Latest news with #Feast
New Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Kongunadu takes the spotlight
Known for its bold use of spices, locally sourced ingredients, and age-old culinary wisdom, Kongunadu cuisine hails from the western regions of Tamil Nadu. Offering a refreshing departure from the more widely recognised Chettinad fare, it presents a distinctive flavour profile that is both rustic and refined. At the food pop-up event 'Flavours of Kongunadu with Chef Harshini' at Feast, Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel, Hyderabadis were treated to an authentic taste of this lesser-known culinary tradition. The festival featured a thoughtfully curated menu by Chef Harshini, founder of Soul on a Plate and a passionate advocate of Tamil cuisine. With her deep-rooted knowledge and contemporary flair, Chef Harshini crafted a dining experience that celebrated tradition and storytelling. Her menu invited diners to explore rare regional recipes passed down through generations. Presented in a thali format for the tasting session, the meal was a vibrant showcase of Kongunadu flavours. We began with a zingy and refreshing Pacha Puli Rasam, a no-cook rasam made with raw tamarind, which immediately set the tone for the lunch. The Vazhaipoo Vadai, crispy fritters made from banana flower, chana dal, curry leaves, onion, and spices — was a delightful starter. A standout dish was the Prawn Thokku, featuring succulent prawns simmered in a rich, spicy, tangy tomato-based sauce. Paired with Malli Biryani (a fragrant coriander-based biryani), it was simply irresistible.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dine with the animals at Ross Park Zoo
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Dine with the animals of the Ross Park Zoo as it raises money for conservation and animal education programs. Ross Park Zoo is hosting its annual Feast for the Beasts fundraiser on Thursday, May 22. The event allows guests to support the animals as they enjoy food from seven local eateries, adult beverage samples, raffles, and live music from local band Finding Bigfoot. Executive Director Phil Ginter says the animals are more active in the evening, so the event is a neat opportunity to view them after hours. Ross Park Zoo is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Ginter says the community's unwavering support and love for the animals is what has made the zoo so successful. 'We wouldn't have made it 150 years without the tremendous outpour of support from the community, and events like Feast are a perfect example of it. Whether it's the local restaurants and caterers that are coming in and giving up their time and talents, or the countless number of individuals who are donating items for our raffle baskets. So, it's just great to see the community really rally behind the zoo in this kind of way,' said Ginter. The event will kick off the zoo's opening weekend. The zoo will open for the season the following day, May 23, with special events throughout the weekend. Admission to Feast for the Beasts will begin at 5 p.m. Tickets are $65 for nonmembers and $50 for members. To purchase, visit 'Beautiful Mistake' on display now at The Cooperative Gallery 213 Dine with the animals at Ross Park Zoo Renowned composer visits Binghamton High School chorus NYS budget allocates money for SUNY programs Iconic Johnson City church going on the market Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Generative AI Will Affect Jobs In Restaurants And Hospitality
Working in a kitchen or front-of-house in a busy restaurant is an incredibly fast-paced and demanding job. Customers expect every dish to be perfect and the service to be exceptional. I believe the wave of transformation ushered in by generative AI will change every industry and job. And from fast food to fine dining, restaurants and hospitality will not be immune. While the skills of a human chef are certainly hard for machines to emulate, there are many ways that AI can make life easier by automating routine tasks and augmenting our culinary creativity. So here are some of the ways that jobs in restaurants and hospitality will change, ushering in new opportunities for the businesses and professionals that are prepared to embrace AI. According to UK hospitality industry publication Feast, 'AI is moving beyond a futuristic concept to become a real tool changing how dining works." As in other industries, the move will probably be led by big companies – fast food giants are already experimenting with voice AI assistants for drive-throughs and customer terminals. However, 70 percent of the restaurant industry is comprised of small businesses with a single location, and there will be plenty of opportunities for these to get in on the action, too. One example is using generative AI tools like ChatGPT to create menus by analyzing big datasets of customer preferences, diet trends, and availability of seasonal ingredients. Chefs, of course, are traditionally thought of as being very passionate about their food, so most may not want to simply type "create a dish for me" any more than an author would want to type 'write a book for me.' In both cases, the results would be likely to turn out just as bland! Instead, it can provide inspiration, ideas and questions to prompt original ideas, and this is how I see it being used in kitchens. It will also create images to assist with presenting food to customers in interesting and stylish ways. Critically, it will also help restaurateurs, business owners and franchisers to make better business decisions based on understanding customer trends, locations and preferences. Yum Brands, the largest fast-food franchiser in the US, recently announced that it would be launching an 'AI restaurant management platform'. It includes an agentic AI assistant called Bytes By Yum that helps managers with staff scheduling and other management decisions. And generative AI will also find uses in stock and inventory management, where managers will find it useful for keeping track of ingredients, suppliers, and use-by dates. AI won't be taking away jobs from chefs and cooks any time soon. Yes, robots can peel potatoes and mix ingredients, but they don't yet have the dexterity and general intelligence capabilities to manage all of the tasks associated with a busy kitchen. Instead, they will help them to work smarter by supporting them with tasks involving planning, preparation and scheduling. This will give them more time to spend on the high-value elements of their work involving experimenting, innovating, and demonstrating their personal flair. With robots and AIs taking care of inventory management and replenishment or shift scheduling, chefs can instead search for newer or fresher ingredients and deliver new taste sensations. Managers and hospitality professionals will spend more time on strategic decisions, oversight, and face-to-face interactions with customers, learning what they want. Using smart tools and working with the data and insights they provide will replace competence in routine administrative work as a key skill. And waiting and front-of-house staff can focus on providing exceptional service and creating truly memorable dining experiences. So rather than disappear, human roles in these industries will evolve, bringing new challenges and opportunities. As with every profession, AI literacy and digital skills will be increasingly important to chefs and hospitality professionals who want to be at the top of their game. Few activities are more fundamentally human in nature than eating, particularly when we're eating great food with great friends. AI isn't going to change this, but professionals empowered by AI will have the chance to make eating out more personalized, interesting, and satisfying.
The South African
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Olivia Williams and Nicole Ansari-Cox to Host Charity Dinner AT SA Restaurant in London
London – Stars Olivia Williams and Nicole Ansari-Cox will lead the Vivat Bacchus charity dinner this June, aiming to support South African students. The event, hosted at Vivat Bacchus Farringdon on 12th June 2025, follows the restaurant's January fundraiser, which raised over £15,000 for the Africa College Foundation (MII UK) (Charity No: 1199415). Building on this success, the evening will feature a South African Braai Feast, a curated wine tasting, a charity auction, and speeches from both actresses. Olivia Williams, known for her roles in 'Dune' and 'The Crown,' will join Nicole Ansari-Cox of 'Succession' fame, both offering insights on the transformative power of education. The Africa College Foundation supports marginalised South African youth by funding access to education, meals, and career support through the Maharishi Invincibility Institute in Johannesburg. The event comes at a crucial time as South Africa prepares to host the G20, B20, and V20 Summits in November 2025. It also precedes Youth Day on 16th June, commemorating the 1976 Soweto Uprising and the ongoing fight for educational equity. Guests will enjoy an authentic multi-course South African Braai Feast paired with selected wines, followed by a charity auction. Proceeds will directly support the Education Town initiative, which has already helped over 20,000 students and positively impacted 150,000 family members. Tickets for the charity dinner are available via the Vivat Bacchus website. For more details, visit the website.
Herald Malaysia
09-05-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Celebrating Divine Mercy: A week of hope, faith, and healing
With devotion, hope, and enthusiasm, they walked through the main streets of Jalan Kenari, Sungai Ara, undaunted by the blazing sun as they proclaimed Jesus' mercy and bore witness to His boundless love. May 09, 2025 The congregation touching the image of the Divine Mercy PENANG: With devotion, hope, and enthusiasm, they walked through the main streets of Jalan Kenari, Sungai Ara, undaunted by the blazing sun as they proclaimed Jesus' mercy and bore witness to His boundless love. The Divine Mercy Sunday procession through the neighbourhood surrounding the Church of Divine Mercy marked the joyful culmination of the parish's annual Feast Day and weeklong baptised parishioner Eric shared his experience: 'Being involved for the first time as a Divine Mercy image bearer, I naturally found it heavy at first. But it made me reflect on how much heavier it must have been for Jesus to carry the weight of our sins on His shoulders. As the procession continued, it truly felt as though the Lord was carrying it with us. We were all filled with joy and felt truly blessed.'The Feast began on a gentle note with the nine-day Novena starting on Good Friday, gradually building in spiritual momentum through the joyous celebration of Easter and culminating with great fervour on Divine Mercy Sunday. On Easter Monday, the Church was struck by sorrow with the passing of its chief shepherd, the beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis, a true disciple of Divine Mercy, whose death was mourned by the faithful around the honour of the late Holy Father, each day of the Divine Mercy Novena Masses included special prayers for his soul. A table bearing his image and a lit candle was placed beside the altar as a tribute to his life, legacy, and unwavering witness to Divine alignment with the Universal Church's milestone Jubilee Year theme, Pilgrims of Hope, celebrated by over a billion Catholics worldwide, the parish adopted the theme: Divine Mercy: Inspiring Hope Against All Hope, taken from the final verse of the Litany of Divine Praises. Throughout the week, the main celebrant, Fr Raymond Raj, expounded on daily Mass themes that reflected the core elements of the Jubilee. These included: (i) Be Awakened: Pilgrims of Hope, (ii) Be Healed: Hope through Reconciliation, (iii) Be Nourished: Hope in the Eucharist, (iv) Be United: Hope in the Gospel, and (v) Be Other-Centred: Missionaries of it down, Fr Raymond shared, 'The words mercy and hope are inseparable. The Feast of Divine Mercy invites us to reflect on and embrace the virtues of hope and mercy toward one another. I hope and pray that this feast has inspired the faithful to become instruments of God's love and mercy.'Throughout the week, various parish ministries organised activities based on the daily Novena intentions, helping devotees fully embrace the teachings of Divine Mercy. On Divine Mercy Monday, the congregation paused between decades of the Chaplet to pray for those yet to know God, reflecting the group whom Jesus instructed St Faustina, the 'Apostle of Mercy,' to bring to 'His ocean of mercy.'On Tuesday, each decade of the Chaplet was prayed for those separated from the Church. Short audio clips of individuals who feel alienated, representing groups such as divorcees, LGBTQ individuals, migrants, parents of special needs children, and those with mental health challenges, were interspersed between each decade. This helped bring the plight of marginalised groups to life, making their struggles more real and saw many families bringing their children for a special blessing, as the church prayed for the meek and little ones. After Mass, attendees received origami hearts prepared by the Catechism classes as a token of were also encouraged to spend time in quiet adoration at the JPII Adoration Room and to write notes of thanksgiving in line with Thursday's intention for those who especially venerate God's mercy. A special blessing for the sick and elderly was offered at the end of Mass that Friday, the faithful gathered to remember their deceased loved ones, whose names were offered during Mass as part of the Novena intention for souls in Novena concluded on the ninth day with a prayer for lukewarm souls, whom Jesus said 'cause me more suffering than any other.' Over the final four days of the Novena, attendees were encouraged to pray for themselves and others struggling with a lukewarm faith, urging them to reignite and make their faith vibrant and the week's Novena Masses, attendees were given special prayer cards. When collected over six days, the cards formed an image of Divine Mercy on the reverse side. Leading up to the 3.00pm Mass on Sunday, exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament were held, along with opportunities for confession, all in preparation for the grand celebration that his inspiring weekend homilies, Bishop Bernard Paul of Malacca Johore spoke about three distinct groups of people. First, those without hope, those who have given up on life, the lost, and the aimless. Second, those with false hope, those who seek comfort in lies, half-truths, and 'build on sand.' Finally, he addressed those who hold fast to true hope, returning to the 'written word,' listening to the Holy Spirit within them, and building on a foundation of genuine shared three ways God inspires true hope in us. First, Christ-centred communities, similar to the early Christian communities, which became beacons of hope for others. Bishop Bernard encouraged us to be like little lights, guiding those in need of hope. The second way is through the 'written word.' It sustains and ignites our faith and love. The third way he mentioned is 'mercy encounters,' powerful moments of God's presence that bring deep, freeing peace. God is merciful, gentle, and forgiving. These mercy encounters transform lives, filling individuals with new purpose. Ultimately, our only true hope is Divine Mercy, the resurrected Christ — hope that never disappoints. Visitors from other parishes and even from different states, including a busload of pilgrims from Our Lady of Lourdes in Ipoh, joined in the feast day celebrations. Overwhelmed by the enthusiastic participation throughout the week, Parish priest, Fr Michael Raymond OFM Cap shared, 'Mercy is the name and the face of God.' His words perfectly captured the sense of God's abundant grace flowing freely, available for all to receive.
