September 1
Shimla: The Him Aanchal Chefs Association (HIMCA) will organise the Himachal Culinary & Tourism Festival 2026 at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Kufri, on September 27, coinciding with World Tourism Day.
The festival aims to showcase Himachal Pradesh’s culinary heritage, promote local flavours and ingredients, and provide a platform for young culinary talent while highlighting the state’s tourism potential.
A series of competitions has been planned for college students, school students and home chefs. The IHM college competition will focus on millets and wild/local ingredients, with participants required to prepare a three-course menu comprising a starter, soup, main course and dessert.
For school students in Classes 9 and 10, a cooking competition will require participants to prepare a dish using one local ingredient. Students of Classes 11 and 12 will compete in a separate category centred on the use of millets in the dish presented.
The festival will also feature a Home Chef Competition, themed around local and traditional Himachali cuisine. Participants will get an opportunity to showcase authentic dishes prepared using local ingredients and traditional techniques.
A Home Baker Competition, featuring live cake decoration and baking, will be held on the theme ‘Tourism in Himachal’. Participants will be required to use apple as a key ingredient while drawing inspiration from Himachal’s tourism landscape.
According to the organisers, the festival seeks to bring together food, culture, youth and tourism, while creating greater awareness about Himachal’s local culinary traditions and encouraging their preservation.
The detailed rule book for the competitions will be shared separately by the organisers.
