Palate Fest 'mini'- a 'big' platform for startups

With its wide range of delicacies, the second edition of the Palate Fest 'mini' is in town with the aim of uniting foodies across the national capital at a sprawling beautiful venue set up at Nehru Park.
The festival features nearly 70 food outlets with exquisite range of cuisine including North Indian, Italian, Arabic, Chinese, Continental and Mughlai, home-made desserts, snacks and unique food.
The 3-day event, which began on February 12 is not only limited to food as the organisers are also planning to thrill the visitors with some live music performances.
11 different bands are set to perform throughout the fest including the likes of 'Spaced Cadets', 'Delhi Indi Project' and 'The Silhouette Hearts'.

A miniature version of the much larger 'New Delhi Palate Fest', the event is organised to 'introduce' the budding entrepreneurs.
"We decided to make it a place to introduce new people who want to launch themselves and who need the chance. This is an avenue for them," says co-founder and Director of Palate Fest Aditi Kapoor.

The participants who have set up their stalls are poles apart as they range from a lady with no prior business experience to 'Lionfresh' who import fresh meats from various parts of Europe.
However, the fest also features the biggies of the food restaurants of Delhi including Masalahouse, Bohem, Chinese Cafe, to name a few.

Another endearing feature of the fest is its special stress on 'health and organic food'.
"With so much of health conciousness now, we are also focusing on organic and health food. For example one stall is offering nut milk. It is for lactose intolerant people who finally have something. You can have it in your coffee. There is 'Organica'.
"There is 'The Food Farm' which is again organic. So the fest is dotted with much of lovely organic and health food," says the co-founder and Director of the fest Ruchi Sibal.
The fest concludes on Valentine's Day and the organisers have made special arrangments to provide a perfect experience to the lovebirds on the day of love.

"We have had bands like Euphoria and everything before. But (keeping in view the Valentine's day) we have made it more sufi and romantic this time. So people should come on Sunday and experience this. No one wants to go to retailing and shopping, that's always done. Come under the open sky and you can walk around hand in hand everywhere," says Kapoor.