Kochi: Pedicon 2024, the 61st annual summit of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, has given the hospitality industry here a major boost as nearly 7,000 doctors from across the country have descended to the beach town to attend the grand event.
The event has given Kerala an opportunity to showcase its culinary diversity to the rest of the country as Grand Hyatt, Kochi, prepares a sumptuous meal for the delegates and their families accompanying them. In hosting the medical conference, the hotel major has taken up one of the biggest tasks in its history in Kerala. The hotel has to prepare food for at least 6,000 people at a time all through the four-day conference.
It requires 500 kg of rice, 500 kg of mutton, 500 kg of fish and 300 kg of chicken to prepare the dishes for a lunch. Almost the same amount of ingredients are needed for dinner as well. Each meal comprises 29 dishes, including three non-veg dishes, 5-6 veg items, two types of rice, five salads and six desserts.
The hotel has set up a team of 300 people to cook for the event. Around 200 professionals from the other hotels of the group from across the country have been roped in for the task. They include specialists in dishes like biryani and desserts. Apart from them, local people have also been engaged in various works. A separate team comprising 300 people have been set up for serving.
Nibu Mathew, hotel manager, of Grand Hyatt Kochi, said they had started preparations for the event some six months ago. He said the menu has been prepared in such a way that every day one special Kerala cuisine gets introduced to the guests. Kerala’s seafood is a major attraction of the menu. He said the hotel has ensured a foolproof system to ensure cleanliness at all stages of cooking and serving. Each dish gets tested at government-approved laboratories before it reaches the table, he said.
Kedar Bobde, executive chef, said they try to procure maximum ingredients from the local market. The preparation for lunch starts at 2 am. The food will be ready by 10.30 am. The work for dinner starts around 2 pm and the items get ready for serving around 7.30 pm.
