The Kerala Kalasahithi group recently held their seventh cooking competition in a restaurant in Jeddah, in which 40 female contestants dished out a variety of beautifully garnished delicacies in the four categories of Chicken, Fish, Vegetable and Payasam (sweet). The creativity and innovation of the participants was especially reflected in the vegetable carvings they decorated the food items with. The event, which also consisted of a musical program, was attended by over 600 people. Shumaila Khan and Khalid Farooqui, Gulf marketing manager and general manager of Noor Oil, were the chief guests. The winners were decided by a panel of judges. The organizing group's general secretary Shajahan welcomed the audience, and this was followed by the presidential address by Umer Farooq. Founder president Musafir and Paul Joy announced the winners' names while Afzal Thekia presented the vote of thanks. Cultural convener Biju Joseph was in-charge of the entertainment programs, in which local artists Mirza Sherif, Jamal Pasha, Kareem Mavoor, Lincy Baby and Rahna Saleem participated. The Kalasahithi Kids performed dances that were enjoyed by the audience. Winners: (Chicken) First, Vasantha Satheesh; second, Shabnam Shamsudheen; and third, Shameera Anwar. (Fish) First, Mahjabeen Ashraf; second, Rukiya Azeez; and third, Sindu Biju. (Vegetable) First, Sajna Faisal; second, Shaima Shameem; and third, Divya Ganapathi. (Payasam) First, Mashida Abdul Razik; second, Latha Nair; and third, Preethi Murali. __
