Scribblings of a septuagenarian-Our humble Rava upma wins $100k prize

Our humble Rava upma wins $100k prize​

Oh! What a surprise! In our house rava(suji) upma ranked lowest in the tiffin menu. In the good old days it was considered as one of the fast food that could be made at very short notice with minimum ingredients. But it has become world famous now by fetching a $100 k prize!

The credit goes to Bombay born Indian chef Floyd Cardosze who is now a celebrated chef at Newyork. Asked to prepare an item based on food memories (or dishes that inspired them in their lives) in the final of the much-watched Top Chef Masters contest in Los Angeles, Cardoz whipped up an upma of semolina and mushroom to beat two other favourites and win the top prize of $1,00,000.

The result stunned food critics and viewers who had put the two other finalists, Mary Sue Milliken of Los Angeles Border Grill and Tracy Des Jardins of San Francisco’s Jardiniere, ahead of Cardoz.

It didn’t look possible when the finalists rushed out to the market to buy ingredients for the courses the judges asked them to make. Cardoz was held up in the LA traffic worsened by rain, even as local Milliken anticipated the snarl-up and beat him to the kitchen. Besides making a dish that inspired them, they also had to make a dish named by one of the judges.

But it was the personal food memories section that Cardoz upped the ante with upma, which critics loosely described a semolina pudding, or an Indian version of the Italian polenta.


Cardoz, who admitted to being shocked by the win, will donate his prize money to the Young Scientist Cancer Research Fund in memory of his father, who died of cancer.

News-Courtesy-Times of India

 

Dear Sreemathi,
Thanks for being here and posting the first fb. I was feeling elated for our simple upma the oldest Indian cuisine coming out with flying colours and winning the first prize in the competition. Hence I wanted to share this glorifying news to all and also the magnanimity of the chef who donated the prize money for a good cause.
Love,
PS

 

Dear Sriniketan,
I was struck with wonder when I read the news. Old wine in new bottle winning the prize at the New World!
Thanks for joining me and appreciating the chef for donating the money for a good cause,
Love,
PS

 

Dear RGS,
It is very nice of you to drop in and join us in appreciating the chef's benevolent act. It was very generous of him to donate the whole prize money.
Love,
PS