looked after I devoured the cup cake. I so wish I could have scraped off the bits. Sigh ! 

And this is the suit I bought :-) (Image courtesy - Sequence) Ladies - Sequence has some awesome suits, rush to Adoniya to get yours!