Festival of Food in Cultural Discourse
Kulam, meaning community in Malayalam, is a celebration where food takes centre stage as a source of creativity, conversation, and connection.
Over two days, the festival brings together artists, writers, and thinkers from across Kerala and beyond to explore food’s many meanings, from recipes to resistance, from land to language, it becomes the thread that weaves together diverse stories and shared experiences.
KULAM looks forward to a shared future, one shaped by the work of cultural practitioners who see the arts as a civic space - a way not just to imagine but to build more inclusive worlds. It calls on institutions to uphold shared values over economic imperatives and to centre the collective dimensions of human experience.
Video HD - 2017
Time : 6 min 34
Esmeralda Da Costa 2017
KULAM Team 2026
- Dr Tanya Abraham
- Asher Ali
- Riya Francis
- Anaanya Esther Paul
- Akanksha patel
- Veena Suresh
- Pooja Manoj
- Darsana R Nair
- Ameena Parveen C
- Sneha Rita Sebastian
- Joanna Maria George
- Diya Sarah
- Ansa P
- Sreya Sreejith Nair
- Gopikrishna G
- Bollu Vyshnavi
- Karthikeya Konda
- Meenakshi Priyesh
- Aakash Suresh Menon
Festival Statement
Discussions
Workshops
Performances
Community Tables
Food tasting
Music
Schedule
Participants
ZERITA ROCHA
Zerita Rocha is the owner and executive chef of Rochas Café & Bistro, where her work centres on reviving inherited food traditions through contemporary restaurant practice in Kochi.
SHOBA GEORGE
Shoba George is a cultural travel curator who, through her platform The Extra Mile, bridges craftsmanship, scholarship, and sustainable tourism to create thoughtfully researched and community-centred experiences.
ELIZABETH JACOB
Elizabeth Jacob is a food entrepreneur whose work focuses on practical innovation, scalable food solutions, and adapting traditional cooking practices to contemporary industry needs. Through brands such as Curry Mate, she addresses industry challenges like consistency and labour shortages by developing ready-to-use culinary solutions that balance convenience with authentic taste.
NIMMY PAUL
Nimmy Paul is a Kochi-based culinary educator and cultural ambassador whose practice connects heritage, pedagogy, and lived food traditions in Kerala. Her work centres on preserving regional food knowledge, emphasizing authentic techniques, local ingredients, and the intimate hospitality that shapes culinary memory and cultural exchange.
ANN DOMINIC
Ann Dominic is an illustrator and artist whose work brings together food, memory, and community archiving through the K Collective. The initiative centres on preserving intergenerational culinary knowledge and sustaining community memory through shared practice.
Dr. TANYA ABRAHAM
Dr. Tanya Abraham is a curator, author, cultural historian and the founder of the award-winning NGO The Art Outreach Society, whose practice bridges contemporary art, community engagement, and the documentation of Kerala’s artistic and culinary heritage. She is also the Senior Fellow for the creative sector at the Kerala Start Up Mission, Govt of Kerala.
MICHAEL DOMINIC
Michael Dominic is a hospitality leader whose work advances eco-conscious tourism, heritage-sensitive development, and long-term vision within India’s travel and wellness sectors. He is the CEO of CGH Earth and a key figure in shaping India’s responsible tourism movement.
JOHANN KURUVILLA
Johann Kuruvilla is a heritage storyteller and travel professional whose work centres on public history, narrative experience, and the preservation of urban memory. He is the founder of the Kochi Heritage Project, an initiative dedicated to documenting and sharing Kochi’s layered histories.
RENUKA BALA
Renuka Bala is the fifth-generation custodian of Mambally’s Royal Biscuit Factory and a former corporate leader whose practice bridges heritage preservation with strategic innovation. Her work brings together wood-fired baking traditions, family legacy, and contemporary brand leadership to position a historic institution within a modern global context.
PRITI VADAKKATH
Priti Vadakkath is a visual artist whose practice engages caregiving, ecology, and interdependent coexistence. Drawing from lived experiences of motherhood and sustained research into plant life—particularly epiphytes—her work reflects on non-parasitic relationships, resilience, and the fragile balance between nature and human systems.
ARUN VARMA
Arun Varma is a sound designer and production sound mixer with over fifteen years of experience across multiple Indian film industries, focusing on the relationship between sound, storytelling, and lived cultural memory.
KAVITHA BALAKRISHNAN
Kavitha Balakrishnan is an art critic, poet, curator, and lecturer in Art History and Aesthetics at the Government College of Fine Arts, Thrissur, whose work bridges scholarship, creative writing, and exhibition practice.
SUDHA PADMAJA FRANCIS
Sudha Padmaja Francis is a Kerala-based filmmaker, researcher, and poet whose practice bridges cinematic storytelling, visual experimentation, and literary expression.
Dr. REENA CHERIAN
Dr. Reena M. Cherian is an educator and author whose practice connects social research, community intervention, and reflective storytelling, including her book Juxtaposed: Seven Stories of Adoption.
KANCHANA K V
KV Kanchana is a cultural entrepreneurship leader based in Bangalore, working to strengthen Indian cultural brands and sustainable creative economies through ecosystem-building and strategic development. She currently works as the CEO of Network of Indian Cultural Entrepreneurs.
SHIHAB KUNHAHAMMED
Shihab Kunhahammed is an ecological practitioner and food forest designer with over 20 years of experience working with land-based systems. He has helped build food forests across seven states in India and has been involved in international ecological projects, bringing grounded, experience-led insights into sustainable farming and human–nature relationships.
ANUBHA GEORGE
Anubha George is a Kochi-based editor with the BBC who writes on Kerala’s culture and contemporary life. Her work and workshops focus on journalistic voice, storytelling strategies, and ideation for making narratives resonate with wider audiences.
TSARINA ABRAO VACHA
Tsarina Vacha is a fifth-generation baker rooted in Kochi’s culinary heritage. Growing up immersed in Rozario’s operations until its 1988 closure, she now runs tsaDOUGH while writing for Goya Journal on local food cultures like Fort Kochi’s “Dish Banquets” and Cutchi Memon traditions.She was a Top 40 MasterChef India (Season 8) contestant and speaks on regional culinary panels.
SURESH KUMAR G
Suresh Samua is an artist and community practitioner from the agrarian region of Sarjapura, near Bengaluru, whose work brings together farming, ritual, and cultural continuity. Rooted in lived agricultural practice, he leads the community farming initiative Sarjapura Curries, focused on reviving local food traditions and collective cultivation. His engagement with food extends into the study of ritual practices, particularly mourning and death rites, where he reflects on how culinary customs remain resistant to hybridity and serve as enduring markers of community memory and social structure.
NADIA RUSSEL KISSON
Nadia Russell Kissoon is a visual artist specializing in socially engaged, contextual art via L’Agence Créative, which she founded to foster creative agency. Her practice emphasizes care, robustness, and ecosophy, using relational aesthetics to build cooperative ecosystems that repair and regenerate through community, living organisms, and environments.
ARMAAN ESSA
Armaan is a 21-year-old chef based in Kochi. He designs and hosts intimate, idea-driven dining experiences that sit somewhere between food and art. His work explores micro-Indian cuisines, forgotten food stories, and contemporary experimentation through tasting menus that feel personal and narrative-driven. He is interested in how a meal can become a cherished memory and how a table can transform into a shared experience, rather than just a dinner.
Dr. PRIYA K NAIR
Priya is an Associate Professor of English at St Teresa’s College and a former Research Officer at the Kerala State Higher Education Council. She holds a PhD from Kannur University and is a recognized research guide at MG University. An acclaimed translator, she has translated major Malayalam works into English, including Francis Itty Cora, Sugandhi Alias Andal Devanayaki (DSC Prize longlist), and Dead Men Tell Tales, published by leading international presses.
RIYA FRANCIS
Riya Francis is a multi-hyphenate designer working at the intersection of materials, community, and speculative futures. With a background in Industrial Design and an MA in Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures from UAL, her practice focuses on participatory workshops, material storytelling, and tools for collective reflection.
DR. INDU MENON
Dr Indu Menon is a Malayalam writer and anthropologist whose work examines the intersections of literature, gender, marginality, and lived cultural realities. Her writing reflects sustained engagement with feminist thought, tribal histories, and the social structures that shape identity and belonging. Alongside her literary practice, her academic research in anthropology informs a body of work that moves between creative expression and critical inquiry, situating narrative as a space where power, memory, and social transformation are continuously negotiated.
RIYAS KOMU
Riyas Komu is an artist and curator whose practice engages with war, migration, displacement, constitutional thought, and collective memory through painting, sculpture, installation, and moving image. He is the ideator of the Kochi–Muziris Biennale and co-founder of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, where he helped shape the biennale as a multidisciplinary public and educational platform. His work situates art as a site of political reflection, cultural dialogue, and historical inquiry. He currently serves as Artistic Director of Ishara House and Aazhi Archives.
Sooraj Nambiar
Sooraj Nambiar is a renowned Koodiyattam artist, actor, and acting trainer trained under Ammannur Madhava Chakyar and Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar, and mentored by Guru G. Venu. A recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2009) and the Kerala Kalamandalam Award (2023), he has performed widely at national and international festivals. He is the co-founder and artistic director of Tripudi — An Acting Laboratory and a visiting faculty at several theatre institutions.
DR . PARVATHY NAIR
Dr. Parvathy Nair is an Assistant Professor of English at Jain (Deemed-to-be) University, Kochi. An avid art enthusiast and food lover, she is passionate about exploring intersections of literature, gender, and culture. Her interests include women and gender studies, making her a dynamic voice in contemporary academic discourse.
LATHIKA GEORGE
Lathika George is a landscape designer, organic gardener, and environmental practitioner based in South India. She is the author of The Suriani Kitchen (republished as The Kerala Kitchen) and Mother Earth, Sister Seed: Travels Through India’s Farmlands. Her writing engages food, sustainable agriculture, and ecology, and she is actively involved in community and conservation initiatives in the Palani Hills.
VRINDA VARMA
Dr. Vrinda Varma is an academic with over a decade of experience in higher education and currently serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the National Institute of Technology Calicut. Her research areas include food and gender studies, translation studies, and memory studies. She is also a practicing translator, having translated works such as the Panchatantra and Aithihyamala into English. She was the recipient of the PEN/Heim Translation Grant in 2024 for her translation of S. Girish Kumar’s Alingam and was a Fulbright Nehru Doctoral Fellow at Boston University in 2016.
Vinod Kumar MM
Ar Vinod Kumar MM is the Director, DD Architects, from Thrissur, Kerala. He has experience of more than 20 years across Ahmedabad, Kuala Lumpur, and Kerala since his graduation from BMS, Bangalore. dd Architects has been involved in projects that range from Conservation, Eco designs, Urban Interventions, and smaller works like Residences, etc. Organically formed and constantly evolving, the studio aspires to experiment and innovate while creating meaningful solutions.
Sulochana
Sulochana, a tribal cuisine expert, belongs to the Kanikkar community residing in the southernmost regions near Agasthyarkoodam. Her diverse cooking knowledge and long experience make her culinary world unique. She has been practicing this culinary art for over 25 years, presenting her work across various platforms. She has been part of events such as Nirdhi, the National Tribal Congress, Gadhika, several international congresses, seminars, food exhibitions, and food festivals. She is also skilled in traditional Kanikkar music and art forms.
KARTHIKEYAN SELVARAJ
Karthikeyan Selvaraj is a former Executive Chef with the Taj Hotels, bringing over 17 years of experience shaping flavours and crafting stories in professional kitchens. Beyond the pass, he is a chef, content creator, and storyteller on a mission to make cooking an essential life skill, accessible, joyful, and meaningful for everyone.
GR INDUGOPAN
G.R. Indugopan is one of the most widely read authors in contemporary Malayalam literature, with over thirty books across various genres. A former journalist, biographer, and screenplay writer with the most literary works adapted into films in Malayalam cinema. He is the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award winner for the best novel of last year.
ALEX JO
Alex Jo is a food curator, tourism host, influencer and a trusted food explorer. Since 2018, he has been uncovering premium cafés, food destinations, travel experiences, hidden gems and their stories behind them through his page eatlikejo and food columns.
EBBIN JOSE
Ebbin Jose is a content creator and motivational speaker with a background in community development and cross-cultural work across Nepal, the Maldives, and Africa. He brings a rich worldview to his storytelling around travel, culture, and food, inspiring audiences through journeys that go far beyond the screen.
TEENU TERRENCE
Teenu Terrence is a food writer and content curator, as well as the founder of Let’s Talk Food, a platform that focuses on documenting food entrepreneurs and local food movements. Through digital storytelling, curated brand collaborations, and community engagement, her work highlights regional food cultures, everyday culinary memory, and the evolving language of food in online spaces.
ANTONY JOSE
Antony Jose is the Coordinating Editor at Malayala Manorama, Malappuram Unit, with over three decades of experience in journalism, having covered one Cricket World Cup and four Football World Cups. A football and gastronomy writer by trade, he is equally a self-taught home cook at heart, specializing in the coastal cuisine of Kochi with a deep-rooted Portuguese culinary influence, a true culinary journalist who tells stories with both words and flavours.
SUMAIYA MUSTAFA
Sumaiya Mustafa is a writer and culinary ethnographer. Her pieces on cultures, tastes, and visual representations of both have been published across platforms. She is a grantee of Serendipity Arts Foundation's Food Matters Grant in 2024.
JOBIN JOHN
An ITES professional with an unwavering love for food. Have been passionate about trying different cuisines from a young age, and stepped into blogging almost 10 years ago.
ARUN JOSE V
An electrical engineer working as a Key Account Manager by profession, but a foodie and storyteller at heart since childhood. His curiosity for new experiences—especially around food—led him to start capturing and sharing the stories behind the cuisines that interest him, a journey that has now been part of his life for almost ten years.
ANTISHA ANN
Antisha Ann Mathew is a chef, entrepreneur, content creator, and anchor, holding a BHM degree from Christ University, Bangalore. Since 2020, she has been running The Amateur Chef cloud kitchen, turning her passion for food into a flourishing culinary venture.
Jeejo John
Jeejo John is a Special Correspondent at Malayala Manorama’s Kochi Bureau and has been part of the editorial team since 1997, specializing in investigative journalism and trial court reporting. He is a recipient of the 2015 Ramnath Goenka National Journalism Award, the 2020 Malayala Manorama Chief Editor’s Gold Medal, and the 2024 Dr. Mangalam Swaminathan Foundation National Media Award. He also serves as a visiting faculty member at the Kerala Media Academy and MASCOM School of Journalism.
The Cochin Club
The Cochin Club was built in 1914 in British Cochin exclusively for the English community. Today, it remains a distinctive landmark in Fort Kochi’s historic landscape, reflecting a unique architectural style shaped by colonial influence. Each part of the club has been thoughtfully woven together to create a rich cultural experience through Kulam, bringing communities and people together to celebrate history and heritage through the lens of food.
Volunteer
Join Us as a Volunteer!
Are you passionate about culture and eager to gain hands-on experience in festival making or event planning? We're looking for enthusiastic volunteers who are committed, responsible, and ready to be part of an exciting journey.
Eligibility:
- Must be 18 years or older
- Dedicated and responsible with a strong sense of commitment
What We Offer:
- Real-world experience in organizing cultural events and festivals
- A chance to work with a passionate and creative team
- A certificate of participation upon successful completion of the volunteering period
- Be a part of something vibrant and meaningful—contribute to the making of unforgettable cultural experiences!
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