India’s largest hospitality company Indian Hotels Company Limited’s (IHCL) iconic brand Taj has added another feather to its hat. Taj has earned the titles of ‘World’s Strongest Hotel Brand’ and ‘India’s Strongest Brand’ for the second consecutive year in the ‘India 100 2022’ report by Brand Finance. To mark this achievement, the brand plans to host a series of celebratory events. The first of the series took place at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai on August 6, 2022, over a celebratory sundowner and dinner.
Titled ‘Simmering It Up’, this event was hosted at the Souk, the hotel’s Middle eastern restaurant, and it was all about old ties and good food. ‘Simmering It Up’ had a fun and interactive cookoff between Puneet Chhatwal, managing director and CEO, IHCL; Anant Goenka, executive director, The Indian Express, and Shereen Khan, managing editor, CNBC TV18. The trio tried their hands at whipping up a few Middle eastern delicacies including a Fattoush salad, a vegetable tagine, and shish taouk (chicken kebabs).
The food menu for the evening was curated by chef Amit Choudhary, executive chef at the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. Apart from the delicacies that were part of the cookoff participants, guests also got to savour ratatouille with a Moroccan twist, the restaurant’s signature rose petal ice cream, tahina crème brulee, harissa Chilean sea bass, harira lamb chops, and deconstructed ashta cheesecake.
“With travellers increasingly gravitating towards brands that not only epitomise the essence of world-class luxury but also follow responsible business practices, Taj is well poised to pave the future of hospitality. This recognition is a mark of our guests’ steadfast trust and it celebrates the indomitable spirit of our employees, who embody the legacy of the brand while bringing alive the essence of Tajness,” Puneet had said while speaking about this achievement and how it reaffirms Taj as the most acclaimed benchmark of excellence at an industry level globally.