Holistic Festival, which will be held at MediaCityUK in June, is bringing chef, restaurateur and ambassador for Akshaya Patra: Alfred Prasad to Manchester to show the audience how to combine Michelin cooking with a holistic lifestyle.
The chef is widely credited with elevating the reputation of British Indian food with his delicate treatment of fresh, seasonal produce. He held a Michelin star at Tamarind in Mayfair for 13 years
Alfred was born in Wardha in central India. His career was influenced by his father and mother in different ways. In his father’s family, vegetarian cooking was central and Alfred spent hours in his vegetable garden, growing his own ingredients. His mother’s Anglo-Indian background brought a great skill with preparing meat.
In 1999, Alfred moved to the UK and in 2001 he took up the job of sous chef at Tamarind in London’s Mayfair. Within a year he was promoted to the restaurant group’s Director of Cuisine, which meant he oversaw their four venues – Tamarind, Imli Street and Zaika in London, and Tamarind of London in California and received his first Michelin star.
Alfred is deeply passionate about food waste and food poverty and has been involved with a number of charities as an ambassador including Akshaya Patra, Food Cycle and Action Against Hunger. All three are organisations that deliver sustainable and far-reaching development programmes to vulnerable communities.
In October 2014, Alfred participated in the India Cycle Challenge along with other top chefs, food journalists and crusaders of food poverty. Together, the group raised over £ 120,000. They were able to visit villages in remote parts of the country and see first-hand the impact of Action Against Hunger’s work on their beneficiaries.
Alfred will appear twice on Saturday morning at the festival with his ‘How to be holistic in your everyday cooking’ demonstration. Once on the main stage in the Reunite section of the event and also in the more intimate Reflection area.
Holistic: International Festival Of Yoga will be a two day celebration of everything that encompasses holistic living.
The event, which will run from 4pm on Friday 16 June to 3pm on Saturday 17 June, will involve two 800 strong outdoor yoga practises lead by internationally renowned yoga gurus from an ex Bollywood star to a Chinese opera singer; alongside a programme of holistic classes with some of the world’s best coaches and gurus and an outdoor market celebrating healthy food and drink.
Holistic will take place at MediaCityUK on The Piazza and in The Studios on Friday 16 June and Saturday 17 June. Tickets for each day are available for £30 from May 2, 2017.
For more information about HOLISTIC visit https://www.holisticmanchester.com/
