Moj, an Indian short-video app, has concluded its first-ever traditional culinary competition – Kitchen Ministers of India – with 21 winners receiving the title of State Ministers from 21 Indian states. Judged and mentored by the best in business, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Chef Ajay Chopra, the Kitchen Ministers of India campaign has been one of the most unique and successful digital cooking competitions that received an overwhelming response. The competition witnessed participation from over 1.4 lakh cooking enthusiasts who created around 8 lakh pieces of content that have garnered over 13 billion composite video plays with 137 million likes. The competition drew a significant number of home chefs and budding culinary stars from across the country.
The nationwide hunt for Kitchen Ministers of India began on February 1st on the Moj platform and went on for over a month. The aim of the competition was to scout budding home chefs from different states of India who prepared traditional delicacies from their home states. The winners for the competition were selected on the basis of their cooking skills, creative presentation, and their nuanced approach to innovating traditional dishes. The competition saw the participation of creators from diverse professional backgrounds like lecturers, engineers, tech employees, CAs, students, and homemakers who bonded over their love of food.
Commenting on the competition and its impact, Shashank Shekhar, Sr. Director Content Strategy and Operations Moj, said, “With Moj’s first pan-India mega food campaign – Kitchen Ministers of India, we wanted to give creators an opportunity to demonstrate their cooking skills through digital content creation. The response to the campaign was tremendous and substantiates the love Indians, across every region, have for food. We saw participation from people across all age groups, professions, and demographics. With this success, we will drive more focused content and competition in the culinary space and showcase all the creativity Indian home chefs have to offer.”
On mentoring the competition, Chef Ajay Chopra said, “Food is an unspoken universal language that unites everyone, and Moj virtually united an incredible pool of India’s budding home chefs from all parts of the country. I was ecstatic to be a part of Kitchen Ministers of India and judge such talented home chefs for varied Indian cuisines and recipes. While we only had one State Minister to pick from 21 states each, every entry had something unique and special to offer. I want to congratulate the winners and all the participants who showcased their cooking talents and displayed traditional delicacies from their hometowns in the best possible way. We are really proud of every single one of you for keeping your roots alive through Moj’s traditional cooking contest.”
Rajputh Prasanna from Andhra Pradesh, Apao Rakovine from Assam, Richa from Bihar, Shruti Dhawan from Chhattisgarh, Raksha Kamat from Goa, Iram from Gujarat, Malvika Hada Kumar from Haryana, Sunita Chakrabarty from Himachal Pradesh, Shreya Joshi from Jharkhand, Smita Patil from Karnataka, Sneya Arun from Kerala, Uzma Ahmad from Madhya Pradesh, Ekta Gupta from Maharashtra, Madhusmita from Odisha, Akanksha Srivastava from Punjab, Ruhani from Rajasthan, Punam Patil from Tamil Nadu, Haya K Shipra from Telangana, Shivani Sharma from Uttar Pradesh, Usha from Uttarakhand and Lisamasam Parija from West Bengal won the title of Kitchen Ministers from their respective states.
Besides the titular recognition, all 21 winners will also be recipients of vouchers worth INR 25,000 each. Apart from that, weekly titles, such as Swag Kitchen Minister, Fashionable Kitchen Minister, Chopping Kitchen Minister, Humorous Kitchen Minister, Presentable Kitchen Minister, and Cuteness Kitchen Minister, were also presented to 19 participants along with a voucher worth INR 5,000.
