Why an Indian glossy on food and wine? Because the time is ripe and the pot is boiling over. Because the world has accepted Indian food beyond chicken tikka, basmati rice and alphonso mango; because Indian wine is being exported to France; because an admission to a catering college in Bombay and New Delhi is more difficult than admission to a medical college; because Indian cooks are being treated as corporate executives and paid their salaries; because Indians are themselves recognising their 179 regional cuisines - yes, 179; because the day may not be far when Indian food may replace Chinese as the world�s premier cuisine. The food scene is bursting all over, from Camembert flambes at the five-stars to curried oysters in little shacks on Goa�s beaches, baby shark steaks at roadside Mangaloreans and dossas scrambled and scraped on tavas at suburban stations. New restaurants are opening almost every day, covering a wide spectrum of food and themes, and more families are eating out or dialling pizzas home. And complimenting all these are the vastly improved printing and production values provided by Indian printing houses. A glossy from the Tata Press could have come out of any press in the world. So, as I said earlier, the time was just right. But where do I fit in? I don�t know. I can�t say I am crazy about eating but I certainly love cooking. My kitchen is my study, my laboratory, my hobby horse, where I experiment, cook, entertain. Ten friends can fit in nicely on the kitchen table, 12 at a squeeze. And what I cook, I photograph.

I started with my Nikon. Nawab Shah Alam in Hyderabad, the Indage Chougules at Narayangaon. Then I commissioned talent, including the in-house Busybee, to write around the pictures. Suddenly we had a magazine on our hands - India�s first ever genuine glossy food and wine magazine.

UpperCrust is in your hands. Let me know what you think about it. Come over to my kitchen and discuss. And you first, Dilip De. You always believed I was a good photographer and a better cook. Come into my kitchen...

Farzana Contractor