Young culinary students of Kamaxi College of Culinary Arts get field exposure at events held across Goa
~ Students of the Verna-based Kamaxi College of Culinary Arts recently participated in events, emphasising the institute’s idea of experience-based learning.
Panaji, December 2025: While learning in the classroom is of great importance, nothing can beat good practical field exposure. And the Verna-based Kamaxi College of Culinary Arts (KCCA) knows this all too well. With two on-the-go learning experiences in a span of a week – setting up food stalls at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 and the on-going FIERCE Markets in Mungul, along the Margao-Colva road – the College ensured that students put their theoretical learnings into practice.
A flagship event from the KCCA-run Fierce Kitchens, the on-going FIERCE Markets, set the stage for aspiring food entrepreneurs, especially the students of KCCA, who had a bake sale on December 20 and December 21. The event helped the students gain first-hand exposure to the industry, interacting with clients while serving up delicious foods from the college’s bakery and pastry section. Abigale Cardoz from Navelim, who is training in Global Bakery and Pastry at KCCA, said that the experience ensured positive learning. “We were given the opportunity to step out and sell products that we made ourselves. This was very different from what we usually see in Goa. This felt more organised and professional, which made it a refreshing space to work in and learn from,” she said.
Adding on to this, Pawan Prasad from Kolkata, who is in the bakery and pastry programme at Kamaxi Skills, said, “One of the biggest learnings has been understanding how to deal with customers. You need to explain your products clearly, answer questions about ingredients, allergies and special requirements; explain what makes your product stand out from others. Learning how to handle competition and confidently communicate with customers is something I will take back.”
While the bakery students had a weekend out at Mungul, the students from the college’s hot kitchen section spent ten days at Panaji. Guided by Chef Anjali Prabhu Walavalkar, four KCCA students – Kotha Krishna Sai, Nihal Naik, Aaditya Verlekar and Parshuram Chalwadi – stepped out of the classroom and into a dynamic festival setting, serving time-honoured dishes of the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin cuisine like ananas karam, makkiachi tohi, bangdachi uddamethi, while engaging directly with curious food lovers at the Culinary Odyssey of Goa stalls all through the Serendipity Arts Festival 2025. “We had the opportunity to observe and understand foods in a way we had not experienced before, including cuisines we had little knowledge about earlier. It has been a great learning experience to see how diverse Goa’s food culture really is and has reinforced my desire to carry it forward,” says Aaditya Verlekar, KCCA student from Ponda.
For Krishna Sai Kotha, who hails from Hyderabad, this was the first time he experienced Goan food closely. “The experience has introduced me to a new regional cuisine – the flavours and cooking style used – which will help me broaden my understanding of Indian food and benefit me in my future career,” he said.
Speaking about the initiatives, Parixit Fondekar, Founder of Kamaxi Group said, “We at Kamaxi College of Culinary Arts believe in giving students a wholesome learning experience and that encompasses such initiatives and field exposure. With an involvement in such events, the students are given the opportunity to take their learnings from the classroom into the real world, interact with their customers and gain first hand knowledge about the industry. It also helps the public take note and acknowledge the students who are learning the ropes of their trade.”
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