Join at Locavores in Kochi for a comprehensive two-day program celebrating millets! on July 20 and 21, The event includes engaging cooking workshops, live quizzes, a refreshing salad bar, and a delightful community potluck. It's an exceptional opportunity to reconnect with these nutritious grains and deepen your understanding of their benefits.
Over the past eighteen months, The Locavore, committed to promoting ethical food practices and mindful eating, has collaborated with the Rainmatter Foundation, focusing on climate action projects, to lead a millet revival initiative. This initiative aims to foster a greater appreciation for millets—ranging from understanding their consumption patterns and cultivation origins to highlighting the communities involved. Chef Thomas Zac, founder of The Locavore, explains, "Through community engagement, strategic partnerships, travel, and curated events, we've taken a multifaceted approach to reintroducing millets into mainstream awareness." He emphasizes, "Although millets have been integral to Kerala's culinary heritage, they have gradually faded from its food culture. Our goal is to reintegrate them into local diets."
The Locavore and Rainmatter Foundation have successfully organized similar millet events in Mumbai, Bhubaneshwar, Delhi, and Shillong. Their objective is to simplify millet cooking, emphasize its health benefits, and underscore its environmental sustainability to encourage broader adoption into daily diets.
Kochi’s Millet Mixer offers an exciting lineup featuring a millet-themed quiz, an interactive millet salad bar, and the Locavore shuffle—an engaging session facilitating conversations on topics like food memories, identity, and local markets. Participants can also indulge in a millet tasting experience, sampling a variety of dishes prepared with millets by local food brands, home chefs, restaurants, and culinary experts.
According to the 2021-22 report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Kerala ranked 20th in millet production in India, signaling a growing interest in millets among the population. Zac remarks, "Our aim is to capitalize on this interest and encourage more individuals to consider millets as a sustainable food choice."
The event kicks off with "Mingle with Millets," featuring a workshop where participants can explore innovative recipes blending traditional and contemporary cooking techniques. For example, attendees can learn to prepare classic Malayali dishes such as paal puttu using millets or master the art of baking delicious millet cakes. Additionally, the event will host a panel discussion focused on sustainable development initiatives and projects related to millets. It will bring together a diverse range of stakeholders, including producers, FMCG brands, and professionals from the food and beverage industry.
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