PANAJI
Poonam Vaman Gaonkar from the St Xavier’s Training Centre for Children with Disabilities (CwD) Old Goa bagged silver for Goa at the national Cook for Change Challenge (CFCC) – Season 3, organised by the Veruschka Foundation in collaboration with Caritas Goa
Cook for Change Challenge is a national-level inclusive culinary competition that provides a platform for persons with disabilities to showcase their talents, develop skills, and gain recognition in mainstream hospitality.
The initiative promotes inclusion, creativity, and empowerment through culinary arts for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as individuals with speech and hearing impairments.
This year’s competition expanded across regional rounds held in Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, and Pune, culminating in a grand national finale in Mumbai. Participants were evaluated across four themed rounds — Traditional Dish, Zero Waste, Star Ingredient, and Millet Challenge — designed to test culinary skills, innovation, and sustainability awareness.
The Goa regional round witnessed enthusiastic participation from 17 contestants. After a rigorous selection process, four participants advanced to the national finale: Franky Topno, Poonam Vaman Gaonkar, Nevelia Lobo, and Elvin D’Souza. They were supported by Ashita Abraham, Fr Savio Fernandes, Sr Maya Wagle and Sadira Pereira respectively.
They represented institutions including St Francis Xavier’s Training Centre for Children with Disabilities and Divya Sadan, Caritas Goa Home for Adults with Disabilities.
Each finalist was supported by dedicated mentors who played a crucial role in guiding them throughout the competition.
At the finale, which brought together 16 finalists from across India, Poonam Gaonkar secured 2nd place nationally with her innovative Ragi Halwa. She was supported by Fr Savio Fernandes. Manali Sarmalkar and Anuradha Kumbhar (Navkshitij, Pune) secured the first prize, while Nandini Ladhani (Mumbai) bagged the third prize.
The competition was judged by a panel of hospitality professionals, including Chef Altamash Patel, Alyona Kapoor and Chef Yogesh Utekar, who evaluated participants on taste, presentation, creativity and teamwork.
Season 3 was made possible through the support of CSR and philanthropic partners — Alka and Bharat Puri (Shubh Arambh Foundation), Bajaj Finserv CSR, Kamal Udwadia Foundation, Rich Products & Solutions Pvt Ltd, Tata Consumer Products, Madhukumar Nair and Rajkamal Tiwari (Union Mutual Fund), Sudhir Shenoy (Able Together Foundation), Rakesh Damani, SVP India and Meghna Jaishankar, ILSS whose belief in inclusion helped create a national platform for persons with disabilities in culinary arts.
The participation and success of Goa’s finalists highlight the work carried out by Caritas Goa and St Francis Xavier’s Training Centre for Children with Disabilities Old Goa in promoting inclusion and empowerment.
