MIET Jammu Puts Ten Student Food Ventures to a Chef Judged Test

Ten student-led food ventures went before a jury of two working chefs at MIET Jammu on Friday, as the Model Institute of Engineering and Technology's School of Management ran its 'NourishPreneur: Micro Entrepreneurship Challenge 2026'. The campus event, organised with the Institution Innovation Council, asked students to build business cases around healthy food — and then defend them in front of professionals who run kitchens for a living.

Prof. Ankur Gupta, Director of MIET, inaugurated the event and pressed the case for an entrepreneurial mindset. He told students to take initiative, think creatively and develop practical solutions to emerging market needs, according to the institute. He then walked the floor himself, visiting each participating venture and questioning student teams on their food philosophy, brand values and business propositions.

Who judged, and on what?

The jury had real industry weight. Vijay Kumar Menon, Managing Director and Partner at Chef Aroma Group, sat alongside Rajeev Haryani, Executive Chef at Sanjeev Caterers, Royal Retreats Hari Niwas. That matters for participants: feedback came from people who evaluate food businesses commercially, not just academically.

The judges scored teams across six dimensions:

• Product offerings
• Relevance to the event theme
• Creativity
• Business potential
• Presentation
• Understanding of target customers

That scoring sheet reads like a compressed pitch rubric — the same categories an investor or incubator would probe.

What did the ten ventures look like?

The lineup spanned a wide creative range: Healthpreneurs, MBA Blues, Baked and Unbothered, Clean Canteen, Amulya Swaad, Fresh Fusion, Popeye's Fuel, Wholesome Bites, The Whimsical Kitchen and Clean Canteen's fellow finalist Clean Cravings. Each team pitched a healthy food-based business idea, and the institute says the showcase demonstrated creativity, teamwork and a working grasp of the opportunities and challenges in launching a micro-enterprise.

For management students, the format converted classroom theory into operating decisions. Teams worked through product design, quality standards, customer preferences, pricing strategies and marketing — the practical stack behind any sustainable small food business.

Who won what?

Three teams earned special recognition. Amulya Swaad took the BrandPreneur Award for best branding. Wholesome Bites secured the TastePreneur Award for best taste. Clean Cravings won the InnoPreneur Award for best innovation.

The institute felicitated the two jury members through Prof. Ajay Khajuria, Professor of Practice, and Prof. Ankita Nanda, Head of the School of Management. Col. Rajesh Sharma, Registrar of MIET, and Prof. Atul Bargotra, Head of the Department of Commerce, also attended. Faculty and student coordinators from the School of Management ran the programme.

What does this change for MIET students?

In the near term, not much — no funding rounds or incubation slots were announced. The value is developmental: students tested ventures in a low-risk format, took direct feedback from established chefs and caterers, and three teams now carry award credentials into their portfolios.

The bigger signal is directional. MIET framed the event as part of its continued push for innovation, experiential learning and entrepreneurial thinking. If the format repeats, expect future cohorts to arrive with sharper, competition-tested ventures — and for the institute to keep positioning itself as a launchpad for micro-entrepreneurship in the Jammu region.