HYDERABAD: Ponnada Padma from Visaka has emerged as the COWE “Pau”She”Tik” Queen and Rama Devi from Warangal and T Sridevi from Karimnagar secured second and third places respectively at the finals of the unique Cooking Contest called “PAU”SHE”TIK.

The cooking competitions were held at the Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition at DD Colony, Vidyanagar in Hyderabad on October 16, 2022. The results were declared on October 17, 2022, and the winners have felicitated the distributed prizes at a function organised especially for this purpose on Monday at Hotel Tourism Plaza, Greenlands.

The contest is an initiative of the Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs of India (COWE) and the Hands in Hospitality Chef’s Association. Twenty-four winners from eight preliminary contests held across two Telugu States at Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Nellore, Vishakhapatnam, Karimnagar, Warangal, Nizamabad and Jadcherla/Mahboobnagar competed in the finals.

These twenty women, mostly homemakers aged between 35 to 65 reach finals competing with 720 women. They were given two hours’ time to cook three dishes-Starter, One Main-course dish and a dessert.

Five member judges panel tasted the food and judged based on health ingredients used to cook, presentation, cleanliness, least amount of wastage and other parameters.

Madhu Tyagi, COWE (Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs of India ) National President, Jyotsna, COWE Telangana state president were present.

Older women proved their mettle over younger women. The beauty of the contest was the fusion food. The old participants cooked old-type dishes in modern trends in terms of ingredients, cooking methods and presentation observed a chef Chinnam Raju of HIHCA.

Unnecessary food waste has been an issue always. But this time it is observed that they had the least wastage, which is a great performance said Chefs Raju and Srinivas, who were also part of the judging panel.

It is a two-month-long contest. The preliminary rounds of the competitions were held in four cities each of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Three toppers from each city were selected for finals.

Prior to the finals, a workshop for the participants was organised in the morning. In the afternoon. they had a live kitchen where they cooked their food.

It is a unique Cookery Contest with the purpose to spot rural women with entrepreneurial aspirations, shared Jyotsna, President, of COWE Telangana. The route chosen was a cookery contest. Through these contests, COWE and its partners tried to spot talent in rural women with entrepreneurial aspirations and subsequently, COWE will put in efforts to turn those rural women into food entrepreneurs.

The Hyderabad-based, home-grown national body of women entrepreneurs, the Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs of India (COWE) aims to turn 25 rural women into food entrepreneurs through their novel initiative called “PAU”SHE”TIK Cooking competition”, titled “Mera Swad Mera Swaasth”.

About 720 rural women participated in these contests. 35% of these women will be converted into women entrepreneurs in near future, COWE informed.