09 November,2022 10:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Tanishka D’Lyma
Drinks and dishes from the festival’s 2019 edition
Chembur's foodies will set up a market that demands your attention this weekend. In its latest edition, the Chembur Food Festival comes back after a long break during the pandemic to offer food, fashion, shopping, entertainment, games, contests, and live performances over two days. The festival provides a platform for around 70 food and shopping stalls at St Anthony's Home Ground. These stalls are for small food businesses, home chefs, start-ups, women entrepreneurs, and other upcoming brands. And it's all for a cause. The proceeds from the stall bookings will go towards Earth Angels Welfare Foundation (EAWF), a Mumbai-based NGO that aims to serve the underprivileged by providing education and basic amenities.
Living up to its title, the festival comes packed with many cuisines and dishes from outposts such as Mulund and Ghatkopar-based Mann Punjabi with authentic Amritsari kulche and goti soda, Mother O Malvan with a menu full of seafood dishes, and Jack-n-Jill Food Truck with charcoal burgers. There's also a range of chaat, kebabs, Mexican, Italian, North and South Indian food counters. Having noted the effect of the pandemic on small businesses, Amit Nariani, founder of EAWF, shares with us that the cost at these stalls have been reduced to continue extended support to small entrepreneurs.
Along with kids' zones complete with games, activities, and food contests for all ages including their famous pani puri contest, you can also explore the shopping arena for oxidised jewellery by Sandook, handmade bags from Macrame Madness by Shirin, hair accessories by Kefi, hand-painted garments and accessories from Painting by Pearl, a variety of teas from Nutring Flavours and more.
NGO Earth Angels Welfare Foundation stall
The live shows that will be hosted from 6 pm onwards will see a range of solo and group dance and music performances including the students of a local dance academy. This is an all-day festival. It's best to get a head start if you'd like to scan through the stalls before the crowd arrives. You can also learn more about the NGO's work at a designated stall at the festival.
A moment from a 2019 performance
EAWF was started in 2016. "In order to make the platform self-sufficient - since we don't accept monetary donations - we ventured into a food festival in this part of the city," Nariani tells us. A Chembur boy, he launched the first edition of the festival in 2017, to bring locals and other citizens together and raise funds for a noble cause.
Amit Nariani
The NGO is also supported by celebrities including Sarita Madhavan and television actor Mansasi Joshi Roy. "Our long-term goal is to adopt villages. We've started with one village in the town of Shahapur in Maharashtra, called Veta village which is 16 km from Shahapur city," the founder and organiser shares.
On: November 12 and 13; 11 am to 10 pm (performances from 6 pm)
At: St Anthony's Home Ground, Chembur
Log on to: @earth- angels_welfare_foundation
