Andhra Food Festival draws huge crowds

Visakhapatnam: From Araku bamboo chicken and Bhimavaram pickles and Atreyapuram Putarekulu, the venue at AS Raja Grounds, MVP Colony saw a steady stream of food connoisseurs making a beeline to the counters to relish a range of items at the three-day ‘Andhra Food Festival’ that began here on Friday.

Presented by Freedom Range of Healthy Cooking Oils in association with the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department, the festival has close to 50 stalls drawing the attention of the visitors, offering a slice of Andhra cuisine from across the districts of the State.

After getting an overwhelming response for the food festival held in Telangana last year, the organisers decided to host a similar event in the city. “The idea is to bring in diverse delicacies of the State on a platter and offer a new experience to the city people,” explains M Jyothirmayi, one of the organisers of the event.

The food festival was earlier inaugurated by HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and AP Protocol additional secretary M. Ashok Babu. Besides ready-to-eat food counters, millet stall and clothes counter were also set up at the venue. To add to the entertainment quotient, the organisers intend to host cultural programmes in the evenings. The festival will continue at the grounds till Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm.