The Social Kitchen - the Bangalore episode

As the sun set and the clock struck 6:30 on Friday evening of 23rd February 2018, one could see the Nolte Studio in Koramangala Bangalore filled with the buzz. The IIID (Institute of Indian Interior Designers) Bangalore in association with Nolte organised 'The Social Kitchen', an event filled with spirited discussions, amazing insights, and fun around the kitchen.

Chef Manu Chandra (left), Architect Gayathri Shetty (centre), and Architect Sandeep Khosla (right)

Just as the crowd settled with a drink and sumptuous food, they braced themselves for an insightful presentation on 'Evolution of Kitchens'. Architect Gunjan Das gave a presentation on how kitchens have evolved from the traditional setting which allowed only the close family to enter and considered it as a sacred place opposed to the modern kitchens where the kitchen has become a social gathering for family and friends. The presentation also threw light on the kitchen designs wherein the traditional kitchens were a closed place as opposed to the modern kitchen like Nolte which has an island and an open kitchen design. The open kitchen allows one to share thoughts, ideas, and indulge in meaningful conversations.

A beautiful presentation by Architect Gunjan Das

After the sweet and short presentation, the crowd was led to the Neo kitchen where the sizzling conversations began. "On the Grill", was the second session where Celebrity Chef Manu Chandra and Architect Sandeep Khosla spoke about ideas around the kitchen. Architect Gayatri Shetty was the coordinator and was able to get some amazing kitchen stories from Manu's and Sandeep's lives.

Sizzling conversations

Manu's thoughts on the social kitchen:
Manu Chandra said that "Just as habits evolve, even food evolves and so does a kitchen. Nowadays people want warmer and more engaging spaces and the modern kitchen meets these demands. With technology, the kitchen has solved functionality to a great extent with the ease of cooking and storage. I have always been of the opinion that kitchen is the heart of the house and even from a design philosophy aspect it is becoming the heart of the house. And, people want to gather around the kitchen. I grew up around a kitchen and suddenly there was a time when the ethos disappeared and it has come back in a very strong way. And the design is actually leading it. It is amazing how design can dictate the way families interact and come together. That's really what we want, we want everyone to come back together and a well-designed kitchen facilitates that."

The chef shares his experiences

Sandeep's thoughts on the social kitchen:
"From the design perspective kitchen has come front from the back of the house. Today, we see that modern kitchens have nuclear families interacting, kids doing their homework in the kitchen, cooking happening on weekends, space has become collaborative. With music around the kitchen has become a therapeutic place to cook, plus offices have kitchens and it has developed into a place to socialise." Being an architect himself, Sandeep shared his ideas on what future kitchens would be like. He said, "In future, we may have refrigerators displaying recipes, or telling the weather forecast. We would also be talking to the fridge in the next decade just like how we talk to Alexa the intelligent personal assistant developed by Amazon. Ordering grocery would be easy with smart technology which is going to stay."

The architect shares his point of view

The session was interactive with the audience being asked to give out some whacky ideas for a kitchen design. The audience actively participated sharing their thoughts.

The Stage for the event

The event ended with Stand-Up Comedian - Satish Perumal tickling the funny bones of the audience with his act on “Entertainment in the Kitchen”.

The funny man kept the audience alive

There was much laughter to spread all around. And of course, conversations, cuisine, and merriment.