It being International Chefs’ Day, we asked chefs in Pune about their favourite dish and here’s what they have to say:

  1. Abhishek Joshi: Abhishek Joshi grew up eating Idlis and now serves them at his modest outlet, We Idliwale in Baner. His favourite food around town is Tofu Banh Mi at Ground Up in Viman Nagar and Pork Dumplings at Yeti and the Monk in Khadki.
  2. Anuradha Sawhney: An ex-PETA chairperson, she started her own venture, ‘Meethi Kahani’ in July 2021. She makes vegan sweets and tailors them to taste exactly like their dairy-based counterparts. Her new favourite dish is the vegan Rasgullah that took her two years to perfect. It is soya-based and includes rice flour and promises the original taste!
  3. Siddharth Mahadik: A Le Cordon Bleu alumnus, he set up his European bistro Le Plaisir on Pune’s Prabhat Road that offers delicacies like breakfast muffin sandwiches, Macaroons, Espresso Panna Cotta and much more. His favourite food in town is the classic Bedekar Misal and Kari leaf Prawns at Malaka spice in Koregaon Park.
  4. Rushad Wadia: The guy who introduced Punekars to the authentic ‘Naples’ Pizza at his Greedy Man’s Pizzeria in Kalyani Nagar. His go-to food in the city is the classic Olympia Kathi Roll near East Street in Camp.
  5. Babita Karkariya: A chef at the The French Window in Koregaon Park, her favorite restaurant used to be Maasa in Mundhwa where she loved their Fish-Fry. She occasionally enjoys Kari Kapitan and Roti Jhala at Malaka Spice in Koregaon Park.
  6. Ajeet Kalbag: Chef at Barometer and a well-known name in culinary and restaurant consulting, his favorite food is the same as ours: Misal. He enjoys any and every misal in Pune and opines that each one has got its unique taste.

International Chef’s day was first celebrated in 2004, initiated by Late Bill Gallagher,

the then President of the World Association of Chefs Societies (Worldchefs)