Fermentation Led Four Hands Dinner by Vanika X Eleni – Inspired from the past & Looking into the future

Explore a unique dining experience as two Chef-Fermenters, Food Anthropologist, Eleni Michael and Chef Vanika Choudhury, collaborate for an exclusive pop-up, celebrating ancient techniques and hyperlocal, seasonal ingredients on 27th & 28th January 2023 at Noon, BKC

The pioneers of koji based fermentation in the culinary industry, Noon, BKC, Mumbai is an ingredient-driven restaurant named for the Kashmiri word for salt, which is the flavor that makes everything better. A restaurant where fermentation takes center stage and umami is celebrated through the approach of using indigenous ingredients. Noon has its focus on indigenous crops of India and foraged produce from Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir that rarely make it to the mainstream dining scene. It’s an extension of Chef Vanika Choudhury's philosophy of experimenting with seasonal, lesser known produce and coaxing every bit of flavor out of ingredients with technique and time. As a result of the centuries-old practice of fermentation, preservation, and handcrafting that has been passed down, the unique menu here combines indigenous, hyper local ingredients with global sensibility and techniques.

Offering yet another rare and specially curated culinary dining experience to the city, Noon is announcing the launch of the collaboration of two Chef-Fermenters at Noon with an extraordinary pop-up with Food Anthropologist, Eleni Michael with Chef Vanika Choudhary. The second in the series of Noon’s international tour of collaborating with Chefs who are passionate about celebrating ancient techniques and hyperlocal, seasonal ingredients via koji-based fermentation, this pop-up will showcase a range of dishes ‘inspired from the past and looking into the future’.

After the first meeting through an online fermentation education series, Chef Vanika Choudhary and Food Anthropologist Eleni Michael knew co-creation was their calling. Chef Vanika’s specialization on fermentation applications in order to preserve, but also transform the flavors of the hyper local, seasonal ingredients has attracted Eleni, a nomadic fermenter, to come to India for the first time and to contribute to this philosophy.

With a decade of experience of studying and working globally in this space, she has worked in some of the top Michelin-starred restaurants and world-class hotels. Eleni’s passion for farm-to-table and zero-waste led her to specialize in regenerative gastronomy where she is involved in exploring fermentation as a catalyst for the future of food, designing interactive art installations and multi-sensory dining experiences. “I am thrilled to be joining forces with Vanika at Noon, together researching and developing dishes inspired from the past and looking into the future, which reflect our shared passion for conscious cooking, and fermenting is part of the process”, says Food Anthropologist Eleni.

With this exclusive pop-up, Vanika X Eleni, Inspired from the past, looking into the future, Noon brings in a unique dining experience in Mumbai with a menu built on indigenous crops and foraged produce, as well as house-made ferments by Chef Vanika combined with Eleni’s international experience of fermentation recipes and techniques.

Vanika X Eleni Pop Up- ‘Inspired from the past, looking into the future’ at Noon, BKC

Date: 27th & 28th January, 2023

Dinner: 7 pm onwards

10-course menu priced at INR 5000 + taxes

Location: Noon at One BKC

For reservations contact:  07506677720

A Brief Profile Chef Vanika Choudhary

Chef Vanika Choudhary has been at the forefront of the farm-to-table movement in India since she founded Sequel in 2016, and Noon in 2022. She is celebrated for her singular culinary philosophy which blends thoughtfully-sourced indigenous produce and traditional cooking methods to create Indian and global flavours. Vanika is inspired by her childhood spent in Jammu & Kashmir, India’s agricultural and cooking heritage, and modern living. Her greatest joy is in treating ingredients the right way, experimenting with their flavors and potential to create delicious food that delights and nourishes the diner and constantly reimagining Indian food by using age-old mould to transform the flavors of hyper local and seasonal ingredients.

Through Sequel, Noon & her upcoming book, Preserve, she aims to share the pillars and core beliefs of her food philosophy: Foraging & Finding the Best Produce, Fermentation, Preserving Ingredients & Recipes, Ancient Food Traditions & Traditional Techniques.

Having grown up eating home-cooked food with her mother and watching her father, a scientist and an avid gardener, inspire her culinary journey, she began at a very young age. Eating seasonal, organic and local food isn’t a fad, it’s a way of life for Vanika that was instilled in her at a young age. After graduating from Jai Hind College Mumbai, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Media, she joined Out of Home Media as a Management Trainee and worked her way up to becoming the COO. These ten years were filled with health issues, giving her a fresh perspective and the motivation to move forward. In designing Sequel, she was inspired by her own journey of changing her lifestyle, eating habits, and travelling.From 200 hours of Hatha Yoga in McLeod Ganj to trekking up to 18,000 feet in Ladakh, Vanika managed to squeeze in time to understand culinary traditions. Sequel was the result of her personal journey of discovery. She spent that year researching and sourcing exceptional ingredients from unassuming small-scale producers across the country; visiting farms; developing a menu; and testing recipe to finally look for a space.