MONCTON, N.B. — Touring a salmon farm, scallop fishing and harvesting mussels, might be familiar to many Canadian chefs, but the adventures are new to Indian chef Vicky Ratnani.
The star of the popular Indian TV show Good Times, is in Atlantic Canada taping segments for a cooking and travel show to be broadcast on India’s NDTV network. “When I visited Atlantic Canada last year, I was impressed by the region’s natural attributes, such as its seafood, landscapes and culture,” said Ratnani. “NDTV’s international audience will be very interested in seeing what Atlantic Canada has to offer in the shows we’ll produce.”The culinary field trip — funded by the Government of Canada — offers huge potential for Canada’s economy. “India is a priority of our government’s trade agenda. It could boost Canada’s economy by at least $6 billion a year, creating thousands of jobs across the country. In Atlantic Canada, exporting is one of the leading drivers of economic growth,” said Bernard Valcourt, associate minister of National Defence and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency -La Francophonie). Valcourt hopes the broadcast will create increased demand for Atlantic Canadian seafood and other products.
Ratnani will be filmed touring a salmon farm in New Brunswick, scallop fishing in Nova Scotia, visiting a micro-brewery in Newfoundland and Labrador, and harvesting potatoes and mussels in P.E.I.
Earlier this year, Atlantic Canadian seafood was featured during a week-long event at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, India.
