Food. Food. Food...

Sure, the much-awaited eight edition of Bombay Local had a few clothes and accessories stalls and even a book-swapping initiative called Little Free Library by Kiara (actor Rohit Roy's daughter), but the buzz was all around the food.

Uncorking techniques
On one side, at the Tangerine Art Studios, Amrita Kaur, blogger at LifekiRecipe.com, and Anjli Vyas of Singing Bowl Cafe not only demonstrated delicious spicy dip recipes and refreshing raw food recipes respectively, but also shared valuable information—why dips are drizzled with oil, the difference between tapenade and pâté, how to sun-dry tomatoes, the nutritive value of certain ingredients and more. They ensured that the small-but-enthusiastic bunch in attendance was attentive and busy took notes. 

Telling gourmet tales
Simultaneously, on the stage, known names in the food space—Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, Chef Ranveer Brar, Trekurious founder Rukmankan and archaeologist and caterer Kurush Dalal—shared their food memories with host, blogger Kalyan Karmarkar and the audience as part of The Memory Project. Their stories,which revealed Rushina's husband's baking skills, Ranveer's fake escape from home to pursue his culinary dream, Kurush's wife's beef and celery treats from their Pune days, were all interestingly different from food stories shared later, on the storytelling platform Kommune, hosted by Maria Goretti and Roshan Abbas. The latter group traversed journeys of eating 'satvik vegetarian meals' in a Nordic country, undercooked chicken that didn't stop Maria from getting a distinction in cooking, men messing up meals, etc. But what was missing in both events was spontaneous engagement with audiences; getting a few people to share their stories too would have done the trick. 

Feasting on the fare
As the night grew, music filled the air, more people lined up at the bar and around the hot-food stalls, which offered a mix of traditional Indian (Parsi, Bohri, Kerala) and international cuisines, we liked the newness of Hun’s Buns (sweet and savoury buns such as Oreo Cream Cheese and Gooey Mushrooms), Flavors of Sindh (Sindhi-papad-coated paneer cubes) and Desi Deli (pork hot dogs). But through the day, the maximum excitement was caused by rows of stalls selling bottled and packaged delights. Surprisingly, very few sold baked items. The show was stolen by healthy offerings and pickles, butters and dips (some were even layered on waffles!). Our pick? Flat Tummy’s vegan ice creams, Murgin's vegetable tofu, Salicery’s cranberry and walnut dip, The Mystic Kitchen’s coffee and honey butter, Barnee’s zesty raisin pickle, The Pickled Chick’s chicken pickles, Sustenance Artisan Food’s preserves especially Honey, Mustard & Whiskey and Insomniac Cook's mango dole hot sauce.