Celebrating Meghalaya’s rich gastronomic heritage and culinary innovations, the Culinary Cascade 2025 was inaugurated today by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
Culinary Cascade is a food festival celebrating the spirit of Meghalaya’s cuisine, cultural diversity, and entrepreneurial journey. It combines age-old traditional flavours with modern techniques of food preparation and sustainable models, honouring both heritage and modern culinary excellence.
In his speech, the Chief Minister stated that the Culinary Cascade is much more than a cooking festival but about the culture, the deep-rooted knowledge of the forefathers. It is about the different opportunities for the entrepreneurs who will now be able to create value out of this knowledge and be able to share it with the rest of the world and, most importantly, for the farmers.
He also spoke about the need to identify interventions and provide support to different restaurant owners, entrepreneurs, eatery joint owners, and farmers.
Sangma stated that tourism is not just about an event that takes place, but rather an ecosystem which needs to be created. He said more than Rs 1000 crores worth of tourism projects, in terms of infrastructure creation, are being done. He urged the participants, including the general public, to become ambassadors of such programs and take the narrative beyond the walls, as the story is about every individual out there.
He also informed about the process of renovating and upgrading Ward’s Lake as a venue including creating a walking space including creation of parking lots, and shops so people can get opportunities. In the initial stage, about Rs 25 crores have already been sanctioned. More than Rs 1000 crores worth of tourism projects, in terms of infrastructure creation are being done. Another 4 five star hotels in the next three years are in the pipeline in Meghalaya, and glamping sites in the next one year to 18 months.
He added that close to 2500 home stays are being considered.. And most importantly, with the tender for the extension of the Shillong Airport having been approved, direct flights will be coming into Shillong Airport from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, so that connectivity no longer remains an issue.
Tourism Director Cyril V.D. Diengdoh said that the festival brings together all curators and food experts under one platform, ensuring that people, especially tourists, get to experience food tourism ranging from indigenous food to fusion food to global food to street food, including live demonstrations of how food is cooked.
A highlight of the day was a series of live demonstrations on the topic of ‘Fermentation: Cooking on fermented dishes – Ongoing food lab’ by famous chefs – Jason White, Chief Culinary Scientist and Global Fermenter; Ahmedaki Laloo, Culinary Chef, Entrepreneur and Founder of A’Origins; and Tanisha Phanbuh, Culinary Maven and Founder of Tribal Gourmet.
Ahmedaki Laloo, festival curator said supporting the culinary industry is about supporting the local economy and the farmers who are fundamental in bringing their produce, and everyone else who is involved in taking the culinary revolution forward.
Day One of the event also witnessed a panel discussion on the theme ‘Perspectives on Fermentation,’ a food preservation and cooking technique that shapes contemporary gastronomy. The panelists included a line of renowned culinary chefs and entrepreneurs including Jason White, Ahmedaki Laloo, Prachet Sancheti, and Kong Nongpiur, artisanal practitioner of fermented soybeans and entrepreneur, among others.
The event also included a Q&A session with Nambie Marak, first runner-up of Master Chef India 2023 and Founder of A’Kawe.
The three-day festival will feature live cooking demonstrations by experienced chefs, including Adonijah Lyngdoh, winner of Hills On A Plate 2024, among others, and panel discussions on various topics ranging from agro-based innovations, GI-tagged ingredients, to the traditions and revival of spirits and beverages.
