Mumbai: This Valentine's Day, EPIC ON is all set to air its newest culinary show - ‘Family Table’. The show is coupled with love, romance, and cuisine and it is hosted by none other than celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar.
Grounded in the philosophy of food connecting people, the show invites families across India to share their kitchens, offering entertainment and gastronomic delight. Beyond recipes, 'Family Table' explores the stories behind dishes, delving into traditions and moments that make family meals extraordinary.
The show also welcomes six celebrity guests - Tejasswi Prakash, Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Shweta Tiwari, Karishma Tanna, and Fatima Sana Shaikh who bring their favorite family dishes to be recreated on the show.
On the sidelines of the ‘Masterclass by Ranveer Brar’ event held on 9 Feb at Escobar in Bandra, Indian Television caught up with EPIC ON COO Sourjya Mohanty who shared interesting insights on the show’s special USP, interactive elements for audience engagements, and more…
Edited Excerpts:
On the unique elements that ‘Family Table’ offers compared to other cooking shows
The Family Table is a very special show. We have a lot of cuisine and cookery shows, which are there out there on digital and linear, but the show is very special because it's got the blend of star divas, then we have the most favourite, celebrated chef - Ranveer Brar in our show where not only the skills are shown, but also there is a family fight, which happens to prepare the best of the food. So there's a family angle to it. This show is not only going to create a powerhouse of entertainment but also give inspiration to a lot of upcoming chefs and creators to see and get inspired, on how such shows can be created. So this is the special USP of the show.
On the significance of launching ‘Family Table’ on Valentine's Day, and its relation to the show's theme of connection through food
I think Valentine's Day is a very special day for all of us, where love and romance is a very ubiquitous theme out there. On this day, everyone seeks unique ways to celebrate, and it often begins with good food. We thought that why not start Valentine's Day with a big bang - ‘Family Table’ wherein the divas along with the celebrated chef are there. So why go out when we can see the complete web series streaming on EPIC ON? See all the six different kinds of cuisines that the chef is driving not only the audience but also the stars to be a part of it. The families are also fighting it out to make the best food out there, get inspired, and then see it on Valentine’s Day and make it special for the special ones.
On the incorporation of interactive elements or audience participation in the show to engage viewers beyond passive viewing
We have various exciting components in place. Since it's a digital-first show, it's also going to be aired on Epic TV. Additionally, on EPIC ON, we are launching a contest inviting creators and food bloggers to submit their entries for their favorite cuisine. This will lead to a digital cooking showdown, where participants compete. On top of that, the winners will be featured on digital media, and their names will be announced. So that's one sort of engagement. The other sort of engagement is, of course, giving out special mentions to select winners on both television and digital platforms.
On the contribution of "Family Table" to the cultural representation and celebration of Indian cuisine and culinary heritage
The association with Chef Ranveer Brar goes a very long way. We have a show called - ‘Raja, Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaniyaan’ on Epic TV, and coming from that particular connection, where we have been showcasing food as one of the central points of our overall programs in our slate. We feel that ‘Family Table’ at this juncture brings a freshness, a different kind of twist to the overall web shows that are being made. And this show is absolutely unscripted. The show also talks about lots of cuisines that are created in the homes but stay at home and not being showcased anywhere else. Family Table is an attempt to bring all of those home cuisines out there and present them to millions of audiences out there through digital and TV. A lot of family members or moms and relatives keep on preparing food in the kitchens. Some of these are very extremely palatable and nice but all of this happens inside the house. So we thought of getting it out there and projecting and showcasing it on the digital front. That's the idea of ‘Family Table’.
On choosing Chef Ranveer Brar as the host for 'Family Table'
As I mentioned earlier, Chef Brar has a longstanding association with Epic TV through ‘Raja, Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaniyaan’. Plus, he's world-renowned, in terms of his presence across social media like Instagram, or any kind of platform. So it's a very unique combination of charisma of relating with the audience, his culinary skills, and as well as his way of presenting anything that he does. It is not only it is about the cuisine part, but also the charismatic talks that he does. The audience gets hooked to him, listening to him with all the detailing that he does and the vast knowledge that he possesses. I think we felt that, at this juncture, none other than Ranveer Brar would be the right or the apt host to do this show. So that's the reason he is the single choice that we went ahead with.
