ITC Hotels launch responsible dining experiences with Swiggy
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ITC Hotels launch responsible dining experiences with Swiggy

A ten-year strong ‘Responsible Luxury’ ethos underscores ITC Hotels culinary brands and initiatives to present innovative cuisine experiences while adhering to high standards of food safety and hygiene. Keeping this as the foremost priority, ITC Hotels has partnered with Swiggy, India’s leading on-demand delivery platform, to offer diners responsible dining experiences in the comfort of their home. Based on harmony of fresh and seasonal selections, this responsible dining initiative brings back the taste of familiar flavours. Now you can order your favourite ITC Dal Makhani online. Swiggy will enable ‘no contact’ deliveries on all pre-paid orders, which involves a delivery partner leaving the food at the doorstep rather than an in-person exchange. Crafted with care at ITC Hotels and handled with utmost hygiene to ensure wellbeing, the mindfully curated menus will bring unique food experiences with local offerings from the region for diners across all major cities in India. ITC Hotels has implemented stringent measures and protocols, including mandatory temperature checks for all Chefs and Food & Beverage associates. Moreover, the special take-out counter at each ITC Hotel has been enhanced with hand sanitizers and thermometers to corroborate the health parameters of local food delivery partners. It may be recalled that ITC Hotels had tapped into the Food & Beverage take-away model across the country recently and received an overwhelming feedback from diners for the “Flavours” takeaway (and home delivery) dining experience. The association with Swiggy endeavours to reach a much larger customer base. In phase I, ITC Hotels would commence the home delivery venture with Swiggy for many of their properties across India. These would include ITC Maurya (New Delhi), ITC Royal Bengal (Kolkata), ITC Grand Chola (Chennai), ITC Gardenia (Bengaluru), ITC Windsor (Bengaluru), ITC Kohenur (Hyderabad), ITC Rajputana (Jaipur), ITC Grand Goa (Goa) and WelcomHotel Bengaluru. In phase II, more ITC Hotels and WelcomHotel properties will be added to the Swiggy home delivery initiative. With  iconic  restaurants  like Edo Restaurant & Bar, Royal Aghan, Dakshin, Kebabs  &  Kurries  at  ITC  Gardenia,  ITC  Windsor  and  WelcomHotel, ITC Bengaluru  hotels offer some of the most iconic branded cuisine restaurants. In this menu – chef specialties from these restaurants like Dal Makhani, Bisi Bele Bhaath, Kathi Rolls and bakes from  their  Boulangerie,  among  other signature dishes are available to order. These are crafted with care and handled with utmost hygiene to ensure your wellbeing. The mindfully curated menu  ensures unique food experiences in the comfort of your home, bringing you all-time favourite preparations from the house of ITC Hotels Bengaluru. Anil Chadha, COO, ITC Hotels said, “At ITC Hotels, we are committed to delivering world class cuisine experiences that address the needs of well-being through responsible practices which are in harmony with the environment and society. This conforms to our ten-year strong ethos of Responsible Luxury. In keeping with the current requirements, special training programmes are conducted and precautions for personal, social, and workplaces are being explained to all associates for awareness and practice. We are re-engineering our guest experiences with zero/low associate engagement (including digital ordering and e-payment solutions). The partnership with Swiggy will assist us in responsibly delivering our unique culinary experiences using their advanced distribution network. Together we are committed to delivering a responsible guest experience.” Vivek Sunder, COO, Swiggy said, “At Swiggy, it is our constant endeavour to provide exceptional experiences to our customers especially from the restaurants they admire the most. Through our partnership with ITC Hotels, customers can now indulge in curated gourmet dishes from popular restaurants of the ITC Hotels chain across India through the Swiggy app. We look forward to creating unique dining experiences for customers while helping them celebrate special occasions at the comfort of their homes.”

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Meet the Ace Choreographer, Coordinator and Actor
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Meet the Ace Choreographer, Coordinator and Actor

When Rahul Dev Shetty, passed out from an Engineering College (Electronics) and began his career as a Telecom Engineer at United Breweries Ltd., little did he know that he would end up as a successful Fashion Choreographer, Coordinator and Actor one day. The tall, dark and handsome hunk from Bengaluru, made his foray into the Indian fashion industry as a model 25 years ago. He soon expanded to include Direction and choreography of fashion shows, model co-ordination and compering of entertainment and corporate events. As a model he has walked the ramp in over 400 shows in India and overseas and has done some major Advertising Campaigns for big brands. For the last two decades, he has been exclusively directing and choreographing high fashion events for designers and corporate clients across the country and abroad. He has also choreographed leading models like Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone, Yana Gupta, Sheetal Mallar, Jesse Randhawa, Fleur Xavier, Viveka Babjee, Indrani Das Gupta Rajlaxmi, Tinu Verghese, Aryan Vaid, Zulfi Sayyed, Shawar Ali and Shayan Munshi to name a few. He has acted in films like Station and Lekar Hum Deewana Dil and will soon be seen in the much awaited psychological thriller called Lalbagh, produced by Raj Zacharias and directed by Prasanth Murali Padmanabhan. Rahul Dev Shetty speaks to thestyle.world, before the release of the film Lalbagh on his role in the movie and his other passions. 1. When and how did your first movie role come about? How has your acting journey been since then? It was the early 90s. Rajendra Singh Babu was looking for a new face in a Vishnuvardhan Sonu Walia starrer. I was a busy model by then and someone sent him my pictures. They asked me to meet them at Airlines hotel and I got selected for that role. After that I did two more Kannada films for Director Shivamani – Jaana and Mother India. Around that time, I moved to Bombay to try my luck in Hindi films and television. After I moved to Mumbai, films took a backseat as modelling was getting big at that time and getting breaks in films was very tough. I returned to Bangalore and luckily got a break as a choreographer with Encore events. I did that for almost two decades and then got a shot at films again. I began my second innings with an independent Hindi film called Station, helmed by Saad Khan. After I was noticed in Station, I got a role in a mainstream Bollywood film called Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, directed by Imtiaz Ali’s brother Arif Ali. 2. How did the role in Lalbagh come about? What preparation did you have to do for your role? I saw an ad in Facebook about a Malayalam film looking for new people in different age categories, so I applied for the one in my category and it was for a doctor’s role. Luckily for me the Producer Raj Zacharias happened to be an old friend and he did his research and told me that he had a bigger role for me in mind. But only if I cut my hair. I went for the look test and to meet the director Prasanth Murali. They gave me a haircut then and there and thought I fit the role of a cop and so here I was biting off more than what I had planned for. For the preparation of my role, I did some research on the police force. I was playing an ACP, so I had to work on my uniform, body language and some mannerisms! 3. How challenging was it? Luckily for me, my director Prasanth Murali Padmanabhan was in total grip of the shoot. Since he is the writer and an ad film maker, every shot was brilliantly designed as far as camera angles, colour tones of costumes and background, music score etc was looked into minutely. Even in my performance he would tell me to do more or underplay as the scene would require. The film is looking sophisticated and sleek because of his due diligence. Our producer Raj Zacharias saw to it that we had a comfortable set and congenial work environment so that we could all perform stress free and all the schedules and targets were met effortlessly. 4. How was it acting with the other co-stars? They were all seasoned actors – very professional and extremely helpful. Mamta Mohandas especially, was very generous with her time and patience with me. I got to learn so much from her and this one actor named Ajit Koshy from Chennai was brilliant! The other actors – VK Prasad, renowned ad film maker from Bangalore, Rahul Madhav, Ajit Koshy and Sudeep Karakkat were also fun to work with. 5. There’s a lot of Bangalore connect in the film right? Tell us more. The entire film was shot in Bangalore. The story is about a group of Malayalees living in Bangalore and an incident occurs, in the Lalbagh jurisdiction, hence the title. The city has been beautifully captured by the lens of Antony Jo the DOP. His placement of camera and lighting of each scene is impeccable. 6. Any memorable or fun experience or incident you can recall from the shoot? The funniest was when we were shooting on the KR Puram hanging bridge. It was an early morning shot, but Bangalore traffic is crazy at 7am on that road. It was a moving police jeep shot with a camera sticking out of the driver side window and one on the bonnet. This was taking time and we actors were tucked away in another car waiting for the jeep to be readied. The circle inspector in the scene with me was Rajesh Devaraj, another Bangalorean. By this time a huge crowd had gathered and this attracted the real cops to come and harass the film unit, for permissions and money etc. The moment the shot was ready, my colleague and I who was playing the inspector, both in full

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Wardrobes: From Storage Cabinets to Symbols of Refined Living
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Wardrobes: From Storage Cabinets to Symbols of Refined Living

Think of a stylish home and the elements that come to your mind are plush furniture, awe-inspiring artwork, latest home automation tools or flooring made from exotic marble. But wardrobes and personal storage have never been associated with design or luxury. Wardrobes have always been looked from a functional perspective of merely storing your belongings in a secured manner. But thanks to a fresh perspective and continuous innovation exhibited by few furniture brands, wardrobes are now getting more design-oriented, stylish and practical. Usage of rich materials like brass, exotic veneers and glass panels combined with innovative hardware fixtures and configurable shelving elevate your walk-in-closet to a stylish clutter-free zone. Brands like Misura Emme, represented in India by Vita Moderna, specialize in wardrobes that arrange your belongings such that they are visible to you at a glance. How often have you found yourself frantically searching for that one special dress or accessory and ended up emptying your entire wardrobe on your bed? Misura Emme’s Palo Alto wardrobe was designed such that even while storing your designerwear they remain a visual treat for you and most importantly easy to find. Sleek, clean-lined aesthetics and functionality: these are the key words for defining Palo Alto, the new complete night area project. The idea springs from a desire to pamper ourselves: elegant, refined, rigorous and flawless, it enables a complete and “transparent” view of the things we love. The innovation doesn’t just stop there. These designer wardrobes apart from being a visual delight are also high on health and hygiene. The wardrobes are embedded with their AirCub accessory that scents and purifies the air inside the closet through a process of ionisation and ozonation which eliminates up to 99% of health-harmful agents such as VOC, bacteria, viruses, mould and allergens. This not only protects your designer threads and leather accessories but also guards you against any allergies. So, the next time you are overwhelmed with the pile of designer clothes around you and looking for a smart solution, a smart designer wardrobe is the answer to your clutter woes. Vita Moderna for more than a decade has brought Italian & European furniture brands to Indian homes and delivered more than 300 luxury residences across India and UAE. Speaking on the evolving role of wardrobes in high end residences, Co-Founders Pritesh Modi and Akshay Adhalrao mentioned that homeowners are seeking luxury and design aesthetic in every aspect of their home and functional wardrobes are a part of that desire. Wardrobes: From Storage Cabinets to Symbols of Refined Living

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Masks & Metaphors in the Time of Mass Epidemics
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Masks & Metaphors in the Time of Mass Epidemics

I am bombarded with videos of clumsy husbands in kitchens, songs of grit and prayers to the universe. The one forward of a video for the campaign #MaskForAll, for this COVID-19 Pandemic, has set me thinking of the masks we wear and the metaphors we live by. I could see Jim Carey in a yellow suit with his green mask. It heralded the success of Jim Carey as an actor in his iconic film, The Mask. It was a film that many years back made me laugh a lot, those days I laughed at most things. I watched Stanley Ipkiss’ magically-unleashed Id seduce the moll and finally good triumphed over evil. I started liking that magic mask & in my enthusiastic imagination I wanted that mask so that I could slap my mean boss, make more money and just do whatever hell I wanted to do. I also watched Stanley Kubrick’s film Eyes Wide Shut, and encountered that classic scene: masked people playing out their fantasy in a secret society of hidden identity and debauchery. It delved into the darker side of human beings, a part of us that we not-always-successfully bury forever: desire devoid of the moral code of right and wrong. Paradoxically, hiding a part of us seems to help us become who we want to be. Masks hide what we don’t want others to see in us, and magnify the things we do. It’s protection and projection. This instinct has been with us since time immemorial. It is deep. Innate. So it’s here to stay. The proliferation of superhero movies is but one more expression of this. Right now the story all over the globe is different, we want to be seen with medical masks on, we need to be identified as law-abiding citizens and are also concerned of not infecting other human beings. The mask is now a social symbol of support and intellect. There is great social pressure against people not following the pandemic rules of proper COVID-19 behaviour code. I have found that as we progress with technology and into a virtual world of boy meet girl and hook up, the mask is always on for most. I wish we had these many masks during our times. We trusted people and took the world at face value. I recall Yellow Fever gripping the nation & my childhood friend and I decided to go to Jaipur during that time. We returned pink after that holiday and our parents were crimson with anger and fear. Yellow didn’t deter our fearless youth. Of course, this is a different ball game of the world coming to a standstill. This is is a pandemic. The masks need to come on. I often wonder if these days we are able to take off our masks ever. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing. There is the clown mask in the film Joker who represented dystopian America. One cannot get over the dance on the steps of the film The Joker, Phoenix with his mask on was a sight to behold. Despite the movie’s theatrical trappings, that mask represented a mass ennui and disillusionment, a tendency to violence and chaos that is very much a part of the real world. In India we have the Kathakali, the Chau dancers, the occasional Hanuman mask that children near traffic signals sometimes wear to beg on a Tuesday, which is Hanuman’s day. I think the new order would be of different kinds of masks. I find myself pondering how we will differentiate between the rich and the poor? Will there be a difference between the maid cleaning the house to the well-heeled madam? Maybe the poor in the days ahead would have basic masks and the rich could have some Swarovski thrown around in a bespoke design? Perhaps COVID-19 will be a true leveller. Maybe it’s telling us even if you have the LV or the Prada right now you gotta get your hands into the sink and the mop on the floor and stand in the queue for groceries. For that at least, hell yeah! I guess corona will cure us and curse us in equal measure. If that isn’t dystopia what is? My streets lie desolate, Shops have their shutters down, The lone crow shifts from branch to branch, My clothes in my cupboards lie creaseless, It’s like death that just came knocking on my doorstep, I am humbled as I realize this is teaching me a lesson, When the end comes, We all fit into the same space, Few feet under the ground, Where the address is the same, And the sunshine is the same, This is a leveller, If I don’t learn today When will I learn to be human, To realise that it’s not the riches that makes the difference, It is the love for one another that creates this tolerance. – By Mohua Chinappa, a writer, brand specialist, consultant who also runs a blog moodymo.co.in on Indian arts & crafts, gender and also writes human interest stories. Masks & Metaphors in the Time of Mass Epidemics

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Add some Sweetness to your Life
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Add some Sweetness to your Life

Makes 2 Dozen Cupcakes Cupcakes Ingredients: 1 ½ cups self-rising flour 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredient are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Buttercream Ingredients 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 box (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar 2 – 3 TBLS milk 1 teaspoons vanilla extract Instructions: Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla. Gradually add sugar one cup at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl often. When the mixture starts to thicken and appears dry add 2 TBLS of milk. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy about 2-4 minutes. Add more milk as needed if you want a thinner consistency. If desired, add a few drops of food colouring and mix thoroughly. Store the icing at room temperature. Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Add some Sweetness to your Life

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Amazon announces winners of KDP Pen to Publish 2019 Contest 
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Amazon announces winners of KDP Pen to Publish 2019 Contest 

Amazon announced the winners of the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Pen to Publish 2019 Contest. In its third year now, this contest has been conceptualised to celebrate the exceptional work among self-published authors. The contest recognises literary excellence among authors from different genres in long-form and short-form categories across English, Hindi and Tamil languages. Winning entries in each language for the long-format category won a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, a merchandising deal and a chance to be mentored by the panellists. The first runners-up received a cash prize of ₹1 lakh each, while second runners-up were awarded ₹50,000 each. For the short-format category, winners were awarded ₹50,000 each while the first and second runners-up got ₹25,000 and ₹10,000 each respectively. Amol Gurwara, Country Manager, Kindle Content India – Amazon said, “Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing has been consistently seeing great interest from Indian writers and we witnessed the same in the latest edition of the Pen to Publish Contest where we received over 10,000 entries across English, Hindi and Tamil languages. It was interesting to see authors coming from various walks of life like bloggers, vloggers, corporate professionals, homemakers. We congratulate all winners and look forward to more great stories from them”. Winners across English, Hindi and Tamil languages received cash prizes ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹5 lakh each Winners selected from over 10,000 entries Judging panel included best-selling authors – Durjoy Datta, Sudha Nair, Divya Prakash Dubey, Pa. Raghavan and C. Saravanakarthikeyan Following are the six winners from the contest – Winners in long-format writing (10,000 words and above) Language Book Title Author Genre English The story of India through food: OPOS Cookbook Ramakrishnan B Cooking, Food and Wine Hindi अंतर्मन: एक सेल्समैन की अनोखी कहानी ! Rajneesh Chaturvedi Science Fiction and Fantasy Tamil பேலியோ உணவின் அறிவியலும் உளவியலும்: Science and Psychology of Paleo Diet Bruno Guru Health, Mind and Body Winners in short-format writing (between 2,000 and 10,000 words) Language Book Title Author Genre English Who Killed the Kaneez? Vijay Kakwani Fiction Hindi मेरी सखी सुनीता: एक लघुकथा Mansi Dadhich Mahur Fiction Tamil 2K Kid: திருவள்ளுவர் ஆண்டு G. Lenin Fiction The entries were judged on the basis of several criteria including originality, creativity, quality of writing, and customer feedback, by the judging panel. The panel comprised of best-selling authors Durjoy Datta, Sudha Nair, Divya Prakash Dubey, Pa. Raghavan and C. Saravanakarthikeyan. Ramakrishnan B, one of the winners of the contest said, “The KDP Pen to Publish Contest is an incredible opportunity for aspiring writers to realise their potential and receive recognition at a global level and I am quite thankful to the entire Amazon team for it. This award is a testament of how anyone who has talent and a story to tell, can take their work to readers across the world. All it took was only a few minutes to publish after writing the novel. KDP has made publishing one’s book so much easier.” Durjoy Datta a best-selling author and member of the jury said, “We came across some really high quality writing while judging and it was difficult to pick a winner. But I feel every participant is a winner as they are all published authors. Self-publishing through KDP is a game-changer enabling writers to take their thoughts and stories to their readers. And this contest has been just the right motivation to drive enthusiasm amongst budding writers across India and the world.” Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a fast, easy and free way for authors to publish their books across the world on Kindle. Authors who use KDP can earn royalties of up to 70%, retain rights such as, can get to market fast, keep control of how their work is published, distribute globally and in multiple languages, and do it all for free. For more information on the contest, visit www.amazon.in/pentopublish [envira-gallery id=”9661″] Amazon announces winners of KDP Pen to Publish 2019 Contest

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Get ready for life post lockdown
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Get ready for life post lockdown

A message from India to the world, Love 2 Humanity is a virtual entertainment experience featuring some of India’s most inspiring artists and personalities including Sudha Murthy, Latha Rajnikanth, Salim Merchant, Kailash Kher, Terence Lewis, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Nikhil Chinapa, Javed Ali, Kubbra Sait, Danish Sait, Cyrus Sahukar, Best Kept Secret and Raghu Dixit amongst others. The global broadcast is a not-for-profit experience that aims to raise funds and support the folk artists of Zariya foundation. Make sure you show your Love 2 Humanity on Sunday, 31st May 2020 7pm onwards by logging on to www.love2humanity.com for an inspiring evening while doing your bit to donate and support the folk artists of Zariya foundation. As countries across the world adapt to the new normal, it is important now more than ever to be empathetic and responsible towards our people and our planet. In these uncertain times, it is the strong spirit of humanity that will see us through the crisis. The Love 2 Humanity initiative is a celebration of the resilient human spirit and endeavors to spread love, hope and inspiration as we venture into the world again: with new hopes, new dreams and new beginnings. The virtual entertainment experience will also unveil a specially created post-lockdown anthem: a hymn of hope and happiness and a sublime song of inspiration for the future, one that invokes the compassion and strength we need to carry forward. “This is our labour of love and hope to the world after lockdown. We are beginning to foresee a future where we return to a different normal. People everywhere are uncertain and looking for ways to be inspired and hopeful about the future. This initiative of ours will help people around the world stay strong, positive and embrace the changes ahead of us through the life-affirming power of music, stories and conversation,” said Oum Pradutt, Founder & Managing Director of Phase 1 Events & Experiences. Through these incredibly challenging times, India has been a beacon of hope and thought-leader on a global front by helping countries around the world navigate the crisis. Now, comes yet another inspiration from India to the world – this time in music and melody. A spectacle of love and hope, dedicated to all of humanity. The show, produced and created by India’s leading experiential agency Phase 1 Events & Experiences will also be promoted and broadcast by Live Nation Asia, the world’s biggest entertainment company on their global online platform. What: Love 2 Humanity Virtual Entertainment Experience When: Sunday, 31st May 2020, 7 pm and 8:30 pm Where: www.love2humanity.com & https://www.livenation.asia/livefromhome   Get ready for life post lockdown

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When you’re Craving Delicious Neopolitan-style Pizzas
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When you’re Craving Delicious Neopolitan-style Pizzas

They pride themselves on their signature sourdough pizzas which according to partner Abhijit Gupta, is made from hand-rolled base of sourdough that is matured for a minimum of 24-48 hours. The pizzas are cooked in specially designed wood-fired brick ovens that can reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and the end result is a deliciously thin crust pizza. The menu does not end at just pizzas, there is much creativity that can be found in the restaurant’s appetiser and main selections, each served with thoughtful presentation. Appetisers, such as Truffle oil laced potato wedges, Burrata bomb – chilled cheese flavoured with sundried tomatoes and topped with a balsamic glaze. The butter garlic chilli prawns served with soft rosemary focaccia are a few all-time favourites. If Garlic breads are your thing, then they have a whole section devoted to this speciality and Chef Nicolas says try the Stuffed Garlic Bread with Sundried Tomatoes and make it extra decadent by adding a topping of burrata cheese and rocket leaves. In the mains, Spaghetti Aglio Olio Peperoncino – long strands of spaghetti pasta are tossed with garlic, extra virgin olive oil, parsley, chilli flakes & perfectly grilled vegetables. Tender bits of prawns and penne cooked to a perfect al dente are smothered in a flavourful tomato and cream sauce in the Penne Rosa. Seafood and meat lovers are well catered for and the desserts are mostly classic – tiramisu, warm chocolate cookies, cheesecake and Nutella and Mascarpone sourdough. WHAT TO ORDER Finger licking delicious TPB Chicken Wings in BBQ flavour served with a with garlic aioli. Popo’s Veggie Delight – A delicious pizza Red pepper, sun-dried tomato, zucchini, black olive, jalapeño, feta cheese, micro greens, mozzarella, technically perfect in execution and presentation. Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli – While all the pasta dishes are on point, this dish marries the best of the rich creamy filling delicately encased is fresh pasta served in a spicy Arrabbiata sauce. STYLE.WORLD TIP Add another dimension to your meal by asking for one of their Signature experiences through which you can add either a Burrata cheese Ball or Bulls Eye sunny side eye on any of their pizzas, salads, garlic breads, or pasta. WHERE: The Pizza Bakery – 2985, 12th main, HAL 2nd Stage Indiranagar, Bangalore OR RMZ Ecoworld. Visit their website: Facebook page for delivery options. Call: 080 49652607. MEAL FOR TWO: ₹1200 onwards. – By Rupa Balachandar, a designer by profession, a home chef by love and a gemstone lover by passion. Rupa is a food and lifestyle writer who happens to be a vegetarian and loves to cook vegan and vegetarian versions of international cuisines for her family and friends. [envira-gallery id=”9646″] When you’re craving delicious Neopolitan-style pizzas

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A New Ode to Femininity
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A New Ode to Femininity

Frederique Constant has unveiled five new round models in its Classics Art Déco collection. A return to the basics, both contemporary and classic, for a collection created 13 years ago and whose success is attested on the wrist of the modern woman. Art Déco? An artistic movement formed in the 1910s, and which reached its pinnacle in the 1920s. Thus, exactly a century later, Frederique Constant’s eponymous collection now has a brand-new interpretation: The Classics Art Déco Round. This new, 100% feminine model builds on over 10 years of watchmaking and stylistic achievements. Frederique Constant created the “Classics Art Déco” range in 2007. Going against the fashion grain, it already showed the family house’s spirit of total independence: although the trend was towards “oversize” and mixed watches, Frederique Constant sought a timeless classicism, with a delicate and elegant collection. It was followed in 2013 by a daring oval variation, an assertive and distinguished silhouette still in the collection. The culmination of style Today, the round form is offered for the first time in the “Classics Art Déco” collection. Long awaited by collectors and fans of fine watchmaking, it is the result of a thinking process of over ten years about the design, femininity and subtleness. Very often seen as the starting point of watch collections, the perfect circle is, for Frederique Constant, a carefully considered style culmination. The new Classics Art Déco Round line has appropriated the classic look of its elders while asserting itself as a timepiece of the age. Resolutely modern, the watch is above all feminine, with a very delicate casing, of harmonious proportions and considerable finesse, showing off to perfection the elegance of the wrists that it will adorn. For this purpose, the casing has also been slightly curved to perfectly fit the contour of the wrist. A large range of finishes Careful consideration has been given to the finishes of this new range with minute attention to detail. The casing, for example, of a delicate diameter of only 30 mm, has been grooved on its middle, in accordance with the strict standards of luxury watchmaking. On the dial, the hours and minutes are shown by needles, hand refined and polished in the so-called “cored apple” style imposed by Breguet over 200 years ago. They glide over a dial guilloché from its centre outwards which diffuses the light towards the hours expressed in Roman numerals. Four new versions on a whole new level Less than a year ago, the Frederique Constant unveiled an all-new collection, the Classics Quartz Ladies. Embodying the essence of Frederique Constant, the collection made a real impact in the space of a few short months, offering affordable Swiss Made luxury with impeccable attention to detail. The Classics Quartz Ladies timepieces epitomise subtle and feminine everyday elegance and make classically stylish and very competitively priced gifts for yourself or someone special. This year will see the collection continue to evolve in response to demand for even more luxurious models. The aim? To provide options for evening wear, special occasions, or those who simply want something more showy. The fully set bezel – Of the four new models designed by the manufacture, three are stone set. Still just 36 mm in diameter, the bezels are now richly adorned with 40 diamonds. Their delicate sparkle is revealed on two new variations of dial. The first features a mother-of-pearl chapter-ring, the centre of which is decorated with the Côtes de Genève motif, serving as a discreet reminder of the canton where the Frederique Constant manufacture is located (2,395 euros). The second dial is navy blue and provides the Classics Quartz Ladies with an attractive blue/white contrast effect, evoking the light of day and the dark of night. The timepiece is available with a steel bracelet (2,395 euros) or a calf leather strap (2,295 euros). So as to produce the most striking effect, only the watch with a blue dial features hand-polished steel hands, while the watch with a mother-of-pearl dial is finished with black steel hands. Reversing the colour combination ensures the hours and minutes are easy to read on each model, both of which feature a date window at 6 o’clock. Each timepiece is powered by a Frederique Constant quartz movement, ensuring perfect daily timekeeping for almost four years (45 months). Black & gold, a bold but stylish mix – The fourth and final model incorporates some bolder contrasts. The rose gold-plated case sets off the deep black dial with its Roman numerals and white steel hands beautifully. Available with a black calf leather strap, this new Classics Quartz Ladies watch exudes serious modern elegance, for those who want a sophisticated look without compromise, or breaking the bank (895 euros). Frederique Constant is a watchmaker located at Plan-les-Ouates, in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland. Our House is involved in all the manufacturing steps of the watches, from the initial design to the final assembly and quality control. Frederique Constant develops, makes and assembles its calibres in-house and boasts a collection of 29 different models imagined since 2004. In 2015, Frederique Constant launched the first Swiss Horological Smartwatch, displaying the time in an entirely analogical mode on a classic dial. This marked the creation of a brand-new category of watches in the Swiss watchmaking sector. Frederique Constant watches are characterised by their very high quality, their unique features and the precision of their design and manufacture. The value of the products is perceived through the quality of the design, materials and manufacture, a key factor in our success. Each watch is assembled by hand using the most modern equipment and undergoes thorough checks to ensure the highest quality and longest life. Innovation is a constant feature of our work to produce timepieces which are strongly creative and of exceptional value. Our cutting-edge factory covering 6,200 m² in Geneva offers the best environment for our watchmakers passionate about their work. A New Ode to Femininity

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Beat the Heat with these handcrafted summer beverages
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Beat the Heat with these handcrafted summer beverages

Enjoy seven new refreshing limited edition beverages from the comfort of your home as Starbucks resumes kerbside take-away and delivery. With an aim to celebrate the season of sunshine, Starbucks has launched seven new delectable and refreshing delights. The limited edition summer menu boasts of seasonal classics like the fan-favourite Midnight Mocha Frappuccino and a tropical and fruity delight, Mango Popper Frappuccino. The brand has also launched Honey Turmeric Latte, a robust combination of espresso, turmeric & honey along with a new variant in the cold brew section called Vegan Cold Brew. To make this season even more refreshing, customers can also relish three flavourful smoothies (Blueberry, Raspberry & Kiwi). At Starbucks, safety and well-being of the partners and community is of utmost importance.  Customers can now safely enjoy their favourite food and beverages through kerbside take-away and delivery executed in adherence to global safety standards. All orders are prepared by the partners while practicing social distancing, sanitization protocols, strict hygiene norms and contact-less transaction from delivery to payment to ensure optimum safety. Reinforcing its commitment to deliver an unparalleled coffee experience these new indulgent innovations will continue to surprise customers in their journey of coffee exploration as the range caters to diverse palates and preferences. Midnight Mocha Frappuccino Take pleasure in the whirls and twirls of black cocoa and java chips with the Midnight Mocha Frappuccino. Enjoy the black cocoa with deep, bittersweet notes, blended with ice, java chips and Starbucks coffee. This sensational beverage is layered with whipped cream and is finished with a dusting of black cocoa. Mango Popper Frappuccino To make summers even better, Starbucks introduced the season’s classic Mango Popper Frappuccino. This delicious mango flavoured beverage is a true delight to the taste buds on a summery day. Smoothies Beat the heat this summer with the delicious combination of yogurt and flavours like Blueberries, Raspberries or Kiwi, blended to perfection to create the delightful Blueberry Smoothie, Raspberry Smoothie and Kiwi Smoothie. This will be the first venture with Raspberries and Kiwi smoothies. Vegan Cold Brew Honey Turmeric Latte Enjoy the handcrafted delight Vegan Cold Brew which is enriched with soy. This slow steeped cold brew is a perfect vegan coffee delight. Build your immunity with the Honey Turmeric Latte, a robust combination of espresso, honey, turmeric and freshly steamed milk topped with honey drizzle for a sweet and smooth finish. Available in select stores of Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Surat, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai & Kolkata through kerbside take-away and delivery till July 09, 2020. Beat the Heat with these handcrafted summer beverages

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