Photos by Co-host, Nishi, and Content Volunteer, Ankur.
HOST
CO-HOST
CONTENT VOLUNTEER
WHERE WE MET
The Chicken Sukkha dish was my favourite!
Piyali
I made many new friends and tried new dishes, especially the Lauki ke Patte ki Sabji! Can’t wait to attend the next one.
Richa
It was great to meet everyone and taste a variety of dishes. I didn’t feel like we were meeting for the first time! Thanks to LFC and the wonderful hosts.
Mamta
Gatte ka Pulao, a Rajasthani speciality that uses fragrant basmati rice tossed with spiced gram flour dumplings for a wholesome meal.
Rice Roti with Chicken Sukkha, a coastal pairing where soft rice flour rotis meet a dry-fried chicken dish from Mangalore, cooked with grated coconut, roasted spices, and curry leaves.
Toor Dal Sabzi is a thick preparation of pigeon peas cooked with seasonal vegetables and tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and chillies—a staple across Gujarati, Maharashtrian, and Rajasthani kitchens.
MEET YOUR HOST
What does local mean to you?
‘Local’ is about rootedness. It’s an ingredient grown in the soil of the place I’m in, a cooking ritual passed down through generations, or a method of cooking that belongs to a community. Sometimes it’s a spice blend you can only buy in a tiny village shop, sometimes it’s a festive dish that only makes sense when cooked in its season. ‘Local’ is food that carries memory, geography, and identity in every bite.
As a Punjabi kid in Mumbai, my palate was shaped as much by home-made Punjabi food as it was by my Maharashtrian aunt’s cooking. Every week, there would be Bombil Curry or Bangda Fry on the table. The smell of fish frying would fill the house, the tang of kokum cutting through the richness. Those meals blurred the lines of culture for me, showing how food can weave families and traditions together.
Sea urchins. I went in expecting something briny and harsh, but instead, I was floored by their sweetness—delicate, almost custard-like. It wasn’t cooked, it wasn’t dressed up, it was just the sea in its purest form. That moment taught me that food can surprise you most when you drop all your assumptions and simply taste.
Fanas (jackfruit). It’s a little wild, unapologetic, and often misunderstood. In some places, such as Alibaug (where my sasural is), ‘fanas’ is even a euphemism for being a bit drunk, and I think that fits me well. Someone a little heady, a little unpredictable, but full of possibilities if you know how to cook me right.
The Gurugram chapter of the Local Food Club has grown from a casual experiment into a real community. There are familiar faces and new ones who join with curiosity. I can already see us becoming a core circle of food lovers, because each meetup feels like proof that food (at its heart) is about belonging.