Syro Malabar food fest gets multicultural community together

Food, dance and tug of war were the highlights of the Fun and Food Extravaganza 2017 held on Saturday, April 22 at Malaeola Samoan Convention Centre in Mangere. More than 4,000 people turned up at the event to taste the delicacies of the Pacific, Indian, South Asian and Kiwi cuisines.

Organised for the second time in two years, the food carnival was a successful idea by the Syro Malabar Catholic Mission of Auckland that witnessed people travelling from Whangarei, Hamilton and Rotorua to participate in the event.

The event commenced with a welcome dance and followed by a number of cultural performances by different ethnic groups. A total of 12-food counters stalled at the large ground adjacent to the community hall offered various delicacies with fervour of their culture.

Taste of Philippine, China, Samoa, South and North India, Malaysia and many other cuisines were presented to the visitors.

Drums of Pacific, Indonesian group, the popular Aaja Nachle group of Auckland, the Syro Malabar Youth group, Salsa performers, and Padma Indian classical were some of the 13 groups who dazzled the event.

The Tashi Drums, fusion performance by Bollywood Bhangra, Samoan Youth dance, and a live performance by community member Ravi Mathunikam added to the beauty of the food extravaganza.

"There is a cause behind organising this event, as a community we want a community centre and get the multicultural community to come together and enjoy the weekend under one roof,” Joby Cyriac, convenor of the Syro Malabar Catholic Mission said.

The enthusiasm of the community members was evident in the much-awaited tug of war that was held towards the afternoon. The highlight of the fun and food extravaganza drew the attention of hundreds of visitors when three teams competed for the title. The teams of seven players each team namely Pala Brothers, Gardener Avenue and KCANZ competed against each other with Pala Brothers winning the finals.

The cultural program continued after the tug of war, and the visitors crowded the food stalls again to serve their taste buds.

“The response we have received today is incredible; people have had a great family time today, children enjoyed the fun rides, and others enjoyed the food presented to them,” Blessen M Jose, a member of the organising committee said.