December ’25 Chandrasekharpur

From temple bites to indigenous kitchen finds, LFC Bhubaneswar blends ancient heritage with homely heat. Come for the pakhala hacks and mustard flavours, stay for the comfort that sticks to your fingers.

Photos by member, Chanchal and co-host, Jinnie Saren.

HOST

Rishi Roy

CO-HOST

Jinnie Saren

WHERE WE MET

Ekaiva Bakehouse is a cozy artisan bakery blending rustic charm and modern baking; a go-to spot for fresh breads and indulgent pastries in Bhubaneswar.

What Members Said

Thank you LFC team for organising today’s meetup. I had a great time with you all and loved the homemade street food and adda. This was Ksheerja’s 1st cafe outing, and she enjoyed it as well. Special thanks to Rishi Roy and Jinnie Saren for hosting and managing everything so nicely.

Umang

Thank you so much, everyone, for joining in today! It was lovely to see the new faces and the old ones. You guys are the best.

Rishi

It was a wholesome meet-up! So so glad to see new people joining in and it was lovely to see children and furry friends as well! :’) Loved the great enthusiasm and support from everyone! Let us carry forward this energy to the upcoming meet-ups!

Cheers!

Jinnie

What We Loved

This quintessential street food, known by many names across India but most adorably called ‘gup-chup’ in Odisha and parts of Bihar, Jharkhand— crisp puris, spicy fillings, and tangy water eaten in one perfect, fleeting bite.

Dahi Bara Aloo Dum — a classic Odia street dish where soft lentil baras soaked in spiced yogurt meet slow-cooked, red chilli–laden aloo dum.

Aloo Chop Chaat — crisp potato chops broken up and layered with onions, chutneys, spices, and a squeeze of lime.

MEET YOUR HOST

Rishi Roy is an email marketer based out of Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He loves food and history, and how culture can be traced through gastronomy. He enjoys cooking, and thinks the joy of getting a compliment for his food is second to none. Rishi used to run a cloud kitchen but unfortunately had to pause it, so through The Locavore’s LFC he is slowly getting his passion for food back.

What does local mean to you?

The term local might have many connotations, but to me it means something that’s our own! You are fond of it, you wear it with a badge of pride, and you care enough to preserve and protect it.

What is your most enduring food memory?

The first time I cooked something, I was around 10 or 11 years old. As my parents were working, I used to be alone after school. It was Wednesday and I was craving my mom’s fish cakes. So without any knowledge of cooking or safety, I started making it. I knew I had to first cut vegetables, so I started chopping all the vegetables in the kitchen, many of which were not even needed. Then I realised there was no fish either. When my parents came back they laughed out loud, though later I got thrashed…But that’s a different story.

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

Dudh-Cola in Kolkata. It’s a bizarre combination but to my surprise, it somehow worked. And the red-ant chutney in Keonjhar district in Odisha. It looks unappetising but it tastes so good.

If I was a seasonal ingredient?

I would love to be Lychee. One, it rhymes with my name, and two, it represents me—hard and a little rough on the outside, but sweet and soft on the inside.

How do you see your Local Food Club flourishing?

Well Bhubaneswar is fairly new to LFC, but it has huge potential in terms of food and culture! A lot of our cuisine and folklore is unexplored. For now, we just need to make sure to bring in more people to engage with this community, because the set of people we have is amazing, and I look forward to being a part of this for a long time!