India Food Network, Reliance Fresh launch Live Lockdown Cooking Show

India Food Network (IFN), India’s oldest and largest digital food network, in collaboration with Reliance Fresh, India's favourite neighbourhood supermarket, successfully concluded the country’s first-ever live virtual cooking reality show, the "Live Lockdown Cooking Show”. The unique aspect of this live broadcast was the fact it was a simultaneous live stream from two kitchens giving the viewer an experience of an actual live cook-along show, made even more relevant during times of a lockdown.  

The 5-episode series from April 10-14, 2020 saw Chef Amrita interacting live with homemakers, professional culinary experts and even young students over delicious home-made food recipes, culinary hacks using food leftovers and thrifty cooking methods. 

 Reaching approx. 20 million unique consumers over 5 days and over 5 million completed views, this show created a platform for home chefs to showcase their skills, but most of all, at a time like this provide both comfort and entertainment. The show participants were amongst a larger pool of winners who also received gift vouchers from Reliance Fresh worth a total of INR 5,000 daily.

 Quick-fix dishes like veggie frankie rolls, burrito bowls, paneer bhurji, carrot muffins and unique beverages like pear and peanut butter milkshakes and water-melonade were prepared live before enthusiastic viewers, who also shared their own versions of dishes through posts, photos and videos. The show was also sprinkled with light-hearted conversations between Chef Amrita, winners and viewers around how citizens are managing their larger schedules during the lockdown, how families are cherishing this time by spending time with each other through enjoyable hobbies like baking with their children and overall tips and advice on how to combat the lockdown blues through common the joys of cooking.

 Lalatendu Panda, Chief Marketing Officer (Reliance Fresh and Reliance SMART) said, “We are big believers in using new ways of connecting with our RelianceOne consumers both online and offline. For us, serving their needs are paramount to our existence. Our team has been working very hard to ensure that we continue to provide our customers with all the support they need to ensure an uninterrupted supply of food products and a safe environment in the stores. This first ever Lockdown Cooking Show was another way to letting consumers know that we are with them every step of the way, helping them make healthy, tasty and quick meals, all of which help them in whatever way possible. This show was also a first for us and the industry where two kitchens were streaming simultaneously and cooking. We hope to continue creating content that excites and inspires our RelianceOne loyalty programme customers. “

This show was creatively conceptualized and produced by India Food Network (IFN) for Reliance Fresh. Rajeshree Naik, founder of IFN said, “Food content has clearly been a huge preoccupation both for comfort and practical reasons. Whether it be recipe videos, advice on quarantine cooking, how to stock your pantry or the increased interest in baking and bread, food content has seen an unusual spike in interest. This cooking show we did with Reliance Fresh was one-of-its-kind because it was live, in a way where it was two kitchens cooking together - same time and also with a larger audience participation. With food being both a need and source of distraction, we have been creating content that people will find very useful during times like this.”

Since its inception in 2012, with over 8000 recipes videos, a community of over 1.5 million and a network of 200 food influencers, India Food Network has been consistently endeavouring to push the envelope in the digital culinary content space.  Live shows, IP’s such as The Mini Truck, Kissan Tiffin Timetable, live cook-alongs, among others. The work with some of the largest food brands in the country such as Nestle, Unilever, Tata Consumer, Saffola, Emmami Oils, Reliance Fresh, Future group and many leading food brands.