4 minute read
Young Chef Puts Margaritaville Lake Resort on the Map for South Asian Weddings
Margaritaville Lake Resort Sous Chef Sampath “Sam” Praphu has become instrumental in the resort’s South Asian wedding business.
houston: Among the shining stars of the culinary team at Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe | Houston is Sampath “Sam” Prabhu, a sous chef who plays an integral role in the resort’s food and beverage operations.
Prabhu joined the resort in 2021 and is responsible for banquet planning, menu tasting, ordering, and training other employees.
He also has become instrumental in the resort’s South Asian wedding business, which has grown exponentially since he joined the team. His culinary expertise, paired with his understanding of South Asian culture and traditions, has proven to be of significant benefit. During his time at the resort, he has successfully led the catering efforts for seven different Indian weddings, with his sights set on more in the near future.
“Chef Sam has proven himself a knowledgeable and skilled culinary leader and an invaluable team member. He has worked diligently to help create a menu and fine-tune our ability to offer a venue that provides the perfect setting for a South Asian wedding,” said Frank Zouari, Executive Chef for Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe Houston. “He is well-organized and had a wide range of skills, which are critical to our success.”
He also has played a lead role in Margaritaville’s participation in The Woodlands Taste of the Town in 2022 and 2023.
Before he joined the team at Margaritaville Lake Resort, Prabhu spent time cooking for the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing the team of international interns and quickly earned a reputation for serving as a mentor to others. He also has worked for several 5-star hotels in India, including TAJ West end Banglore, Vivanta by Taj bekel, Grand Mecure Banglore, and the Westin Hotel.
Prabhu graduated in 2016 from the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration in Manipal, India. As a young chef, he has achieved multiple accolades, including the best chef award and being named employee of the year by his former employers.
“We look forward to Chef Sam’s continued contributions to Margaritaville as it expands its South Asian wedding business. He is a tremendous asset to us, and we look forward to watching him grow as one of our best culinary leaders,” said Zouari.
Located about an hour north of the Greater Houston area, Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe | Houston, offers the perfect setting for a South Asian wedding, offering an array of venues to accommodate the rich traditions of the culture. You can learn more by visiting www. https://www. margaritavilleresorts.com/margaritaville-lake-resort-lake-conroe
‘Shiv Shastri Balboa’: Anupam, Neena Save Film
by shubhra Gupta
Middle-aged ex-banker from Bhopal Shiv Shastri (Kher) arrives in the US, all set to start a new innings. His doctor son (Hansraj) has done well for himself, in possession of a wife, two sons, a neat suburban home, all the trappings of success. As he begins finding his feet in an alien country, all Shastriji wants is to be able to run up those steps in that Pennsylvania building just the way the very famous Rocky Balboa had done in that very famous boxing film which had turned Sly Stallone into a global star. For fanboy Shastri, ‘Rocky’ is not just a film, but a philosophy which he has internalised deeply: an underdog can be a topdog.
Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.
Send us the correct answer before February 21, 2023. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.
Solution Next Week
His meeting with Elsa-fromHyderabad (Gupta), who works as a housekeeper in the neighbourhood, allows him to break out of the loneliness the elderly are assailed with. He soon learns that just like him, Elsa too has a wish, but of a different kind. She hasn’t been back to India in eight long years, because the Indian family she serves severely underpays her (so what’s new?), and it has taken her that long to put by some money. Would Shastriji be so kind as to help her get a ticket?
And so begins a road-trip during which the two face challenges (a handbag gets stolen), meet a kindly stranger (Hashmi), struggle with racism (a biker gang has them in their sights), and learn some learnings. The proceedings are predictable, but the film’s affection for its leads is infectious.
Both Kher and Gupta face their troubles with a great deal of good cheer, and you cannot help rooting for them as they bump along.
Not everything works: a sequence in a sleazy bar-cumpick-up-joint, where the runaways fetch up for some r and r, is pure cringe. A pug who has the ability to put out his thoughts in a bubble, fetching many laughs in the first half, loses that ability post-interval. Which cat got his tongue? But it’s nice to see Hansraj back, even if it isn’t a big role, and Hashmi, as a wannabe-rappercum-grocerystore-owner is as likeable as ever.
You can do whatever you want, as long as you want it enough. And senior citizens can also have fun. The message is not new. It’s bumper-sticker, yes, but also, quite light and likeable.
Cast: Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Sharib Hashmi, Jugal Hansraj Director: Ajayan Venugopalan Rating: Two and a half stars
‘Pathaan’ Box Office at Rs. 970 Crore mumbaI: This Valentine’s Day, Shah Rukh Khan was showered with lots of love from his fans as they thronged the theatres to watch Pathaan again. After seeing a drop in collections on its third Monday, the film picked up again on Tuesday, witnessing a 35-40% jump in collections.
As per the industry tracker Sacnilk, Pathaan earned Rs 5.65 crore on Tuesday, which was also
Valentine’s Day, bringing the film’s total nett domestic collection to around Rs 480 crore. With this, the third-week total of the film is over Rs 38 crore, with two days remaining. This is a strong performance, as Box Office India reported that the only film to have crossed the Rs 50 cr mark in its third week is SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.
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Last Week’s Solution
Kaushika Shah Licensed Sales Agent 832-282-3515, TT Y 711
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Recent Winners
Kumud Athavale, Ramana Vadrevu, Krishna R. Vuddagiri, Sanchali Basu, Yudhveer Singh Bagga, Taranjit Singh, Kanubhai Patel, Prabhu Narumanchi, Prabha Barvalia
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