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Farrokh Jijina
"There were three teams of eight members each: the Choppers (in black), Slicers (red) and Peelers (blue),” wrote Calcutta Parsee Club president Prochy Mehta about their annual Food Fest on February 16, 2020. "The popular food items were sold out before they could be cooked...People had pre ordered,” she noted. These included batasas and pickles; patra ni machhi and custard; farcha and dhansak; spaghetti in red sauce with vegetables and the ubiquitous eggs; akuri and pork vindaloo. With Club member Jimbo Vatcha serving as master of ceremonies for the day, "Behnaz Bulsara Dugar, our entertainment secretary dreamt up rules for the cookout... If any participant was found very good, the opposite team could handicap them by tying up that person’s hands or blindfolding them,” wrote Mehta. About 400 people came to savor the flavors of the community chefs. "‘See it, eat it’ was the motto of the day,” the president stated.
Attendees at Calcutta Parsee Club’s Food Fest: "See it, eat it"
Top: from l: Bahadur Postwalla, Jimbo Vatcha, Numazar Mehta;
middle: Behnaz Bulsara Dugar (l), Prochy Mehta; Team Choppers
The Fest is in its 12th year. "The initial idea was of a Parsi Bazar but food (proved) most popular,” mentioned Mehta. "The event was entirely conceptualized and made into reality by (Calcutta Zoroastrian Community’s Religious and Charity Fund trustee) Bahadur Postwalla,” she acknowledged. "He runs the event on his own in his way. We give him all the assistance he requires,” stated the president.
Team Choppers, comprising Anahita Gupta, Cyrus Colah, Ava Bhathena, Ratan Postwalla, Dinaz Jeejeebhoy, Yohan Confectioner, Dolly Bannerjee and Geeta Rabadi were reportedly the winners.