An official event to launch the company was conducted at Crowne Plaza on March 1, in the presence of close friends and family. DOS Caminos does TVC, concepts, branding, celebrity management and branding, along with advertisements. Their aim is to bring a new flavour to these aspects. Though their first ad was not of the famous Kairali TMT one, featuring Jayaram and Gregory, the event was conducted to release the ad, which was done promptly after the inaugural ceremony.  Jayaram, being the brand ambassador of Kairali TMT was a part of the ad, but Gregory was roped in to create an interesting twist to the ad, without revealing the product, to create an interesting plot.

[youtube video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JJRaW3xQaA&feature=youtu.be]

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Words by Fathima Abdul Khader    Photographs from Midhun Vijayan

While the weather outside is far from frightful and enjoying a delightful fire inside is another rarity in our coastal state, we can always partake in the other best thing about the festive season, a delicious Christmas spread. All set with a Christmas menu that strings together the old and the new holiday table staples from around the world, Hotel Crowne Plaza is ready to have people singing “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. In the warmly lit, wood paneled restaurant Inside Hotel Crowne Plaza, we were treated with one delectable dish after the other; nothing like being treated to such a spread to put one in the holiday mood.

Hues of the Holiday

The menu started with a rather bold choice of Beetroot Salmon Gravlax, a dish so pink, one would be a bit taken aback, but offers an explosion of flavor to the senses. Chef Kalesh KS, the Executive Sous Chef at Hotel Crowne Plaza told us the tale of how a salmon fillet is repeatedly coated in a mixture of beetroot, salt, sugar, and dill for this dish to become what it is. Served with cream cheese, dill and fresh greens, the salmon makes for a perfect appetizer for the Christmas feast to follow.

“Colors of Christmas”, the phrase will bring to mind a combination of red, green and gold and the next dish to be served could boast of donning all them. Beef wellington, a juicy beef fillet covered in puff pastry and brushed with egg yolk and baked to crisp golden perfection was served with the works- ripe red tomatoes and lush green asparagus, along with carrots and golden potatoes. The rustic dish reminds one of the warmth of the home and the best of the holidays.

Nestled on a grey slate and accompanied by assorted vegetables and garlic and a pepper sauce, the turkey was a succulent sight to behold. Truly the star of the show, the indispensable holiday main course was stuffed with root vegetables and was roasted till the skin was crackling a golden hue. A hand at carving the turkey had the knife cutting through the meat as if it were butter and revealed a combination of dark and light meat that left this writer reeling.

Decadent Desserts

The resident pastry chef at Crowne Plaza, Chef Shinto George brought traditional dishes from around the world on to the dessert table with his choice of stollen bread and mince pie this year around. A holiday bread with a lot of secrets to its name, Stollen, pronounced schto-len is of German origin and dates back to the 1400s. Pieces of candied fruit and fruit zests embedded in the dough and a core of delicate marzipan is revealed when you slice the powder sugar coated surface. Whether it is served as a holiday breakfast or as an alternative side to a cheese plate, Stollen bread is a treat in itself.

No matter where you are, mince pies are indispensable for the festive season. When you take that first bite into the pie, you are greeted with a buttery pastry crust that will crumble in your mouth, with a slight hint of sweetness. Soft plump raisins, candied peel and maybe a cranberry or two are all smothered in a sticky, sweet, festive spice mix that brings everything home. A mince pie is basically what Christmas is all about –a lot of varying components coming together to give a unique outcome; reminiscent of a family coming together around the Christmas dinner table.

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The voting process of Wtzupkochi City Awards 2016 was open to all, and over 4 Lakh Kochiites voted to choose their event as compared to the 60,000 that voted last year. In dazzling battle for the top position in twenty three categories, nominees and went head to head since October 7 2016 to be chosen as Kochi’s favourite through the wtzupcity.com website. The second Wtzupkochi city awards presented by Tata Tiago and styled by Indigo Nation, set a milestone in Kochi’s progress and were a grand event that paid tribute to the talents in the city.

The event started off on a musical note with the band The Free Fall performing their original compositions followed by a few words by Mathew Antony, Director of FWD Media House about the event itself. The first three categories of awards were given away by Karthik Krishnan, Zonal Manager of Tata Motors and Babu Mangat, Head of Operations of Indigo Nation. The first category was Changemaker of Kochi, won by Kochi Metro Rail and was received by Mr. Hari, Additional GM, KMRL. This was followed by the award for the favorite college campus, won by Maharaja’s college and the award was received by Professor N L Beena, Principal of Maharaja’s college. The third category was for Kochi’s favorite Residents Association won by Panampilly Nagar Residents Association and was accepted by Hansa Johny, President Panampilly Nagar Residents association.

The second set of awards was presented by actors Anson Paul and John Kaippallil, Teddy Johns from Red FM and Arun Balachandrana, Vice Chairman of FWD Media House. Kochi’s favorite café category was won by Tonico Café and the award was accepted by Mr.Tony Jose, CEO and founder of the café. The award for the favorite bakery was received by Mr. Biju Joseph, the Managing Director of Navya Bakers.

The third set of awards given by Ganesh Raj, Anarkali Marikar and Arun Kurien (Anandam fame) and Divya Mary Cyriac, Director of FWD Media House. The category for favorite Lunch spot was won by Ootupura, and was received by Mr.Madhu PA, Managing Director of Ootupura. The category of favorite non vegetarian restaurant was won by Paragon Hotel and the award was received by V.Rajesh, the corporate head of Paragon Hotels. The category of Kochi’s favorite gang was won by the facebook group Eat Kochi Eat and it was received by Mr. Karthik Murali, founder and admin. PVR Cinemas received the award as Kochi’s favorite theater and it was received by Nikhil Sebin Sunny, Duty Manager at PVR Cinemas. Kochi’s favorite spa was won by Aroma Thai for the second time and the award was received by the store manager John George.

Actress Muthumani, Anthony George, F&B Manager of Hotel Crowne Plaza and Divya Mary Cyriac, Director of FWD Media House gave away the next set of awards. The category of favorite salon was won by Toni & Guy and the award was received by Sheikh Adam, Store Manager of Toni and Guy. The award for favorite shopping experience was won by Lulu Hypermarket and the award was received by Mr Madhan and Mr Joe, Deputy General Manager of Lulu Hypermarket.

Actor Vinay Forrt, S A Noushad, Director of One TV and Mathew Antony gave away the awards for the next set of winners. This included Kochi’s favorite gym which was won by Fun Family Fitness and was received by Anil Marakkar, Managing Director of Fun Fam Fitness. The category for Kochi’s favorite adventure club was won by Redrawlife and the award was received by Joel K, Redrawlife. The award for Kochi’s favorite CSR was won by Subash Scaria, Chief Operating Office, VPS Lakeshore.

The categories of Kochi’s favorite builder and band were given away by actress Aparna Balamurali and Datta Naikanavare, Chief Brand Manger of Indigo Nation. Skyline Builders won the award of Kochi’s favorite builder and it was received by Mr.Verghese P.A., Vice president, Marketing, Skyline builders. The award for Kochi’s favorite band was won by Thaikkudam Bridge for the second time in a row and the award was received by Gayathri, wife of Vipin Lal and Rashmi, wife of Anish Krishnan. Vinay Forrt, along with Aparna Balamurali and Datta Naikkanavare presented the award for Kochi’s favorite instagrammer to Thasveer Muhammed.

The winner with maximum referral was given a ticket to UAE from Air Arabia by actors Sharanya Ramachandran and Vishak Nair. The maximum referral winner of Wtzupkochi City Awards 2016 was Riswin M Habeeb, while Ansal CA was the maximum referral winner of FWD Lifestyle Awards 2016.

WtzupKochi City Awards 2016 was presented by Tata Tiago along with style partner Indigo Nation and venue partner Crowne Plaza Kochi, in association with The New Indian Express, ONE TV HD, Air Arabia, Red FM Cochin, Time Ads, ASDA and FWD Media House. The WtzupKochi City Awards is one of the biggest celebrations of Kochi. It is a platform for the public to appreciate the hard work of many people who are making Kochi an exciting destination, and the goodwill was evident throughout the event with many touching moments and speeches. With an innovative promotional activity using the currently viral Mannequin Challenge amidst the never stopping city, the event managed to pique the public’s interest. With an easy to use voting process and a scintillating event, the WtzupKochi City Awards 2016 was a successful initiative. The annual awards will continue with the support it has garnered to keep celebrating Kochi’s Favorites.

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Mannara Chopra, the multi-talented actress spoke about her experience working with the team behind the shoot and stated that this was the best cover she has done yet. The team behind the shoot, including photographer Carrot GK, makeup artist Jijeesh, retouch artist Deepanguran Pappilil and stylist Lakshmi Babu were honoured with mementos, by Mannara Chopra, for their sincere efforts during the exclusive photo shoot. The FWD Life Cover launch took place during the WtzupKochi City Awards, where Kochi witnessed their favorites being felicitated.

The post FWD Engage – FWD Life’s December 2016 Issue Cover Launch appeared first on FWD Life | The Premium Lifestyle Magazine |.