Quaker Feed A Child Initiative with Vikas Khanna on World Food Day.

Quaker oats truly believes that “Ek Muthi Quaker” will change everybody’s life around us. Quaker believes in calling out everyone to donate a fistful of grains so that no soul ever goes hungry in our country. The Quaker Feed a Child Initiative carries forward this powerful thought of feeding thousands of children in India and tackling one of the gravest situations that we have at hand – Malnutrition.

Joining this noble cause and supporting it with all his heart was none other than the Nutrition Brand Ambassador for PepsiCo, Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna. He hosted a special long table brunch using oats to whip out different dishes to feed the children from Smile Foundation.

Chef Vikas Khanna was joined in this cause by Saiyami Kher, who has also been associated with Smile Foundation for a while now. Chef Vikas Khanna is one person who is as real as it gets, close knitted to his roots and he possesses the most rare quality of empathizing with fellow beings, especially children.

quaker-feed-a-child-5 — Chef Vikas Khanna & Saiyami Kher along with multiple chefs personally served food to all the children.

It was quite abundant from the way he interacted with them, fed them and also served them himself along with the help of all the other chefs who joined him in this wonderful cause. Hear it from the man himself – “Whether I am in New York or in India, it pains my heart to see news and sights of children in India who are less fortunate. The problem of hunger and malnutrition in India cannot be solved in a day, and certainly cannot be solved by one person or entity. If we all make an effort to bring a smile to even one child, I think we’ll get the true blessings we yearn for in the festivities. That’s the core of Quaker Feed a Child and I am happy to be a part of it. The brunch today marks the beginning of the initiative, and aptly so on World Food Day. To make this a special brunch for the kids, we have created healthy Quaker Oats based pink beetroot idlis, pizzas, burgers, spaghetti and cookies. What better way to celebrate the festive season than by feeding a nutritious meal to kids.”

quaker-feed-a-child-6 — I am so happy to be a part of this initiative and cover it on my Blog

It breaks my heart that India is one of the highest-ranking countries in the world for the number of children suffering from malnutrition. No matter how much some of us progress we will never truly rise together as a nation unless we all get to together and give back a little to the poor and the needy. One fistful donation of Quaker Oats is approximately 16 gms which is one third of a persons daily whole grain requirement. Since Quaker Oats have beta-glucon fibre, carbohydrates, energy and protein, it becomes crucially important for the kids today to consume it for its nutritional value. Quaker oats also comes in so many different and fun variants for the kids such as Quick Cooking Oats, Oats Plus along with 6 delicious flavour including the Chaat Style and Curry Magic co-created with company’s Nutrition Brand Ambassador, Chef Vikas Khanna.

The smiles on the kids faces post a scrumptious and delicious meal as a part of the Quaker Feed a Child Initiative said it all. We can truly overcome this grave problem of malnutrition by joining hands and supporting Quaker Oats in their noble cause by donating a fistful.

Chef Vikas Khanna also spoke about his 25^th Book called “Essence Of Seasoning” which will be officially launched worldwide very soon. He showcased his book for the first time at Quaker Feed A Child launch and during our interactions with him, he also read out few lines from his poem from the book for all of us. He dedicated this book to his father and I will never forget what he mentioned to us about his growing up lesson, which his grandmum taught him. He mentioned how his grandmother taught him the importance of donating one-fistful grains to the Gurudwara so that langar could be made for everyone (where he went to help his grand mum to make rotis for everyone). Let us all pledge to do our bit in whatever way we can to help India fight against malnutrition and problems related to hunger.

quaker-feed-a-child-9 — My very own personally signed copy by Chef Vikas Khanna of his new Book Essence of Seasoning. 🙂

Thank You Quaker Oats for making us a part of your amazing initiative Quaker Feed A Child and meeting with Chef Vikas Khanna is like coming home, every single time. I can’t wait to read his new book “Essence of Seasoning” and try out all the awesome recipes listed in this little treasure.