If butter chicken and naan are your go-tos at Indian restaurants, Monika Celly would like to have a word with you.
She’s not judging you, but this cooking instructor and festival founder knows you’re missing out. With 29 states in India, she explains, each state has its own cuisine.
Being from Northern India, she admits she might be biased in her culinary preferences, but she also appreciates being able to experience tastes from other regions. She’s in awe of the way the exact same ingredients can taste so different from different regions.
“Some regional dishes can only be found if you have a good Indian friend who hosts you,” she says.
If you don’t have that Indian friend to expose you to other cuisines, one shortcut to Indian culinary diversity is the Indian Food Festival that Celly founded four years ago. The festival will be held Aug. 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Liberty High School.
With an assortment of food vendors, attendees will be able to branch out from butter chicken. Celly works with vendors to coordinate the offerings to maximize the diversity in flavors. The festival is about more than just the food. It’s a celebration of Indian culture for Indians and non-Indians alike.
Sharing Indian Heritage
Celly has been in Colorado for 19 years. In 2017, she started Polka Dots and Curry culinary classes from her home kitchen. As demand grew, she rented a commercial kitchen to host the classes. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, she took her classes online.
But Celly is about connection, so while the remote classes were efficient, they were not feeding her soul. She now hosts classes at Vitamin Cottage but more often provides private lessons in people’s homes. She enjoys when a whole, multigenerational family can come together and learn — and then be left with a special meal.
Through her classes and the Indian Food Festival, Celly enjoys being able to teach others about her culture.
She says if it were up to her when she eats out with family or friends, she would choose Indian food. If someone wants something else, they better choose the destination. Though she admits she has a soft spot for a good hamburger, better if it’s a veggie burger.
As the mother of two teenage sons, Celly has watched each of them experience their culture differently. Her older son has taken pride in the family’s background, and as he gets ready to leave for college he’s trying to learn as much as possible. Her younger son, however, has been more self-conscious about his Indian roots. As an example, she shares that he didn’t like standing out with his Indian lunchbox at school.
She sees the Indian Food Festival as a way she can show her sons and other Indian kids how many people are there to learn and celebrate their Indian heritage.
“All kids should feel proud of their heritage,” she says.
Inside the Indian Food Festival
Of course, heritage is more than just cuisine. And the festival is much more than just an Indian food bazaar. There will be Indian dances, a Bollywood dance lesson, karaoke, henna tattoos as well as other nonfood vendors.
The festival has been successful since its first year, but Celly is always looking for ways to improve and adjust. And one change this year will be during the saree walk, a fashion show of sorts that features women wearing the traditional Indian garment of draped cloth.
After wearing her mother’s saree for last year’s walk, Celly realized that most of her friends also have a saree from their mother or grandmother. She decided to make this year’s walk an heirloom walk, and she expects the event will be emotional.
“Because I’m so far away from home, I wear my mother’s saree,” she says. “I feel close to home when I wear it.”
Find more details about the Indian Food Festival and register for tickets at indianfoodfestival.co. Regular admission is free. Early access is $10.
