MUMBAI: Cooking doesn’t get tougher than this! FOODFOOD Pro an initiative of FOODFOOD, India's premier 24x7 Food and Lifestyle channel is proud to announce an intense and exciting eleven - episode series, VEEBA COOK-OFF, a challenge, that is purely ‘By the Professionals and For the Professionals'. This high-octane 30-minute show will be a pure adrenaline rush for cooking enthusiasts.

The objective is to find the best chefs for India's hotel and restaurant industry. The contestants will have to beat-off their peers in an extremely tough competition by sheer creativity, skills and a determination that seriously pushes them to their culinary limits. The winner will be selected on the basis of Talent, Technique and Taste.

What sets apart ‘Veeba Cook-Off’ from regular cooking shows is that there will be a winner in every episode as opposed to a single one every season. Each episode will feature a new set of young and talented to-be-chefs picked, after an intense talent search, from across India’s most prestigious culinary schools and they will be competing with each other.

The judges are India’s leading authority on food, Padmashri awardee Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and popular host of Mummy ka Magic show, Amrita Raichand. Joining Sanjeev and Amrita on different episodes as judges include Perizaad Zorabian, Sharad Kelkar, Kunal Vijaykar, Hariharan, Anurag Katriar (Owner of Degustibus), Renuka Shahane, Rajesh Bharadwaj (owner of Junoon, An 8 time Michelin starred restaurant in New York).

Speaking about the new series, Sanjeev Kapoor said, “The concept of Veeba Cook Off is the first-ever in India, with a twist to regular cooking competitions. A real cooking show that is ‘Of the chefs, For the chefs’, it has professionally trained Trainee Chefs competing who would be absorbed by the industry soon. The series will test skill, commitment and their ability to cook and innovate the very best food at the highest end of the culinary spectrum in a limited time.” 

Sanjeev further added, “The twist is secret ingredients, innovative recipes, quick action and a heart filled with desire to beat the challenge. Cooking, for me, is definitely more than a job, it's a way of life! I love to pass on knowledge to young chefs and what better than to devise a series that gets them to compete, be under scrutiny and learn from India's best Chefs."

Speaking about the association, Veeba, Founder and Managing Director, Viraj Bahl said, “Our strong focus on innovation and our obsession to bring out only the best, led to our partnership with FOODFOOD to present a one-of-its-kind cookery show, Veeba Cook Off. Indian Chefs are becoming a force to reckon with globally and we are hopeful that under Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s guidance and mentorship, we will be able to discover fresh talent who will go on to become game changers in the food industry.”

Daawat, CEO, Vivek Chandra said, “With Chef Sanjeev Kapoor as Daawat brand’s ambassador, for almost a decade, Daawat has always been very close to the Food Service fraternity. Young Chefs are the future of our Food Service industry and they should be given enough platforms to succeed. Participation in this show is our commitment towards this endeavour.”

Tata Chemicals Ltd. stated, Head- Marketing, Consumer Product Business, Mr. Sagar Boke, "Veeba Cook Off is a platform where professional chefs are challenged to test their skill sets. Similarly, at Tata Sampann, we challenge ourselves to provide foods that are nourishing, wholesome and retain their natural goodness & taste. We continuously strive to innovate on the delivery formats, minimise processing & offer wholesome food products.”