Category Food

With Salad Life, Zorawar and Dildeep Kalra are not just tossing leaves, they are shaking up the salad game, one delicious, nutritious bowl at a time.
By Sharmi Adhikary

Reviving authentic Indian food traditions and cultures that fit snugly into mainstream discourse, Chef Unnati Gupta’s unique, experiential catering brand Tari is serving nostalgia and heritage with every meal, discovers Sharmi Adhikary

In the global conversation on food, sustainability, and nutrition, plant-based foods have become a defining shift of the 21st century. In India, Praveer Shrivastava, a key advocate, is strengthening the nation’s plant-protein ecosystem. Representing the Plant-Based Foods Industry Association, he bridges policy, agriculture, sustainability, and industry growth. India’s plant-based sector is nascent but holds great promise. As the world’s largest producer and consumer of pulses, India’s rich vegetarian tradition positions it for a shift to plant-based alternatives. Realising this potential demands policy reform, research, infrastructure, and awareness. The association is building this ecosystem from the ground up.

For over thirty years, Kavita Devgan has influenced how India views food, health, and lifestyle. She entered the field of nutrition when it was barely mainstream. Today, as a respected dietitian, columnist, bestselling author, and widely read health writer, Devgan champions a simple message: prevention is the best medicine. Her nutrition journey began before wellness trends and diet fads were popular. Growing up in a small town, Devgan recalls that career options for girls were mostly limited to medicine or teaching. Her father wanted her to pursue medicine, but her path became clear during her first nutrition lecture. "It was literally love at first lecture" she recalls. "I realised nutrition was a hugely underrated tool—it could prevent disease, not just treat it."

In the ever-evolving tapestry of Indian cuisine, few figures stand out as vividly as Chef Vikas Chawla. His journey is not merely one of culinary mastery but includes overcoming personal health challenges and advocating for sustainable food practices. Known across the country as the‘Millet Chef of India,’ Chef Chawla’s work has redefined what it means to be a chef in today’s world—he is as much a healer and activist as he is a creator of unforgettable dishes. His story is a testament to the power of food, not just to nourish, but to heal our bodies, restore the land, and revive traditions lost in the tide of modernity.Yet, Chef Vikas did not always walk the path he now so passionately advocates.

An interview with its co-founder: Chef Johnson

In the mist-shrouded hills of Himachal Pradesh, where apple orchards cling to steep slopes like nature’s own rebellion against gravity, Phal Phool took root not from a glossy business plan, but from a daughter’s quiet fury at a broken system. Aprajita, the self-proclaimed “favourite farmer girl” behind it all, never set out to launch a food venture. She was an IT engineer hustling in Noida’s corporate world, far from the family farm where her parents toiled year-round. But one supermarket sticker on apples at ₹360 a kilo flipped a switch. Why, she wondered, did city shoppers pay a fortune, while her folks scraped by at ₹30-40 in the local mandi?

Some people enter the culinary world not by choice, but by necessity, and in the process, redefine what it means to feed a family, a community, and, eventually, a digital nation. Meghna Kamdar is one such force of nature. Though I have never met her in person, my conversations with her, woven through digital threads and candid answers, reveal a woman whose journey from banker to beloved home chef is both relatable and extraordinary. Meghna is not just a content creator; she is a storyteller, mentor, and a champion of the everyday cook.

Unleash the Power of Plant-Based Living!

MOSAIC had the chance to connect with BogusiaDhingra, a Polish woman who has made India her home and married into the Dhingra family which has a valued legacy in confectionery that stands out for its soul-rich patisserie and foods. We visited Alma Bakery and Café
located in sector 104, Noida to meet with its co-founder Bogusia. The name “Alma” is
significant, meaning “soul” in Spanish, encapsulating the café’s ethos: a soulful journey of food nourishing both the body and the spirit.

Sustainability in food is a topic of comprehensive and buoyant discussion as there are numerous levels at which sustainable practices are being adopted worldwide; it is interesting to visualize its application from the interiors of a live gourmet kitchen.

‘‘When you have pets at home, and you realize a stronger inclination towards animals, then, it should be natural for an animal lover to not consume dairy products or use leather, because then it is not love, but something else. So vegan lifestyle was easy to adopt.” Anubhooti is based in Gurugram and takes frequent trips to ‘Pahaad’ meaning Uttarakhand, each trip exploring familial recipes, lost ingredients, and culinary inheritances. In this special column, Mosaic brings to you a tale of two themes; veganism and regionalism in food and we know, it promises a delivery of delectable inspirations to you.