Founder admin of the group Goan Foodomania Ashwini Kamat Tendulkar, who conceived the idea of a bazaar (May 26-27) to give a platform to the members of the group to sell their homemade Purument stocks, says an event of this kind is happening for the first time in Goa and it will boost home-grown businesses
Purument is all about food. It’s the food which is stocked in the kitchen for the monsoons and for the entire year – from spices to salt, pickles to papads, honey to herbs and vinegar to wines. Niz Goenkars are foodies and they love to eat a variety of tasty delicacies round the year. When there’s ban on fishing and fishermen don’t go out to sea, Goenkars manage with provisions of dry fish, suke nuste or khare, as it’s called in Konkani. Then there are a whole lot of ingredients that go into cooking like mirsango, haldi peetho, mirya, lavanga, dalchini, jaifal, jeere, kothmir, aamtan, sola, aamlyo, suke nuste, khare, lonche, papad, halvo, vadyo, sandge, saatha, khobarel, madache godd, ukdo tandool, alsaande, kande, nachane, caju, fruits like mangoes, pineapples, jackfruits and much more!
Taking into consideration these yearly needs of Goenkars ‘Goan Foodomania’ planned this Purument Bazar this year, just before the rains, experimenting with the mood and the market sentiment that awaits Purument fests eagerly. Purument that happen just before monsoons in every village of Goa has now taken a modern ‘avatar’ with ‘Goan Foodomania Purument Bazaar 2018’ that’s happening on May 26 and 27 at the air-conditioned hall of Institute Menezes Braganza in Panaji. And guess what, the organisers are Goan admins of a Facebook group – ‘Goan Foodomania’ that has 85425 members across the globe. The members post food pictures and reviews, recipes, cooking tips, restaurant experiences and grandmother’s secrete formulas, all authentic and original, cooked at home or clicked somewhere out, but by them. The page has 98,000 odd photos so far taken by the members of the food items they cooked or relished!
“Goan Foodomania in collaboration with Institute Menezes Braganza, is proud to host Goan Foodomania Purument Bazaar this year,” announces Ashwini Kamat Tendulkar, founder admin of the group who conceived this super idea to give a platform to the members of the group to sell their homemade Purument stocks. Armed with a supportive team of co-admins, Prasad V Raicar from Margao, Brijesh Naik from Mapusa, Deepa Bharne and Kiran Parrikar from Panaji, Vidya Kenkre Nadkarni from Curchorem and Natasha Desai Lavande from outside Goa, Ashwini is all set to make the concept a grand success. “This concept was born when I saw that many of our group members were making all these items but had no idea how to sell or market them. They were afraid or shy of advertising. This type of event is happening for the first time in Goa,” she claims.
“With minimal fees of Rs 800, state wide advertisement, and a two-day event in store, to showcase your culinary skills and use this chance to bring out the businessperson within you. But remember that only Purument related stuff will be allowed,” Ashwini sent out her message and a whole lot of members responded to register.
“More than two dozen have already registered. Many more have responded but we registered only those who have paid for the tables as we don’t want last minute cancellations because of which some may lose an opportunity to book a table,” said a cautious Ashwini. “It is my idea basically, and my admin team is very supportive in anything I decide or plan and take active part in all my projects,” Ashwini smiles. “Brijesh Naik, a well-known personality from Saligao, is one of the top veterinary surgeons in Goa. Mild mannered and soft spoken, Brijesh is highly respected in his village and his friend circle. He is very active in sports, and well informed on culinary delights,” she observes.
“Few possess a bigger-than-life persona like Natasha Desai Lawande. A sports management executive by profession, Natasha exhales and inhales food in all its wafts - one cannot miss her ‘Goa to Bombay’ stall at any Goan food events in Mumbai. An avid biker and traveller, this energetic lady leads her life like an exemplary procession of gusto celebration,” exclaims Ashwini. Their active co-admin Prasad Raicar, an erstwhile techie, full-time foodie, is bit by the travelling bug since he opened my mind to the world. “I have settled back in Goa after years in the IT wilderness, and now I spend my time writing, teaching, and balancing between food and weight,” he says.
Once the members decided to go ahead with the concept, the hall was booked around a month in advance. Actually Ashwini had thought about Purument Bazar last year but as she was out of Goa with her family, the concept didn’t materialise. “This year I planned well ahead, planning all my programmes taking these two dates in May in mind because the event was a priority for me. First I fixed the dates,” briefs Ashwini who created the group ‘Goan Foodomania’ in August 2015 with the help of her best friend Prasad Raicar who supported her in bringing it to this level. “You won’t believe how much this group has helped people in making their dreams into reality. Many have started their small scale businesses from home. My other group on Facebook is ‘Home Bakers’ which has 5000 plus members. We bake cakes and cookies, brownies and pies and what not!” exclaims Ashwini who helped popularise many home makers and home bakers not only from Goa but all over the globe.
The group has volunteers in each city and they get-together through forums, cooking competitions and games etc. It now aims aims at restoring and reviving the traditional food items in Goan kitchens, which otherwise are rare to find on the shelves of supermarkets and malls.
