Shimla, September 23: The Him Aanchal Chefs Association (HIMCA) will organise the Himachal Culinary and Tourism Festival 2026 at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Kufri, Shimla, on September 27 to mark World Tourism Day. The festival aims to promote Himachal Pradesh’s traditional cuisine, indigenous food practices, cultural heritage and sustainable tourism while connecting traditional knowledge with the younger generation.
The event will bring together IHM students, school students, home chefs, home bakers and culinary professionals on a common platform. Organisers said the festival is not merely a culinary competition but an initiative to encourage young people to understand the importance of local ingredients, millets, traditional cooking practices, food preservation, responsible use of natural resources and the relationship between culinary heritage, environment and tourism.
The festival will feature five competition categories. The IHM College Competition will involve a three-course menu based on millets and wild ingredients. Students of Classes IX and X will prepare and display a food item using a local ingredient, while students of Classes XI and XII will prepare a dish highlighting the use of millets. The Home Chef Competition will focus on local and traditional Himachali cuisine, with participants showcasing authentic recipes and traditional cooking techniques. The Home Baker Competition will feature live cake decoration and baking on the theme “Tourism in Himachal”, with apple as a key ingredient.
HIMCA President Chef Nand Lal Sharma has been working towards the preservation and promotion of traditional Himachali cuisine. He has recently showcased traditional Himachali cuisine at Rashtrapati Bhavan for six days and has also presented the state’s culinary heritage at platforms in Ranchi, Jharkhand, and Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
“This is not merely a competition. It is a collective reflection on how we can preserve our culture, traditions and culinary heritage, and transform the wisdom of our ancestors into living knowledge and inspiration for future generations,” Sharma said.
He said traditional Himachali communities had followed sustainable practices for generations. “Our ancestors practised sustainability without ever using the word ‘sustainability’. They respected every ingredient, avoided waste, preserved food for difficult seasons, used local resources wisely and lived in harmony with nature. Today, we need to bring that wisdom back into our kitchens and into the lives of our young generation,” he said.
Sharma said the festival would also encourage young people to understand where their food comes from and why traditional practices evolved in particular ways. “If we can transform ancestral wisdom into inspiration and everyday practice, we can put our younger generation on the right path towards a more responsible and sustainable future,” he said.
HIMCA said local grains, millets, seasonal produce, wild ingredients, traditional preservation methods and age-old recipes represent more than food, as they also reflect the history, ecology, lifestyle and cultural identity of Himachal Pradesh. The festival seeks to strengthen the connection between culinary heritage, local communities, environmental responsibility and sustainable tourism.
Home chefs and traditional Botis, who have preserved culinary knowledge in homes and communities for generations, have also extended their support to the initiative. Sharma said the festival was a collective effort rather than the achievement of an individual. “When an entire culinary community comes together with one purpose, tradition can become the foundation for the future,” he said.
The festival is being organised by HIMCA in association with the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) and the World Association of Chefs Societies (Worldchefs). The organising committee includes President Chef Nand Lal Sharma, Senior Vice Presidents Chef Rajiv Ahuja and Chef Vijay Vashisht, General Secretary Chef Surinder Kumar, Treasurer Chef Hemant Kumar, Vice Presidents Chef Pardeep Chauhan, Chef Sunil Kumar, Chef Rajneesh Malkoti, Chef Sunil Gripta, Chef Sunil Jagta, Chef Rajeev Bhardwaj and Chef Rajesh Sharma, along with Joint Secretaries Dr Chef Vaibhav Verma, Chef Kamaldeep, Chef Sanjeev Kumar, Chef Sanjeev Thakur and Chef Dhani Ram. Chef Kamal Sharma is the Advisor, Chef Vipul Sood is the Media Advisor and Chef Santosh Kumari is the Executive Member.
The association said the festival aims to create a platform for culinary education, heritage preservation, youth engagement and tourism promotion. “Our kitchens carry not only flavours, but the memory, wisdom and identity of our civilisation. Preserving that heritage and passing it to the next generation is our responsibility,” Sharma said.
