MAM
Sunrise Spices launches ‘The Lost Recipe’ in Assam
Heritage cooking contest revives forgotten North East flavours, Nilakhi Duarah wins with Magur and Dry Bamboo Shoot dish.
MUMBAI: India’s culinary past just got a tasty revival and it’s proving that some recipes are too good to stay lost in grandma’s notebook. ITC Sunrise Spices has rolled out The Lost Recipe, a first-of-its-kind heritage cooking competition in Assam dedicated to unearthing and celebrating forgotten flavours of the North East. More than 100 passionate home cooks and food enthusiasts took part, not just sharing dishes but the personal stories, family memories, and cultural threads woven into each one.
True to the ‘Old is Gold’ ethos, participants dusted off age-old techniques slow cooking over wood fires, delicate smoking methods, intricate spice layering and turned them into refined plates that honoured tradition while feeling fresh and gourmet. The dishes were judged by an expert panel led by celebrated Assamese chef and culinary revivalist Atul Lahkar, whose lifelong mission to preserve regional foodways gave the contest real weight and authenticity.
Among 36 top finalists, Nilakhi Duarah took the crown for her soulful Magur with Dry Bamboo Shoot. Runners-up were Mrigakshi Das (Dokhra Khar with Small Fish/Kholihona) and Borsha Bhorali (Mankochu Guri with Masor Anja), each lauded for exceptional authenticity and storytelling through food.
Winners walked away with chef jackets, designer aprons, trophies, framed certificates, a feature in The Lost Recipe commemorative book, a 3-month certificate course from Only Chef – The School of Culinary Arts, plus exclusive ITC Sunrise gift hampers.
ITC Ltd., business head of sunrise spices Piyush Mishra said, “Sunrise Spices has always stood for culture, purity and a deep respect for regional culinary traditions. The Lost Recipe is a heartfelt tribute to North East India’s shared gastronomic soul.”
Chef Atul Lahkar added, “This initiative is more than a cooking competition. It is a tribute to our collective culinary memory. Many of these dishes carry stories of migration, resilience, and cultural exchange.”
Conceptualised by Only Chef The School of Culinary Arts, the initiative aligns with Sunrise Spices’ long-standing push to champion heritage recipes and time-honoured techniques. In a world chasing the next food trend, The Lost Recipe quietly reminds us that the most flavourful discoveries often come from looking back before the next bite disappears forever.
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
