S. Thahaseen from Vidya Nagar here was adjudged the winner of the third edition of The Hindu ‘Our State Our Taste’ prelims held in Salem on Sunday. She presented traditional and unique flavours through her dishes thalakari pasta, halwa puri, and Khajoor.
The contest was inaugurated by Saumya Sanjjay, Director of AVR Swarna Mahal.
As the participants displayed their dishes, the panel of judges — K. Damodaran (Chef Damu), S. Shivaprakash, Executive Chef, GRT Great Trails, and S. Saravanan, Executive Chef, Raddison — evaluated them based on various criteria. Chef Damu said that he found the dishes great both in terms of quantity and quality.
Chef Damu (left) judging the dishes presented at the third edition of The Hindu ‘Our State Our Taste ‘ prelims in Salem on Sunday. | Photo Credit: LAKSHMI NARAYANAN E
A. Shanmugavalli from Ponnamapet was adjudged first runner-up and Vinju Rajesh was declared second runner-up. The judges’ panel also presented three other contestants T. Dhanakodi, Uma Ramanathan and Priya Senthil with consolation prizes.
Deputy Mayor M. Saradha Devi presented the awards to the winners, along with Chef Damu and sponsors.
R. Kathiravan, Distributor, Vidiem Kitchen Appliances; K.R. Vivekanandan, Partner, RKG Ghee; C.A Sadiq Basha, Cluster Manager - Salem, Madhuram Rice; Suriyah Uthayakumar, Brand Manager, Madhuram Rice; R.K. Rajesh, Brand Manager, Kallesuwari Refineries Private Limited; K. Raja, Salem Distributor, Savorit; Radhika Jagajeevanram, Category Head, Savorit; Pradeep Gangadharan, General Manager, WayCool Foods and Products Private Limited were present.
Vidiem Kitchen Appliances is the title sponsor of the cooking contest, which is powered by Savorit and Madhuram Rice in association with RKG Ghee and Cardia Advanced Groundnut Oil. LG Asafoetida is the asafoetida partner and Naga Food is the associate partner. Divinity Partner is ITC Mangaldeep and Spices partner is Everest Masala. Banking partner is Karur Vysya Bank, magazine partner is Aval Vikatan and the media partner is Hindu Tamil Thisai. GEC Partner is Kalaignar TV and News channel partner is Kalaignar Seidhigal.
