MUMBAI: The Essel group’s venture in the lifestyle genre, Living Foodz is riding on the success of its celebrity travel show Ganga, featuring Dia Mirza as anchor. The channel claims that viewership has increased 36 per cent after the promotions of Ganga. The channel is all decked to launch a new royal culinary food show Food Tripping. The show will take viewers on a royal expedition to six places in western India with celebrity chefs Ranveer Brar and Gautam Mehrishi.
Food Tripping is based in royal places of Gujrat. It is a 13 episode series. The show will start airing from May 30 at 8.30 PM, every Monday and Tuesday. The journey will start with one the most expensive royal trains in the world- the Maharaja Express. The first episode will feature the train. Other destinations include the royal families of Balasinor, Gondal, Bhavnagar, Wadhvan, Chula and Sayla.
The makers of the show claim that the journey includes intricate experiences of royal delicacies, people and culture of these places. Apart from learning recipes from queens and royal chefs, the chefs have also spent time with the families, understanding the fascinating position they hold in contemporary India as guardians of a long and rich heritage. Originally the show was to feature the royal palace and family of Bhavnagar, which was later expanded to other destinations.
Medium Rare Productions with Living Foodz has shot the show. It took a crew of about 30 members to shoot 13 episodes in about 14 days. The cameras used to shoot Food Tripping were FS7 plus one Dji Osmo. The makers claim that the treatment of the show has been kept royal with the challenge of finding scenic outdoor locations to cook.
Tata Sampann Masala is the powered-by sponsor of travel food show. Major advertisers of channel include Audi, Pepsi Co (Quaker), Samsung, Usha, Airtel, 4G, Fortune, Parag Milk Foods. Sources have reveaed that the average cost of an episode of Food Tripping was Rs three lakh to Rs four lakh per episode.
The channel is very confident about the concept of the show. Living Foodz claims that it believes in innovation, not just about new locations and food, but also about personalities. Chefs Ranveer and Gautam never had a chance to interact with each other till this show for which they have travelled together.
“Food has been an integral part of royal celebrations and this show offers a glimpse of the rich culture and culinary heritage of India. What makes Food Tripping even more unique is the camaraderie between Chef Ranveer and Chef Gautam. Their banter and synergy truly brings their experiences to life as they co-host the show. “said Living Foodz business head Amir Nair. Food Tripping gave them the opportunity to do a Royal Road Trip together. Along the way, they discovered hidden facets, stories about each other that have created a new friendship, which also is obvious. The show also explores chef’s point of view.
“At Living Foodz, our endeavour has been to bring unusual and interesting content to urban Indian audiences, and this show is a prime example of this.” added Nair.
The royal kitchens of western India are heavily influenced by the rich multi-cultural influences of the owners. Ingredients and techniques have been borrowed from as far and wide as Persia, France, Britain, Mongolia and the Deccan, which makes the show a true feast for the eyes revealed channel sources in conclusion.
