October 17, 2012

Neela Paniz

The Davidson college dining service invites the college community and public to meet celebrity guest chef Neela Paniz during lunch hour on Friday, October 19. Paniz will serve authentic, contemporary Indian food and visit with diners in Vail Commons from 11 a.m. until 1:45 p.m. The cost is $10.25.

The menu features include Makhni Tikka (cooked chicken in tomato cream sauce), Sindhi Machchi (tilapia encrusted with coriander, cayenne pepper and dried green mango) and Palak Paneer (spinach with house-made paneer cheese)-all served with basmati rice and browned onions.

For appetizers, guests can enjoy a beet-mint salad and, for dessert, Kheer (an indian rice pudding) Gaijar ka Halwa (a carrot pudding with cardamom, almonds, raisins and whipped cream). Davidson executive chef Craig Mombert noted that Paniz will prepare all of her seasonings, sauces and bases in-house.

"Our chefs are working with Paniz to make seasonings from scratch," said Mombert. "For example we're using vegetables to make the curry instead of using generic curry powders like those found in stores." Other in-house menu items include homemade cheeses and ghee, a clarified butter oil common in Indian recipes.

Many of Paniz's recipes are inspired by traditional Indian flavors she enjoyed while growing up in Mumbai, India. Her cooking style is healthier than much popular Indian food because she uses spices rather than oils, and she makes bases out of vegetables instead of thick creams. She has opened three restaurants in California that focus on health, freshness and flavor, and all have been very successful.

Paniz's 1998 cookbook, titled The Bombay Café, put her on the map as one of the leading voices of contemporary Indian cooking. In 2011 she won The Food Network's popular chef competition, "Chopped!" Paniz regularly visits colleges and universities and culinary institutes to share her expertise. She also serves as a board member for a number of cooking guilds.

Mombert invited Paniz to visit after meeting her at a culinary competition at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. "She's a great fit for a visit for Davidson," shared Mombert. "She's approachable and her food is top of the line."

The evening before Paniz serves lunch for the public, she will serve an exclusive dinner for Indian students and select affiliates at Davidson College.

Paniz is one of three guest chefs Davidson's Dining Services is featuring this year. Deborah Madison, founder of San Francisco's Green Restaurant will visit November 9, and Willie Sng, a recognized chef of Asian cuisine will visit in February.

For more information about the guest chefs, and the complete October 19 lunch menu visit Davidson's dining menu page or call 704-894-2600.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,920 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.

###