JAMMU: The Everest Better Kitchen Culinary Challenge (EverestBKCC) Season 6 semi-finals for Jammu & Kashmir took place at the Food Craft Institute, Jammu, bringing together aspiring chefs, culinary experts, and food enthusiasts. This prestigious event celebrated the revival of traditional lost recipes and Indian sweets (Toyharo Ka Meetha), offering a platform for young culinary talents to showcase their skills while preserving the essence of India's diverse cuisine.
Under the theme “Flavours of India”, EverestBKCC continues to inspire and nurture young chefs while focusing on three key aspects—preserving and promoting regional cuisines, encouraging healthier food choices, and advocating culinary tourism. The competition witnessed participants blending heritage flavours with modern techniques, creating exceptional dishes that impressed the jury and reinforced the importance of Indian regional cuisine.
The semi-final event was made possible with the support of Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India), Uttar Pradesh Tourism, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Wisdom Career Education, MYMENU365, and Bio Nutrients (India) Pvt Ltd. The distinguished jury for the competition included Rajib Mitra Kumar, Executive Chef – Radisson Blu, Jammu, Naveen Bhagat, General Manager – Lemon Tree, Jammu, and Shahbaz Ahmad, F&B Manager – Lemon Tree, Jammu.
These experts evaluated the participants based on creativity, authenticity, taste, and presentation. This semi-final in Jammu marked the ninth stop in a thrilling 17-city journey, leading up to a highly anticipated grand finale, where the best talents from across the country will compete.
Ekkta Bhargava, Publisher of Better Kitchen, emphasized the broader vision behind EverestBKCC, stating, “Our mission is to prepare students for future challenges while promoting regional Indian cuisines. By integrating local ingredients into global dishes and reviving lost recipes, we aim to inspire the next generation of chefs. This year, we are proud to award scholarships worth Rs 1 crore through the USA J1 WCE Chef Exchange Visitor Program, offering a one-year paid internship in the USA.”
This initiative, supported by Wisdom Career Education, provides young Indian chefs with global exposure and helps them refine their skills on an international platform. Building on the success of last season’s Better Kitchen Bakery Champion, the competition has introduced two new categories to expand its reach i.e Better Kitchen F&B Young Masters Challenge and Enzo Housekeeping Olympiad.
The winners of the Jammu & Kashmir Semi-Finals of the Everest Better Kitchen Culinary Challenge (EverestBKCC) have been announced, showcasing incredible culinary talent across multiple categories. In the EverestBKCC, Everest Royal Gram Masala team comprised of Kamalpreet Kaur & Nousheen from GCW, Parade emerged winner, while Everest Pavbhaji Masala team comprised of Preetika Manhas and Anuradha from FCI, Jammu took the first runner-up spot while Everest Momo Masala comprised of Bhavana Gupta and Tanishka Singh from Jammu University claimed the second runners-up position.
The Better Kitchen Bakery Champion segment also saw fierce competition, with Altaf Hussain & Kajal Chowdhary from FCI, Jammu taking the top prize while Rudra Pratap Singh & Naihal Sharma, also from FCI, Jammu, emerged as the first runner-up. The second runner-up spot went to Archi Sharma & Rishita Sharma from GCW Parade.
In the Better Kitchen F&B Young Master Challenge, Mohd Shawaz emerged winner while Muzzaffar Ahmed secured the first runner-up place, and Mubarak Ahmed claimed second runners-up. As EverestBKCC Season 6 progresses towards the grand finale, it continues to celebrate India's rich culinary traditions while creating opportunities for young chefs to gain national and international recognition.
