A bamboo structure rises skyward, inspired by the various headgears of Arunachal Pradesh’s tribal communities. Discarded fishing nets repurposed into walls enclose a space that echoes the raw charm of Kerala’s toddy shops. Elsewhere, a visual feast of Himalayan foraged ingredients comes to life on hand-painted tableware. Walking through ‘The Gathering’ is like stepping into a living artwork, where food, architecture and storytelling merge into an immersive experience.
We are in New Delh’s Travancore Palace where nine of India’s most celebrated chefs have come together this weekend for ‘The Gathering’, a food experience unlike any other. This one isn’t a pop-up about showcasing signature dishes but about crafting entirely new menus and concept tables, built from the ground up, in collaboration with artists and designers across disciplines.
“As a chef, you often talk about provenance, seasonality and history, but this is about creating something new,” explains Prasad Ramamurthy, writer and co-curator of ‘The Gathering’. He adds that this brainchild of Sushmita Sarmah’s, co-founder of event planning company CAB Experiences and festival director of ‘The Gathering’, is about trying something crazy, about “challenging chefs, to push them beyond their comfort zones and give them a platform where they could express something they’d never attempted before”.
(Clockwise from top left) Event design specialist Devika Narain, artist Neha Jain of Ekarth Studio, artists Aradhana Seth, architect Vinu Daniel, artists Elsewhere In India, sculptor Alex Davis, interior designer and event planner Punit Jasuja, artist Archana Hande and production designer Sonal Sawant, who are a part of ‘The Gathering’.
Culinary experiments
Set outdoors, the event features nine individually designed pop-up ‘restaurants’, each 50×20 sq.ft., and reimagined by artists. For instance, chef Viraf Patel’s menu, titled ‘The Last Harvest’, imagines a future where rising sea levels have swallowed much of the land, forcing humanity to rethink sustenance.
Patel has teamed up with sculptor Alex Davis, whose large-scale water-inspired installations set the stage for a thought-provoking dining space. At this booth, 20 diners per sitting get to taste dishes such as Solu Kumbhu and White Bean Hummus paired with stinging nettle crackers, and for the second course, Savoury Choux and Ocean Fish Mousse, featuring deep sea mackerel floss and and brine-preserved kelp dust.
Chef Auroni Mookerjee celebrates the paddy field in his ‘Terra Firma’ where all ingredients for his third course, including shellfish and wild fungi, are from a village pond or around it. Meanwhile, architect Vinu Daniel, famous for transforming plastic bottles and waste into award-winning structures, has constructed chef Regi Mathew’s Kerala-inspired ‘The Modern Day Toddy Shop’. An immersive setting for Mathew’s popular hyper-local menu, featuring staples such as Kappa Kodampuli Fish Curry.
Chef Prateek Sadhu, known for his deep connection to the Himalayas, partners with artist Aradhana Seth to recreate the essence of his culinary philosophy. His pop-up, ‘A Table in the Mountains’, takes inspiration from the rugged terrain and foraging traditions. Guests are served dishes such as Askalu, a delicate balance of kinu marmalade and smoked cheese, and Himachali trout, cooked with turmeric, coconut, and radish.
Work in progress on ‘A Table in the Mountains’ by chef Prateek Sadhu and artist Aradhana Seth.
For those seeking contrast and provocation, chef Gresham Fernandes’ ‘Contrasts & Dualities’, in collaboration with Elsewhere in India, known for their game designs and AI expertise, presents a menu that plays with perception and unexpected pairings. There will be a Radish Waffle with soy-marinated radish and seaweed waffle, alongside Non-Racist Chocolate (porcini and pumpkin), amongst other surprises.
Weddings and event design specialist Devika Narain, known for her extravagant grazing tables at designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s parties, partners with chef Adwait Anantwar for ‘The Darbar of Perception’. Their collaboration features dishes like Silken Textures, a celebration of delicate handcrafted pasta with edible floral elements, and Feast & Flow, an interactive grazing experience.
‘The Darbar of Perception’ by chef Adwait Anantwar and event design specialist Devika Narain.
A brave, multi-sensory experience, ‘The Gathering’ pushes the boundaries of dining by blending culinary artistry with immersive storytelling. But beyond its avant-garde collaborations, it’s also redefining what diners are willing to pay for the extraordinary. Tickets are priced at ₹8,000 and ₹12,000. “People aren’t just paying for food,” says Ramamurthy. “They’re paying for a moment in time that will never be recreated.”
A future of shared journeys
The rise of chef-focused festivals, and many of them sharing a kitchen, is a testament to the growing sense of community in the culinary world. Once fiercely competitive, the industry is now seeing collaboration take centrestage. Take, for example, Mathew’s ‘India’s Culinary Odyssey’ in Chennai last year, where 10 national chefs came together to create a special meal ticketed at ₹1 lakh per head.
Chef Regi Mathew (centre) and the team behind ‘India’s Culinary Odyssey’ in Chennai last year.
The event saw some of India’s top names like Hussain Shahzad, Avinash Martins, Auroni Mookerjee and Vinesh Johny step into the kitchen with no egos, no competition. “The energy in the kitchen was unbelievable,” recalls Mathew. “We cheered every time a course went out, we plated each other’s dishes. It was about pure collaboration.” The genial chef’s new restaurant Chatti in New York highlights Kerala’s toddy shop menus.
Chef Doma Wang, fresh off her experience with ‘The Power Play’, a limited-seating, five-course degustation menu showcased last November, describes the industry today as one where “there is absolutely no competition. We all look after each other”. Held in Pune and Bengaluru, ‘The Power Play’ like Chennai’s ‘Culinary Odyssey’ brought together chefs to craft a complete meal, with each course led by a different chef. Wang credits Pooja Dhingra, Seefah Ketchaiyo, Nooresha Kably and Vanshika Bhatia among many others as chefs she deeply admires, all of whom have played a role in fostering this newfound spirit of openness.
Chef Doma Wang with guests at ‘The Power Play’ dining experience last November.
This sense of camaraderie within the industry is heartening, says chef Niyati Rao of Mumbai-based Ekaa and Bombay Daak. “Today’s chefs are highly research-driven, constantly seeking to learn and experiment with new techniques. It’s incredible that we live in an era where such exchanges can take place so freely. It allows us to grow and evolve much faster than previous generations of chefs,” she says.
(L-R) Chefs Gresham Fernandes, Prateek Sadhu and Vanika Choudhary gear up for ‘The Gathering’ on February 21, 2025.
“It’s not like this with everyone,” cautions celebrated chef Prateek Sadhu who teams up with artist and production designer Aradhana Seth at ‘The Gathering’. “There are genuine friendships, but let’s not pretend the industry is one big happy family. If I admire someone’s work and they’re a good human being, that’s all that matters.” ”
For Fernandes, the change is evident: “Back in the day, you admired a chef in a magazine and never expected to meet them. Now, I can just call up Alex, Prateek, or Hussain, and ask for help.”
Chef Anumitra Ghosh Dastidar in preparation for her pop-up ‘Forbidden. Stolen. Feral.’, in collaboration with artist Archana Hande, at ‘The Gathering’.
This sense of collective growth is why ‘The Gathering’ feels so essential as it highlights a community of chefs open to collaborations. As Ramamurthy explains, “Despite the scale, every chef and artist has fully embraced the collaborative process, trusting each other to create something truly unique. With open dialogue and shared creativity, they’ve come together to bring an untested concept to life.”
So, what’s next? Some chefs, like Sadhu, are focusing on their own projects this year, while others, like Patel, are already thinking of their next big collaborative effort. But one thing is certain — the era of the lone chef is fading, making way for a future that is, at its heart, communal.
The author is a Pune-based lifestyle writer and editor.
Published – February 19, 2025 10:57 am IST
