Indian Restaurant Charity Week Dinner

Varli Magazine, in association with their Diya Foundation for Children, once again brought the Indian restaurant industry together on February 11th, 2013 for a night of food, fun and glamour. The ”Indian Restaurant Charity Week Appreciation Dinner” was hosted by Rohan and Rakesh Aggarwal at their NYC restaurant, Devi. The event was Varli Magazine’s thank you to restaurateurs who participated in Charity Week (January 21st-27th) to benefit the families of the victims from the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

The evening was a foodie’s paradise with intriguing appetizers like soy wrapped within grilled eggplant. Dinner entrees ramped up the creativity with a chicken tikka lasagna that was easy on the eyes and the taste buds. However, the food was only the tip of the iceberg, as the evening also included live cooking demonstrations by Chef Walter D’Rozario and Chef Bachan Rawat of Bukhara Grill restaurant and a silent auction for VarliWare tandoor, Maya Foods basket, Alokozay Tea cases and Sufi Wines gift bags.

But of course, the highlight of the night was the announcement of the donation amounts from participating restaurants. Some of the top contributors to this fundraising event were Thali, Devi, Moghul, Mehndi, Ming, Bukhara Grill, Chola, Malai Marke, Dhaba, Raaga, Masala Times, Madras Mahal and The Masalawala restaurant. The full weight of the industry was behind this initiative as Sunil Hali of Cinemaya Media and Sudhir of Sahara TV also contributed to the cause, alongside Varli Magazine, VarliWare and their promoting partners, Bawarchi Foods & Maya Foods.

The unity of restaurateurs to help those in the community affected by this tragedy is something to be applauded and celebrated. Congratulations to Varli Magazine and the Diya Foundation for organizing this fundraising effort and achieving their goal.