Spotlighting Regional Cheese and Dairy Traditions: Masque x Chef Aditya Raghavan x The Locavore

A one-of-a-kind culinary experience highlighting the many cheese and dairy traditions native to the Indian subcontinent.
The ‘Six Hands Dinner’ was held at Masque Lab in Mumbai, a space dedicated to research and experimentation, with a host of seasonal ingredients and techniques that drew out the best in them.
The ‘Six Hands Dinner’ was held at Masque Lab in Mumbai, a space dedicated to research and experimentation, with a host of seasonal ingredients and techniques that drew out the best in them.

India has rich and diverse dairy traditions, yet there’s little we know of it beyond a few staples. The Six Hands Dinner targeted this very gap in our knowledge and experience of dairy cultures. 

On 15 and 16 April 2023, Chef Varun Totlani from Mumbai-based restaurant Masque, cheesemaker Aditya Raghavan, and Chef Thomas Zacharias from The Locavore, got together for an immersive culinary experience at Masque Lab, with a focus on spotlighting native cheese and dairy traditions from the country and beyond.

Over the span of a weekend, guests had the opportunity to explore these traditions firsthand through a variety of experiences. This included a hands-on, intimate brunch with the chefs: beginning with the history of setting milk, to discovering indigenous cheeses like from Bandel and chhurpi, and learning how to make fresh chhena and paneer—paired with unlimited cocktails. 

The brunch and dinner menus were finalised after several days of trial and error, including experiments with milk skin, cheese curds, whey, and fat. (L) Chef Aditya Raghavan and Chef Varun Totlani testing milk skin as part of the menu development process. (R) A mozzarella-style curd being prepared during one of the cheesemaking trials.

(L) Bandel cheese is a salty, smoky, crumbly cheese from Bengal with a sharp lactic flavour. (R) Experimenting with cheese curds set with rennet.

Brunch was followed by dinner, where guests had the chance to explore a variety of cheeses in different forms and applications, brought to life through a tasting menu. The menu featured native cheeses like topli paneer, kalari, chhena, and smoked Bandel—a showcase of the sheer diversity of regional flavours and recipes. 

(L) Prawn and Mahim Halwa Cheung Fun, a playful course combining prawns, mousse, Mahim halwa, Cheung Fun broth, tempura crumbs, and XO sauce. (R) Cocktails and whey sodas designed specially for the dinner, using dairy by-products like whey.

Also part of the experience was Ghee Shakkar, a showcase of four ghees from different parts of India. Each of these has its own unique texture and flavour—nuances we wanted to highlight through a side-by-side comparison. 

The nutty, earthy notes of Offerings Farms’ Gir Cow Ghee from Maharashtra; the creamy, smoky flavors of Tons Valley Shop’s ghee from Uttarakhand; tangy Bhutanese yak milk butter from The Whole Hog Deli; and Sienna Store’s  caramelised Bonolokhi Cow Ghee from Bolpur, West Bengal—the showcase was a tribute to the rich, regional dairy heritage of India.

Ghee Shakkar was a showcase of four distinct ghee from different regions—Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Bhutan, and West Bengal.

“The biggest takeaway from the weekend was the sense of discovery it sparked. Guests were genuinely surprised by the range and depth of Indian dairy traditions—from Bandel and chhurpi to kalari, chhena, whey, butter, and regional ghee. For us, that was the point: to show that these traditions are not peripheral or primitive, but deeply technical, flavourful, and rooted in place. The event reminded us that sometimes the most exciting culinary work is not about inventing something new, but about paying closer attention to what has always been around us.” 

—ChefTZac, Founder of The Locavore

At The Locavore, we love planning and executing events that highlight India’s diverse local foods, celebrating community, sustainability, and cultural heritage. Our events feature engaging workshops, discussions, immersive experiences and other formats that connect you to India’s rich food culture. Interested in collaborating or having us organise an event? Reach out at connect@thelocavore.in.