July ’25 Mahim

At LFC Mumbai, bring your dreams or dabbas, and in a city that never stops, take a pause. Meet Mumbai’s mosaic of dreamers and doers—all at one table.

Photos by Content Volunteer, Anamika, and Member, Tanvi.

HOST

Priyanka Gohil

CO-HOST

Valoumi Sedani

CONTENT VOLUNTEER

Anamika Biswas

WHERE WE MET

Urest in Mahim, Mumbai, is a women-only stay designed for single professionals and students, offering modern, secure rooms and an in-house café, creating a safe, community-focused home away from home.

What Members Said

The way the host established mutual respect and guidelines was great. At the end of the day, my heart felt full.

Aakash

If I could go back, I would love to eat the Milagu Kuzhambu (Pepper Khichdi) by Babita, and ‘Love as Cake’ by Bhavika. They were so good!

Aditi

I learned so much about food, and enjoyed speaking about my favourite dishes as well. The ‘Love as Cake’ was my favourite dessert.

Rahul

What We Loved

This adorable sign at LFC Mahim’s entrance by our venue partners at Urest, Mahim. We love a personal touch from the community!

Can any conversation about monsoon be complete without the mention of bhajiya? Brought by Riddhi, these were perfectly on theme, and gone in minutes.

‘Love as Cake’, a bake inspired by the 90s classic Hindi song, ‘Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon’, Bhavika’s dreamy creation stole the show.

MEET YOUR HOST

Priyanka Gohil is a writer and journalist who covers the F&B and Alco–Bev industry, monitoring and documenting culture shifts and evolving trends in the space. She has authored a book called Eat Like a Local - Mumbai for a publishing house in the United States, which gives an inside scoop on the food scene in Mumbai. She is a firm believer in the power of storytelling, and for her, nothing tells a story quite like food—it speaks of people, places, cultures, emotions, and traditions in ways that words often can’t.

What does local mean to you?

‘Local’ is an idea, a feeling, a philosophy. Something that is simple, available, accessible. There is nothing pretentious about it, with no requirements to refine or embellish it for greater aesthetic appeal. ‘Local’ is rooted in place, in season, and in community. When I think of ‘local’, food is what comes to mind first, serving a value system—where it comes from, who made it, and why it matters. A reflection of a particular soil, landscape, and people.

What is your most enduring food memory?

I was probably seven when I first tried banana sabzi with roti. It was an amazing feeling, to have a flavour be unlocked for my palate at that age. Since then, I haven’t been able to stop myself from devouring the entire bowl of sabzi whenever it is made. Banana sabzi, just how my mom makes it, is my comfort food, my quick fix. It is the way to my heart.

What is the most adventurous food you've tried and loved?

I have tried the red ant chutney that my friend from Assam got me once. Although I can’t say I loved it, it was a new taste.

If you were a seasonal ingredient, what would you be?

Pineapple. It’s what most of my family would describe me as. Pineapples have spiky, armoured skin—a little intimidating at first—but once you cut through, they are bright, vibrant, and soft. Sweet and sour, perfectly tangy.

How do you see your Local Food Club flourishing?

I think the Local Food Club is so warm, there is no judgment and no expectation. It brings people closer through the sharing of stories, which is essential considering the era we are living in. I believe it is paving the way for us to be more grounded, present, and real. I have observed members becoming more connected to where their food comes from, to the people who produce it, and to each other. They are excited to learn, listen, explore, and rediscover the richness of their own region. During the meetup, there is a genuine eagerness—not just to eat the food—but to understand what it truly represents. It is a space to slow down in the world of fast everything!

But my vision as a member and cheerleader for LFC is to see it accommodate people from backgrounds beyond what this space is right now. While we can engage with food cultures through what we read and consume, it is important to bring people with undocumented lived experiences around food together in the same room. As a dedicated member of LFC in my city, my hope is to help it grow by expanding my own scope of understanding, being endlessly accommodating, listening better, and gently encouraging others to do the same.