CONSULTANCY

- books. curation. workshops -

writing

Everyone has a book within them. Whether it's a collection of anecdotes, a fireside tale full of memory and flavour, a family history
of food or something else entirely, it is within your grasp.

Nicole has written two cookbooks. 'Flavours of Kala Ghoda' - a book inspired by her five years as the curator of the food section at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival released in 2016. And the memoir-style cookbook 'From the table of Mary S. Narielwala - A Perspective on Parsi Cooking' - an ode to the Narielwala family and their cooking style from the 1950s and 1960s and released in 2019.

Nicole uses her expertise to hone that idea within you, draw out your creativity, and help shape it into a book. This involves:

  • Finding and developing a theme for your cookbook
  • Sourcing materials, shaping your stories and creating a structure
  • Finding your voice and designing an easy interface
  • Sequencing text, ensuring a pattern, continuity, and readability
  • Titling and subtitling chapters
  • Generating an index, glossary, ingredient sources, and other garnishes for the reader
  • Supervision for a first draft
  • Editing, or even ghostwriting
  • Fine-tuning & marketing suggestions
  • Book design suggestions

food curation & festivals

Food curation is more than just the art of satiating taste buds; it takes people on a journey through food. It requires recognising and respecting different flavour profiles and their appeal to diverse audiences. It is food that comes together to celebrate everyone’s palate on a plate. Nicole has been at the helm of curation for food festivals and events since 2012.

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival

In her role as curatorial director of Mumbai's largest street festival, Nicole has brought together the city's most revered chefs, emerging local and national talent, and people from different parts of the country since early 2012. With food stalls that showcased the best of regional and international cuisine, she created a platform that popularised local talent and created a food festival that has become indelibly linked to everyone who celebrates it.

India Bike Week

The only prerequisites when you hit the streets are your mean-machine and good food. Nicole curated plates as adventurous as the community they served. Ones that matched the adrenaline, the zest, and the adventure of India Bike Week, bringing together local Goan food and a fusion of other delights.

X Food Festival

Thirty of the best chefs, restaurateurs, and home cooks from across the country came together to pay homage to the wide array of flavours that make up the Indian plate. Nicole headed the advisory board at the Isuzu X food Festival (owned by 70EMG), curating with Chef Michael Swamy, food celebrity Kunal Vijayakar, and food author and historian Tara Deshpande.

food workshops

As a storyteller, Nicole loves the narrative of flavours as much as she admires the art of it; a workshop is not just about the recipe but also the story behind it. Comida World workshops focus on planning and preparing dishes while also providing a perspective on where those dishes come from and what they represent.

Nicole began hosting paid food workshops with her cousin Roxanne in 2013 and has partnered with the who's who of the industry. In addition to the workshops conducted at Kala Ghoda and X Food, Nicole has also collaborated with restaurants like Neel with Chef Muqtar Qureshi, Woodside Inn, White Owl, Studio Le 15, Fantasie Fine Chocolate with Zeba Kohli, and Aashiyana Shroff of Tart.

Nicole sometimes says she has prawn curry running in her veins, the love for which is only matched by her love for deep-diving into various cuisines and taking the whole class with her. In the last few years, she has conducted several online workshops and discussions on Parsi food, most notably for Delhi Food Walks, Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, and INDUS. Nicole has also given an overview of Parsi cuisine to the students at Symbiosis College, Pune and WGSHA Manipal on their own food media platform. She has conducted online sessions for Westside Gourmet and Westside stores as well.