EverestBKCC Season 5 kicks off with a bang at IHM Lucknow

Everest Better Kitchen Culinary Challenge (EverestBKCC), India's largest and most thrilling culinary challenge for final-year hospitality students, has commenced with great enthusiasm at IHM Lucknow on Saturday.EverestBKCC stands out as a culinary challenge with a distinctive difference. It not only provides an exceptional platform for aspiring chefs to showcase their talents but also serves as an ideal springboard for launching their future careers. The theme of this challenge is 'Flavours of India,' aiming to raise awareness about Indian regional cuisines, popularize Indian food globally using local spices, and revive forgotten regional recipes. EverestBKCC Season 5 is scheduled to be held in 15 cities across India, including Lucknow, Durgapur, Chandigarh, Dehradun, NCR-Delhi, Indore, Chennai, Kottayam, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Pune, Patan, Mumbai, Kolhapur, and Goa. Winners from all cities will be invited to the Grand Finale in Mumbai on March 29-30, 2024.
The event is supported by Incredible India - Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology; Uttar Pradesh Tourism; Indian Culinary Forum; Western India Chefs’ Association (WICA); Chefs Association of Five Rivers; Varanasi Chef’s Association; Telangana Chef’s Association; Culinary Forum of Goa, and Hospitality Purchasing Managers’ Forum (HPMF).To create awareness and promote the regional cuisine of Uttar Pradesh, participants at IHM Lucknow were given the opportunity to prepare one regional dish of Uttar Pradesh from a three-course menu for the competition.
The jury for EverestBKCC Season 5 in Lucknow comprised Chef Dr. Izzat Husain, Chef Ravikant Pathak, Founder of Varanasi Chef’s Association, and Chef Shivam Dixit. The jury appreciated the use of ingredients, innovation, and presentation by the participating students. They encouraged the students to participate in such culinary challenges to learn, showcase, and enhance their culinary skills.
Ekkta Bhargeva, Publisher of Better Kitchen, shared that the objective of this event is to prepare students for the challenges of their future and to popularize Indian regional food using local ingredients in the form of global cuisine. This challenge provides students with a platform to showcase their creative skills and utilize ingredients effectively. The national winner of this competition will receive a scholarship of USD 5750 under the USA J1 Chef Exchange Visitor Program, while the first and second runners-up will receive scholarships worth USD 1000 and USD 750, respectively, along with a year of internship placement in the USA, facilitated by EverestBKCC’s International Placement & Study Abroad Partner, Wisdom Career & Education.
Winners of EverestBKCC Season 5 from Lucknow were Everest Super Samber Masala (students from Babu Banarsi Das University, Lucknow), with the 1st and 2nd runners-up being Everest Tasteeto Pink Salt (students from Institute of Hotel Management, Lucknow) and Everest Tea Masala (students from Amity School of Hospitality, Lucknow), respectively. The title sponsor of the multiple city challenge is Everest Spices, with other partners including Wisdom Career Education, MYMENU365, Chefs Unlimited, and Cornitos.