Culinary Tourism of India: A 2-day interactive Seminar cum Workshop conducted by Celebrity Master Chef – Dr. Kaviraj Khialani on 20th & 21st April 2023 at Parul University, Vadodara- Gujarat.

A Passion to reach out to the student community, avid learners and to those who need that little extra vantage in terms of professional backing across the country started over two plus decades for Chef Kaviraj and his endeavours over the years have been a lot beneficial to those who truly wanted to make a name in the world of hospitality- culinary arts & tourism as a field. Having a strong background of the hospitality industry on the whole since over 25 plus years now chef Kaviraj has not only extensively travelled across the country and overseas but also shared his views and thoughts on the cuisines of these places by getting first hand inputs and experiences all through.

The generation of today is the one who needs guidance and mentorship via experiential learning and teaching styles beyond just curriculum and books. It is indeed a need of the hour to connect and share quality and real to life case studies, situations and challenges related to the industry on the whole. Our methods of teaching and sharing knowledge truly need to have a little interactive mode of learning by inviting subject experts on board and on campus to meet with the budding professionals and the bright future of our industry.

Since the lockdown started 2 plus years back, he was invited to connect via online mode and speak to the students on how to sustain and withhold their desires and aspirations post completing a degree or a MBA program at various colleges and universities across India. The best part was that as he started the process the numbers soon jumped from single digits to double and finally triple digits counting up to 108 till date. Knowledge Sharing Activities and learning via online – offline modes have been a challenge for both academicians and students but since life has resumed normalcy now, we need to make the open connect and bridge the gaps! Chef Kaviraj has not only specialised in over 33 plus international cuisines but is also a master at fusion recipes and creating new concepts with foods & promoting Indian cuisine on a global platform! He has authored a number of books since 2004 and has also been with television and media since 2000. Having received a number of national awards and global recognitions he loves to share his thoughts and ideas with students and passionate learners.

Parul University which is one of the top and well-known institutions in our country which offer a number of programs invited Dr. Kaviraj Khialani to come down and conduct a 2- day extensive seminar and workshop on culinary tourism of India coupled with event management and hospitality!

The program was attended and actively participated by the students pursuing MBA- Tourism & Event planning Management and 3-year course in hotel management and catering technology. The session started up with a brief introduction to the desi culinary styles of India along with detailing of the tourism aspects from places to see across the states along with some popular foods to try out was also shared with the participants. 

As a part of the sessions Chef Kaviraj kept the audience all pepped up and active and with spot gifts and prizes to give away the participants put in their very best in order to grab something coming their way and kept on the motivation on a high! The sessions were planned in such a way that they offer information- thoughts- sharing of facts & real-life experiences which turned out to be a great package for the students. The students and faculty both found the seminar and workshop not only well planned but also full of life and excitement every moment which made learning and passing on the message very easy to each and every one in the seminar room. From preparing for an industry interview to picking the right words for getting selected, case studies related to the hospitality and tourism industry too were shared with the students.

The workshop also witnessed a number of activities from one-to-one interaction to spot games, quiz rounds and even surprise test papers on culinary tourism the winners and best performers were also given gifts – mementos and medals by chef Kaviraj as a token of appreciation and motivation.

 “It was indeed a great experience for me to interact with the students at Parul University during the 2 days session. They were not only very much interested to learn more on the topic but were very energetic, participative, and kept up high spirits until the end of the session. I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to the dean- faculty of management studies and to the entire faculty team for having assisted in making this initiative a great success”!-Dr. Kaviraj Khialani, Celebrity Master Chef.