This year’s Food Nerd Festival felt extra special. In our first “in-between” edition of a biennale, we packed all the intensity, curiosity, and flavour into a sleeker format across two cities.
At the heart of it all were the Food Nerd LABS — 4 immersive workshops built around SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT. From salt-curing and preservation with Gautam Krishnankutty & Balagopal Menon, to exploring the science of fats with Heena Punwani, a sensory deep dive into Indian vinegars with Payal Shah, and the art of cooking with heat with Gresham Fernandes — we took Bengaluru and Mumbai on a serious flavour ride.
And of course, the Food Nerd Party — bigger, bolder, and bursting with energy. With playful tablescaping by our dear Daksha and generous support from Tanqueray, Singleton, Baileys, and The Good Craft Co, it wasn’t just a party — it was a living, breathing petri dish for ideas, friendships, and future collaborations.
Here’s to a community that gets curiouser every year.
None of it would have been possible without our stellar crew: Ranveer Aujla and Mradula Hegde on comms, Anjali Narendra on design, and Shreshtha Chabbra from Locavore, who ran ops like an absolute boss. Shout out to Kartik Pendse, Nachiket Pimprikar, and our incredible partners — Rohita of Two Tigers & Co, and Elizabeth and Anusha of Edible Issues — for bringing this vision to life.