21st UpperCrust Show
‘Show’ing Up in a New Avatar
The 21st UpperCrust Show
With a few alterations this year, the UpperCrust Show entered its 21st year, with a bang. The World Trade Center had Bombay’s foodies tick off their calendar event with fervour. Food, wine and fun makes it the biggest exhibition of its kind
Text: Lyle Michael
Photographs: Team UpperCrust
"Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life's most civilised pleasures," is a quote we live by, and adhere to. The UpperCrust Show makes it all the more easy to do so. India’s biggest and best food exhibition – with close to a 100 exhibitors and a lakh visitors over three days – is just the place where you can hobnob with fellow food lovers, taste from and sip on the finest of brands in the industry, and take home your favourite things, by the dozen.
This year marked the 21st edition, unfolding on 6, 7, 8, the first weekend of December as always. The twist this time round was that the entire exhibition took place under one roof. Regulars and fans of the Show are well aware of the layout, with the Expo Center on the first floor of the World Trade Center, Cuffe Parade, while the lawns would host the masterclasses by top chefs, the Home Chef Studio with home cooks and mentors, and the Food Court with live music, too. The UpperCrust Show 2024 unfolded exclusively at the Expo Center, right from the inauguration to the masterclasses, to the food, wine and equipment alleys, and the Food Court. Compact and power-packed, that was the 21st Show for you.
Eager to know who inaugurated the Show? Foodie and actress who doesn’t let her love for the former show, her tall, svelte figure a testament to that. Isha Koppikar lit the inaugural lamp with curator of the event, Farzana Contractor, to much applause from the august gathering of society’s crème de la crème, hospitality students and food lovers who grace the occasion every year. A fan of the Show, Isha was honoured to be the Chief Guest and had a fantastic time touring the alleys, nibbling away on her choicest goodies and graciously posing for selfies with her admirers. Take a look at her reel on Instagram: @isha_konnects to get a glimpse of her escapades at the Show.
With the wheels set in motion, visitors were party to the topmost brands in food, wine and kitchen equipment. Society Tea’s new Iced Tea range, Desita Coffee, Koka Noodles, Veeba Sauces, Amul Chocolate, Super Munchies, Gadre Seafood & Edamame, Gusto Olive Oil, Organic Tattva, Moi Soi, Maiyard Foods, Makinos Chips, Cocoacraft, Granules & Beans, Iyengar's Kaapi, Poonjiaji’s, Urban Platter, Loacker, Millie’s Artisanal Cheese, Harvest Mahua, Mandala Organics, and Japanese brands at the first ever Japanese Pavilion, such as Ishimaru Noodles, Sushi and More, Kikkoman, and Kunitaro Green Tea. At the Young Entrepreneur's Junction, you had brands such as Nei Native, Vendi Chocolate, Bombay Fromagerie, Plant Power and more. Kitchen and bar accessory brands included Wonderchef and It's Elite.
Sample some, take a decision, make your purchase and relax at the Food Court, with fare such as momos by Momories, homestyle Mughlai food from Spicez Stories, potato spirals and sugarcane juice by Hurrycane, Soam’s healthy vegetarian treats, mini dabelis by Aamchee and deliciously innovative dosas by Daily Dosa, ice-cream and milkshakes by Bachelorr’s, rolls by Gokul Bite, and Jafferbhai’s staple Mughlai delicacies, from biryani to kebabs and the like. If a sundowner, indoors of course, was what you were looking for at the Food Court, fruit wines from brands like Rhythm Winery were at your service. Peach and Mango being among topsellers.
As you trailed down the wine alley, brands such as Sula, Grover Zampa, York Winery, La Valee's 'real strawberry wine', Myne, Good Drop – with their sparkling Frizzano – and meads such as L74 were yours for the sipping and the purchasing.
Unlike any other exhibition, there’s a camaraderie at the UpperCrust Show and an atmosphere of home. This, plus the highlight of the event: the chef demos aka masterclasses by well-known culinary figures in the industry. Where else can you get exclusive tips and recipes, straight from the horse’s mouth, at no charge whatsoever, along with tasting portions of the food made fresh in front of you!
This year had a variety of chefs and culinary professionals on Friday and Sunday, demonstrating their respective cuisines while the unprecedented home chef cookery demos played out on Saturday. This, a direct outcome of the popular Home Chef Studio, which revolutionised the home chef industry and gave home cooks a platform like no other. It’s a community that just keeps growing, and UpperCrust is here for it!
The first day of the Show presented starters and main course dishes and sweet treats by professionals inclusive of Vidhi Thakkar, owner of the well-established Eastern Sweets by Sangeeta, Chef Manish Khanna representing Turkish Hazelnuts, Celebrity Chef Neha Deepak Shah representing American Pecans and Pinky Chandan Dixit, founder of Soam and Aamchee restaurants in Bombay. The audience relished the healthy Gajar Halwa, the Hazelnut Barks with Dark Chocolate, Pecan Brownies and Salad Cups, and Kand Paneer Gold Coins, to name a few, while jotting down notes on their recipe sheets.
Day 2 began with a session on Content Creation by Rajveer Singh who doled out valuable tips on building followers and traction on social media, before the home chefs stole the show with their regional cuisines and an easy air about them. Though it was a first for some, cooking for an audience as large. Ushri Guruji showed forth her Bengali roots in dishes like the Kolkata Fish Fry while Bilkis Khan went Thai, from her first-hand experience earned with Chef Nooror Somany in Bangkok, courtesy the Home Chef Studio contest winning prize from last year! The Green Curry with Chicken was a hit! Hadiya Rizwan delighted with traditional Mughlai favourites like Nalli Nihari and a scrumptious phirni. The CauldronSisterss, Ratika & Richa, flew down from Jaipur to treat the audience to dhokle and dal Rajasthani style, with five lentils.
The final day had a repertoire of cuisines and chefs, from Christmas Desserts courtesy The Oberoi Mumbai to Italian Cuisine by The Westin Mumbai Garden City. Chef Pranya Batra began with treats like the Christmas Breakfast Granola while Chef Sameer Karkare showcased a Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Stuffed Bolognese, among other dishes.
Food & wellness content curator, Amrita Kaur represented Allegro Olive Oil and demonstrated a Roasted Pumpkin Hummus with Chana and a Muhammara with Bhavnagri Mirch. Chef Glyston Gracias, of Social and Smoke House Deli fame, played it nice and cool with innovative foods like the Tomato Awesomas and the Vada Pav Baos, which were very well-received by the gourmands. Amrita Raichand, celebrity chef and crowd-puller, dazzled with Love Macadamia nuts in fare such as Zingy Green Beans and Energy Bites.
Another year, another great exhibition gone by. The UpperCrust Show is already gearing up for the 22nd edition. Mark your calendars for Dec 5, 6, 7, 2025.
As Farzana Contractor says, “It’s that time of year which food lovers of Bombay look forward to. And we offered them what they sought – which is to taste, try and experiment, and learn about new ingredients and food products. The UpperCrust Food Show has not just survived, but thrived for 21 years. It’s because the Show is a great property for exhibitors to showcase their brands as well as for visitors to be in tune with what the world of food has to offer.”