Volunteers make incredible effort to serve up 900 meals for Indian Food Fest

Chefs Prince Baby and Jackson Thomas worked in the kitchen of St Patrick's Cathedral Hall from 5am to 8pm to prepare, cook and serve the meals as part of Harmony Fest.

Ballarat Malayalee Association spokesperson Lokan Ravi said it was a joy to share food from their past home with their neighbours in Ballarat.

"Food is a bridge between cultures, that is why we are focusing on food," he said.

"Food has an important role in connecting people and culture.

"We are lucky to be here in this great land, getting lots of support from the community. This was our chance to give back."

The Ballarat Malayalee Association, representing people from the state of Kerala in India, ran the first Indian Food Fest in 2019 and served 500 people.

The group had to cancel the event last minute in 2020 due to COVID-19.

More than 40 volunteers worked together on Saturday to serve up dishes including Butter Chicken, Lamb Rogan Josh and Kerala Biryani.

Mr Ravi said it was an incredible effort to serve 900 meals in one day, as a regular restaurant would usually serve a maximum of 400 meals.

He said many people picked up the meals to eat at home and volunteers also made deliveries to limit the number of people in the space in line with COVID-19 restrictions.

"We had good reviews from the community. Everyone loved it," Mr Ravi said.

"A lot of our colleagues from our workplaces came because they see us bring our food to work. It was an opportunity for us to share our food."

RELATED COVERAGE: Harmony Fest to celebrate Ballarat's multicultural diversity

All funds from the meal sales will support the Ballarat Malayalee Association and their projects in the community.

The group donated $4000 worth of non-perishable food items to the City of Ballarat Be Kind program last year and thousands of dollars to bushfire relief and the CFA.

Volunteers also worked to supply meals to refugees in Ballarat as part of Refugee Week in conjunction with Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council.

Harmony Fest is being celebrated in Ballarat from March 12 to March 28.

Barkly Square will host a Harmony Market on March 26 from 10am to 3pm and a Virtual Intercultural City Gala will be livestreamed from 7pm.

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