Get ready to celebrate the Festival of Lights with a delicious twist. The Corporate Diwali (TCD) is bringing its popular Diwali Restaurant Week (DRW) to New York City for the first time, from October 20th to November 3rd.  The Pierre NY, A Taj Hotel will launch Diwali Restaurant Week during the hotel’s Festival of Lights Gala on October 18^th, 2024. The New York launch follows the success of the inaugural Restaurant Week in London

The vision for Diwali Restaurant Week is to be a premier annual celebration for 2 weeks in New York City, London, India and Florida, showcasing authentic Indian thali menu merged with global cuisines in a fusion format. The Corporate Diwali aspires to educate and inspire attendees about Diwali traditions, creating an immersive experience that fosters unity, cultural understanding, and community engagement.

A Global Feast for a Global City

Founder Miss Manisha Beriwala has patented & trademarked this concept to honor the diverse global chef community. This two-week event will showcase the rich diversity of New York’s culinary scene, fusing Indian flavors with cuisines from around the world. Participating restaurants will offer a special DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Diwali Thali, a unique platter featuring dishes representing different cultures — symbolizing the unifying power of food. The Thali will create a true global culinary adventure mixing Indian curries with Italian pastas, Chinese dumplings, Mexican tacos and more.

More Than Just Food

Diwali Restaurant Week is not just about delicious food; it’s also about celebrating Diwali traditions and fostering cultural understanding. The event aims to:

• Honor global chefs: The TCD team includes renowned chefs like Executive Chef Michael Mignano from The Pierre NY – a Taj Hotel, Michelin-starred Chef Hemant Mathur of Saar Indian Bistro, Devi and Tulsi restaurants in NYC, and Chef Sajjan from Florida.
• Promote unity and inclusion: The DEI Thali embodies the core theme of Diwali, the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.
• Support charitable initiatives: A portion of the proceeds will benefit TCD Giving, a non-profit organization founded by Ivanka Beriwala is focused on feeding the homeless during Diwali and Thanksgiving.

“Our mission at Diwali Restaurant Week is to celebrate Indian cuisine and culture by bringing Diwali traditions to New York City. We aim to unite food enthusiasts, chefs, and local businesses for a vibrant and inclusive community event, promoting culinary excellence, cultural appreciation, and charitable initiatives,” says TCD Founder & CEO Miss Manisha Mundhra Beriwala.  “Our food reflects who we are, and what we eat deeply impacts how we feel. DRW aims to bring the light of Diwali into people’s hearts through their bellies by celebrating food as a medium for creating unity through diversity,” she continues.

Join the Celebration!

Diwali Restaurant Week is for food enthusiasts, culture vultures, or those simply looking for a unique dining experience. Diverse restaurants to participate, university canteens to partner and an elevated Diwali teatime to be offered in the future. For more information, partnership inquiries, or to find out how to get involved with TCD Giving, – contact Yashvi Inamdar at Thecorporatediwali@gmail.com.

About The Corporate Diwali (TCD)

Founded in 2005 by Miss Manisha Mundhra Beriwala, The Corporate Diwali is a diverse and inclusive community celebrating the 2500-year-old Diwali festival and International Women’s Day through retreats, events, and workshops focused on self-discovery and community building. Headquartered in the tri-state area and Florida, TCD has expanded to over 12 cities across America and 5 countries internationally. Boasting a  diverse trustee board headed by Miss Kelli Vincent Rodriguez, Victoria Von Randall & Joan Standish TCD’s commitment to Diwali has been the purpose of founder Ms. Beriwala’s life.

Diwali Restaurant Week is a staunch mission-led organization created to honor the global diverse Chef community. The DRW special DEI Diwali Thali, represents inclusion of global cuisines and is the prominent item to be featured at participating restaurants.

Miss Beriwala is an award-winning DEI author, speaker and pioneer in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion through the Diwali festivities. A passionate, dedicated Mom-cook, Miss Manisha realized the significance of Indian food when she settled in New York with her family from her hometown in India, Kolkata, to impart her prestigious upbringing and Marwari Mundhra Legacy family values to her daughters.

True to her tradition, serving handmade homemade thalis to family, friends, and neighbors became an extension of her commitment to DEI. Her traditional Indian food served on 100% silver heritage thalis from her mom & dad’s home brought together her numerous American friends and recreated a feeling of home. “Food is the single most unity in humanity”

Vision Statement:

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the role of food in uniting diverse global cuisines becomes paramount. The long-term goals of the organization are to change the narrative about food and to highlight the benefits of diverse chef contributions to the growth of the next thought-provoking global Diwali mayoral light awards, Chef’s panel and a chef cookout show. The Corporate Diwali is pioneering this change.