Chef Vikas Khanna and some Delhi-based CEO’s came together to promote ‘Nutrition for Better literacy’
Cooking for corporates can be a tough and challenging task. But here the Delhi-based CEO’s had a mentor like chef Vikas Khanna to guide them on how to cook a perfect meal.
Smile Foundation, a national level development organisation presented the second edition of its sensitisation cum fund raising initiative ‘Cook for a Smile’ which is co-presented by Cleo County and endorsed and supported by three times Michelin starred Chef Vikas Khanna. This event was hosted by Hyatt Regency. The 11 top boardroom leaders joined this initiative to battle it out over a cook off to ensure that cause wins. Funds raised through the campaign will be utilised in providing education and nutrition for 1,000 children of Smile Foundation with a mission of ‘Nutrition for Better literacy.’
Elaborating on his fondness for the initiative, Khanna said, “lack of proper nutrition is a fundamental issue and one of the biggest roadblocks for the growth and development for children in our country. I am proud to be associated with Smile Foundation as their goodwill ambassador for nutrition and better literacy and I hope I am able to sensitise many more people about this issue. Cook for Smile has been a big step in helping us reach out to stakeholders and by end of this year I pledge to benefit around 5,000 kids under this initiative.”
Corporate leaders took a day off to don the chef’s toques. Khanna divided the participating corporate leaders into two groups. Each group included a team of Smile Foundation kids who enjoyed assisting the participants which brought in added excitement to the competition. Each participant prepared a signature dish of his or her choice in the allotted time and the same was tasted and judged by the chef.
“At Cleo County we strive to make the dream of a home a reality for thousands of people, our core philosophy has always been about making the lives’ of people better. It is this value which we take forward with the cook for a smile initiative. We are extremely happy that through this initiative we are able to contribute towards making education and nutrition a reality for thousands for children. The passion for a better tomorrow is what drives us at Cleo County, the children are our tomorrow and we would like to do our contribution in securing their future”, said Amit Modi, director, ABA Corp, Cleo County.
Cook for ‘A Smile’ participants included: Amit Modi, director, ABA Corp, Cleo County, Aseem Kapoor, area director, North West India, Hyatt Regency, Gulbahar Taurani, director, marketing, consumer lifestyle, Philips India, Hicham lahkim Bennani, director, commercial, Air France KlM, Rajat Jain, managing director, Xerox India, Avinash Venkat, director, HR, South Asia & Sub Saharan Africa, Avery Dennison, Ashutosh Chadha, director, corporate affairs, South Asia, Intel, Tapan Ray, MD and CEO, Nature Bio-Foods, Shashi Kant Baliyan, MD, ClearMedi Healthcare, Ratna Chadha, chief executive, TIRUN Travel (Marketing India representative), Royal Caribbean Cruise, Sanjay Sethi, CEO & co founder, Shopclues.com.
“We are proud to be associated with an initiative such as ‘Cook For A Smile’ which is a seamless extension of our own efforts at making a difference to the community. Our mission to provide authentic hospitality constantly inspires us to help deliver impactful change in society. Together with Smile Foundation and committed individuals such as chef Vikas Khanna, we are proud to have been able to raise funds and awareness for ‘Nutrition for Better literacy’. While we focus towards nourishment with this initiative, our company-wide philanthropic and environmental platform — Hyatt Thrive — continues to undertake various fund-raising and volunteer activities through the year that emphasise our belief in human care and the human spirit,” said Yasmin D Poonegar, director of Corporate Communications, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Southwest Asia ltd.