HIMCA to Host ‘Himachal Culinary and Tourism Festival 2026’ on World Tourism Day
Local Flavours, Culinary Talent, Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism to Find a Common Platform
Shimla, September 23, 2026: To mark World Tourism Day, the Him Aanchal Chefs Association (HIMCA) will organise the ‘Himachal Culinary and Tourism Festival 2026’ on September 27, 2026, at IHM Kufri, Shimla. The festival will go beyond being merely a culinary competition and will provide an important platform for preserving and promoting Himachal Pradesh’s rich cultural heritage, traditional cuisine, indigenous culinary practices and food knowledge passed down through generations.
The festival aims to encourage young people to understand the importance of local ingredients, traditional cooking techniques, food preservation, responsible use of natural resources, and the deep connection between culinary heritage, environment and tourism. Through the initiative, HIMCA seeks to highlight that local food is not merely about taste; it also reflects the history, culture, lifestyle, environment and collective knowledge of a particular region.
Five Major Competitions to Be the Key Attractions
Five major competitions will be organised as part of the festival. Under the IHM College Competition, participants will prepare a three-course menu based on millets and wild ingredients.
The Student Cooking Competition for Classes IX–X will require participants to prepare a dish using one local ingredient, while the Cooking Competition for Classes XI–XII will focus on the use of millets.
The Home Chef Competition will showcase traditional Himachali dishes and culinary techniques under the theme ‘Local & Traditional Himachali Cuisine’. The Home Baker Competition will feature live cake decoration and baking on the theme ‘Tourism in Himachal’, with apple as the key ingredient.
The festival will bring together IHM students, school students, home chefs, home bakers and culinary experts, providing them with a common platform to showcase their talent, creativity and experience.
Chef Nand Lal Sharma Playing Key Role in Preserving Culinary Heritage
Chef Nand Lal Sharma, President of Him Aanchal Chefs Association (HIMCA), has been continuously working towards the preservation, promotion and wider recognition of Himachali culinary heritage at national and international platforms.
As a Custodian and Ambassador of Himachali Culinary Heritage, he recently presented and showcased traditional Himachali cuisine at Rashtrapati Bhavan for six days. In addition, he has represented traditional Himachali food and its cultural heritage at important national and international platforms in Ranchi, Jharkhand, and Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Through these initiatives, efforts are being made to present Himachali cuisine not merely as a collection of dishes, but as an expression of the state’s culture, history, lifestyle, local biodiversity and collective traditional knowledge.
In this endeavour, the collective contribution of HIMCA, home chefs, traditional botis and other custodians of Himachali culinary traditions remains significant.
‘This is Not Merely a Competition, but an Exercise in Introspection’
Chef Nand Lal Sharma said that the festival is not merely a competition but a collective effort to protect the region’s culture, traditions and culinary heritage and to bring the knowledge of ancestors into contemporary life.
He said that long before the word ‘sustainability’ became widely used, ancestors had already developed an environmentally responsible way of living. They respected every ingredient, avoided food wastage, preserved food for difficult weather conditions, used local resources wisely and maintained a balance with nature.
He said there is a need to bring this traditional knowledge back into kitchens and into the lives of the younger generation. Young people should not learn only how to win competitions, but should also understand where their food comes from, why certain traditions evolved and how culinary heritage can contribute to environmental conservation.
Initiative to Set a New Benchmark for the Future
According to HIMCA, the festival is the result of a collective commitment by the Him Aanchal Chefs Association and the wider culinary community of Himachal Pradesh. Home chefs and traditional botis, who have preserved Himachali culinary knowledge within their homes and communities for generations, are playing an important role in this initiative.
HIMCA aims to establish a benchmark where traditional knowledge is respected, preserved and documented, enabling the younger generation to carry it forward with pride and responsibility.
Chef Nand Lal Sharma said that this is not the achievement of any one individual but represents the collective strength of HIMCA and all those who have come forward to protect Himachali culinary heritage. He said that when the entire culinary community comes together for a common purpose, tradition can become the strongest foundation for the future.
Himachali Cuisine to Serve as a Cultural Ambassador for Tourism
HIMCA believes that Himachali cuisine can play an important role in further strengthening the tourism identity of Himachal Pradesh. Local grains, millets, seasonal produce, wild edible ingredients, traditional food preservation techniques and recipes passed down through generations collectively represent the state’s history, environment, lifestyle and cultural identity.
With this vision, the festival seeks to bring culinary heritage, local communities, environmental responsibility and sustainable tourism together on a common platform.
The initiative also aims to highlight the potential of traditional Himachali cuisine as an integral part of the tourism experience while providing wider recognition to the state’s indigenous culinary traditions.
Message to Connect the Younger Generation with Its Roots
The festival will convey the message that embracing modernity does not mean forgetting one’s roots. Traditional knowledge preserved by previous generations continues to offer valuable lessons on respecting nature, preventing food wastage, understanding the importance of local ingredients, preserving food and adopting sustainable lifestyles.
If this knowledge is effectively passed on to the younger generation, Himachali culinary heritage will not remain merely a memory of the past. Instead, it can continue as a living heritage capable of guiding and inspiring future generations.
Experienced Chefs and Office Bearers Part of the Organising Committee
The festival is being organised with the active involvement of HIMCA President Chef Nand Lal Sharma, Senior Vice Presidents Chef Rajiv Ahuja and Chef Vijay Vashisht, General Secretary Chef Surinder Kumar, and Treasurer Chef Hemant Kumar.
The Vice Presidents include Chef Pardeep Chauhan, Chef Sunil Kumar, Chef Rajneesh Malkoti, Chef Sunil Gripta, Chef Sunil Jagta, Chef Rajeev Bhardwaj and Chef Rajesh Sharma.
The Joint Secretaries contributing to the organisation include Dr. Chef Vaibhav Verma, Chef Kamaldeep, Chef Sanjeev Kumar, Chef Sanjeev Thakur and Chef Dhani Ram. Chef Kamal Sharma is the Advisor, while Chef Vipul Sood is the Media Advisor. Chef Santosh Kumari is serving as an Executive Member of the organising committee.
The organising committee has expressed its collective commitment to making the festival a meaningful platform for culinary education, heritage preservation, youth participation and tourism promotion.
Key Details of the Festival
Event: Himachal Culinary and Tourism Festival 2026
Date: September 27, 2026
Venue: IHM Kufri, Shimla
Occasion: World Tourism Day 2026
Organiser: Him Aanchal Chefs Association (HIMCA)
Professional Affiliations: Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) and World Association of Chefs Societies (Worldchefs)
Youth Empowerment • Heritage Preservation • Tourism Promotion
Chef Nand Lal Sharma, President, Him Aanchal Chefs Association (HIMCA), said that the kitchen carries much more than flavour—it preserves the memory of a civilisation, the knowledge of ancestors and the identity of a community. He said that protecting this heritage and passing it on to the next generation is a collective responsibility.