A rainy Sunday did not dampen spirits as the first Sunny Side Up Food and Fitness Festival catered to the foodies and fitness freaks with complete enthusiasm. Here is what The Sherp has to say about the fest.
Held at Cooperage in Churchgate, the event was initially supposed to be held in the outdoors. But rain forced them to move indoors into a slightly smaller set-up. Things got a little cramped, but not to a point of suffocation. Special mention here though, they did carry on their activities just as planned in whatever little space was made available to them.
2. The staff made themselves available:
We cannot complain about that; the staff went out of their way to ensure people did not face even the slightest inconvenience. They even actively participated in the workshops taking place and egged people to come forward and join them. Kudos you guys.
3. Workshops were open to young and old:
The Sherp ended up missing a few workshops thanks to bad weather, but we did manage to catch three in the running. Β Studio 23 helped kids mix fun and fitness together, while Atul Ingleβs Fit Swag encouragedΒ people across ages to come and dance their way to fitness. Karishma Sakhraniβs cooking demonstration showed us how everyday food could be substituted with healthy alternatives. People did not shy away from participation, which was a definite plus. Fitness volunteers also took the effort to walk around the venue and interact with people. The Sherp might actually take upΒ one such offer. Shout out here to UACTIV.
4. Limited food options:
With a variety of fat-free, low cal and health food made available, The Sherp definitely wished there was more that could have been offered from every stall. Hungry, that we were, there wasnβt much for us to choose from at most stalls.
Bela Gupta impressed us the most with her venture Herbivore that, as the name says, caters to vegetarian food. We asked her for the lightest option and she offered the Japanese Shoyu Ramen Bowl. We dig, we really dig. If we could, we would have gone for the Mexican Chipotle Bowl too.
The other stall that kept us happy was Cool Story. We were impressed with Venkateshβs cool approach towards his customers. He was chatty and friendly; it was enough to draw people to the stall. We opted for the Classic Coffee Fratte with a dollop of chocolate. Two thumbs up there. The healthy angle here though was the Fratte bowls which could be your best substitute for a boring breakfast.
Green Gusto turned out to be the real crowd puller. As we spoke about the lack of tummy-filling food options at the venue, it wasnβt surprising that people were making head and tail for these delicious Nachos. They were crackling with every bite and just as delicious. Not entirely healthy with the cheese, but the tortillas were maida-free. We were sold.
Our next stop was Organic Farmers Co. With a menu ranging with dishes made from quinoa, it took traditional meals and gave them a quinoa filling. We opted for the Quinoa Falafel and topped it up with Momo Foku mixed with quinoa and spinach.
8 food offered healthy sandwiches with fillings we hadnβt tasted together before. Starting with the Souperfood Sandwich, we were treated to a mix of avocado and beetroot. You might cringe, but trust us, it was quite nice. Post this we opted for the Coronation Sandwich. Owing to the lack of non-veg food available at the venue, the Coronation Sandwich gave us our chicken fix.
For our last stop, we made our way to Kokos Natural for some healthy dessert options. Anuja gave us a short explanation on how her products are 100% organic, with the salt being sourced from the Himalayas, coconut sugar that carries a sweetness similar to cane sugar and gluten-free raw banana flour. We sampled a Chocolate Chip Cookie and Gluten-free Brownie made from their ingredients, and were quite impressed with the outcome.
Overall, Sunny Side Up would have garnered a lot more footfalls if not for bad weather. But we think they were lucky considering they could have served up a lot more for people who were bound to get hungry after a good workout. Overall, the initiative stuck to what it promised to offer, which we think is a good thing.