Mr. Sanjay Vazirani, Chairman – Foodlink F&B Holdings India Ltd., talks about the importance of engaging every sense through food and luxury catering.
A multisensory food experience helps this celebration be more immersive, emotional and unforgettable. Because beyond flavours, food is a powerful storytelling tool. Team Wedding Affair reached out to five industry giants to gain expert insights on how and why to create an unforgettable multisensory experience through food.
In the first blog of the series “The Art of Multi-Sensory Food Experience”, we spoke with Sanjay Vazirani, Chairman of Foodlink, India’s leading luxury catering and banqueting brand, to understand how multi-sensory dining is transforming weddings into immersive, unforgettable experiences. Sanjay has redefined luxury dining in India and set a new benchmark with his catering giant enterprise Foodlink. Today, his stellar culinary offerings are gracing the biggest celebrity weddings across the globe.
“When you design a dining experience that engages the senses of sight, smell, sound, taste and touch, it becomes immersive. This experience evokes nostalgia, celebrates heritage and creates lasting memories, making it truly unforgettable,” says Sanjay.
“For example, we choreographed a food parade designed as a culinary fashion show. Gourmet creations were served in motion, presented on bespoke platters by elegantly dressed servers, transforming the act of service into a performance. Signature stations added theatre: a caviar bar, a grazing table with exotic organic vegetables and aged cheeses, a live bread oven and grill trolleys. Dishes like Palak Chaat Pops, Pomegranate Caviar with edible spoons, Raclette and Malai Broccoli blended creativity with familiarity. It was not just about food; it was about drama, surprise and delight at every turn.”
Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Wedding Dessert Menu
But is it possible to engage all the senses equally at the same time? Sanjay thinks it’s possible with intention and careful planning. “You need to approach it like a director staging a play. At Foodlink, we make sure that everything works in harmony. Not every dish needs to engage all five senses, but the overall dining journey should.”
While Sanjay states that hearing is the most difficult sense to engage and touch is the most underutilised one, he provides us with a unique solution for enhancing each sensory experience.
“Sight is your first impression. Plating can draw inspiration from nature, architecture, or even fashion. Elevate buffet counters with dramatic elements such as edible flowers, flames, or themed visuals. Hearing is often underutilised. The sounds of a live wok sizzling, the crunch of tempura, or spices popping in hot oil create anticipation. Smell is a powerful emotional trigger. Using open kitchens or fragrance diffusers with subtle notes like saffron, citrus, or vanilla can enhance this olfactory layer.”
“Taste is foundational to the food experience. Focus on balancing the five core flavours: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, while blending authenticity with innovation. The goal is to surprise and delight the palate. Touch is the most overlooked sense, but it can have a significant impact. The texture of foods, such as crispy chaats, silky kulfi, crackling papad, or airy mousse, adds depth to the experience. The choice of serveware also matters; using materials like stone slabs, banana leaves, or hand-moulded ceramics can enhance the tactile experience.”
Sharing his vision with Foodlink and the future of wedding dining in India, Sanjay says, “Wedding dining in India is evolving from large-scale events to curated experiences that emphasise sophistication. The future will focus on personalisation, sustainability and multi-sensory design. Couples are seeking menus that reflect their unique stories, utilising local and seasonal ingredients, reimagined heirloom dishes, or fusion recipes that blend global flavours with Indian essence. Technology will enhance these experiences, featuring innovations such as projection-mapped buffets, scent-controlled zones, and augmented reality menus. Despite all this innovation, the core of Indian hospitality will continue to be emotional, generous, celebratory, and rooted in storytelling.”
Read More: Wedding Cake Flavours Instead of Vanilla and Chocolate
Subscribe to Wedding Affair for more from the series “The Art of Multi-Sensory Food Experience.”
