Thomas Zacharias | Chef & Founder
Thomas is a chef with nearly 15 years of professional cooking experience, and arguably a lot more if you count the early start he got in his grandmother’s kitchen in Kerala. The first phase of his career was centered around European cuisine, starting out as a line cook at Le Bernardin, New York City’s famed three Michelin star eatery in 2009. But in 2014, a culinary expedition across India made him rethink his entire approach to food. He went on to helm the kitchen at The Bombay Canteen as Chef Partner, finding inventive ways to showcase indigenous ingredients through contemporary regional Indian cuisine. In 2022, Thomas decided to bring together some of his passions—storytelling, working with local produce, and nurturing connections between people within the Indian food system—and founded The Locavore to do good through what he knows best: food. Apart from chasing culinary adventures, Thomas also moonlights as a karaoke singer, and tends to his sprawling collection of house plants in his urban jungle of an apartment.
Zainab Kapadia | Head of Strategy & Operations
Based in Mumbai, Zainab has over ten years of integrated marketing communications experience. From startups to established companies, she has been an integral part of building brands, helping them grow exponentially, shaping their narratives, and telling their stories; because what is anything if it doesn’t have a story! To recalibrate her own story, she decided to shift her focus to two of her passions in life: food and travel. Being conscious and concerned about the issues within our food system, channeling her experience to push for positive change through The Locavore was a no-brainer to help shape the next chapter of her story.
Editorial
Yamini Vijayan | Editor-in-Chief
Yamini is a writer and editor based in Bangalore. In the past, she has worked with The Deccan Herald, Pratham Books, and spent years in between helping set up children’s libraries across the country, and promoting reading for pleasure. She is the author of children’s books Stage Fright and Your Body is Yours. In her free time, she likes to escape to green spaces, take photographs, and watch crime shows. While Yamini is an extraordinarily mediocre cook, there’s very little that excites her more than storytelling.
Oishika Roy | Assistant Editor
Having always loved eating and practices around eating, Oishika first developed an interest in the social and cultural life of food during her degree in Sociology and Anthropology. Her prior experience in academic and policy research has contributed to her knowledge on how public systems function, and how best to study them. Now aspiring to be a food anthropologist, she hopes to work on contributing to a food system that is sustainable, cognizant of diversity, and begets tasty food.
Khorshed Deboo | Copy Editor
Khorshed Deboo is an independent writer and text editor living in Bombay. She writes on art and culture and enjoys making photographs. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Scroll, Himal Southasian, The Caravan and Design Reviewed London among others. She has, over the last decade, worked with an art gallery, a multidisciplinary arts festival, a literature festival, and at magazines ranging from food to architecture. She has a soft spot for indie bookshops, Regal cinema, tan brogues, and the cats along the pavement of the Bombay High Court. When she isn’t typing away or reading in a cafe, she goes for ridiculously long walks or runs. While she might escape to Landour every now and then, her heart will always — for better or for worse — be anchored in Bombay. Khorshed loves a good story and hopes to learn from the many that will come her way at The Locavore.
Archish Kashikar | Culinary Research Associate
Archish is a research chef, educator, and mead-maker with a rich and versatile skill set that spans across culinary research and product innovation. Currently in charge of product innovation at Moonshine Meadery, he began his career as a chef before discovering a passion for teaching. As a former culinary production instructor at IHM Mumbai, Archish has significantly influenced aspiring chefs. He later pursued a Master’s degree in Food Studies, an interdisciplinary program that explores agriculture, food systems, and consumption through various socio-economic and cultural lenses. During his studies, he developed a specialty in food history and culinary identities, which now play a pivotal role in his work with The Locavore. Here, he is dedicated to documenting, preserving, and spotlighting the rich culinary heritage of the Indian subcontinent, fueled by his passion for indigenous food history and culture.
Deepshika Pasupunuri | TL Copywriter
Deepshika is an English Literature graduate with a passion for storytelling. After writing for restaurants, as well as reporting on local chefs and cuisines, she came to love how something as ordinary as food can reveal so many complexities about the world. Her dinner plates, however, remain surprisingly dull. On weekends, you’ll find her grappling with the many, many, unread paperbacks on her bookshelf.
Yashvi Shah | Partnerships Copywriter
Based in Mumbai, Yashvi loves to research and write about all things culture. Her experience as a writer at digital publications has helped her develop a love for storytelling. For someone who barely cooks, she has always been fascinated by how food brings people together, whether it’s over a quick cup of coffee or a hearty lunch eaten together. For her, being a part of The Locavore means to discover and understand food, its cultural significance and the impact it has on people. In all honesty, she just wants to swap stories over some damn good food.
Partnerships
Shreshtha Chhabra | Partnerships Lead
Shreshtha is a researcher and writer with an inclination towards the food-art-community nexus. Her academic research on food and gendered associations, which aimed to trace the implicit divisions in the practice of food and cooking in the Indian setting, has undergone international publication. As a culinary chronicler, she has worked with Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal and been a part of the editorial team of the Godrej Food Trends Report 2022. She aims to learn about food from the intricate perspectives of policy, societal impact, and collective sustenance.
Zeeba Kazi| Organisations Partnerships Associate
Zeeba’s journey has been anchored in exploring the intricate nexus of food, art, and community. With a Bachelor’s in Economics and Commerce and a Master’s in Development Studies, she has delved deep into understanding the socioeconomic fabric that underpins sustainable development through actively engaging in research and community projects. Having developed a profound appreciation for locally sourced produce and traditional farming practices, Zeeba has transformed her family farm into ‘Maaticha’ , a thriving family-run brand. Beyond her professional pursuits, Zeeba enjoys experimenting in the kitchen and going for outdoor adventures. Joining The Locavore allows her to blend her academic expertise with her passion for sustainable food practices, all while making meaningful connections along the way.
Neil Khopkar | Producer Partnerships Associate
Trained in culinary arts and business, Neil has a wide array of interests ranging from gastronomy, foodways, history and music.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Neil loves to deep dive into its local histories and food culture which led to him co-founding Sarkhel, a restaurant specialising in Malvani and CKP cuisine. He can often be spotted conducting heritage walks in Mumbai, sharing his enthusiasm for the urban space and its building blocks.
He is a student of Indian classical music and along with being a vocalist, plays the Appalachian Dulcimer in this style. He has given recitals in Delhi, Mumbai, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Germany.
Through The Locavore, Neil aims to draw attention to the deep connection between good eating and sustainable eating.
Marketing & Digital Media
Ashish Sharma | Digital Media Lead
Ashish is a writer and digital marketer from Kolkata. His love for food, travel, and the culinary craft led him to hospitality school a few years ago. Since then, he has helmed marketing positions in spaces ranging from EdTech, an experiential travel startup, to a bookstore & café. Being at The Locavore is a means for him to align and pursue some of his dearest passions: food, storytelling, conscious living, and creating meaningful change through synergetic, purpose oriented communities. He runs an Instagram blog called Breaking Down Music which champions independent artists, and he also swears by going for long walks–there is barely anything they cannot fix.
Tanvi Kuckian | Digital Media Associate
Meet Tanvi, whose journey has led her from the vibrant world of radio to the dynamic realm of wellness startups. Along the way, she discovered her love for storytelling and found social media to be the medium to share narratives with others. When she’s not not doing that, you’ll find her spending time with her beloved pets, indulging in creative crafts, or enjoying some flavourful chaat with friends.
Projects
Sreyasi Mukherjee | Projects Lead
Sreyasi is a social anthropologist with a background in Geography and Political Science. She specialises in documenting the everyday of ordinary people living in marginalized geographies. As a decolonial feminist, her work at The Locavore is an exercise in participatory praxis through which she aims to amplify ways of mindful, sustainable living practised by indigenous communities across South Asia. Her favourite idea of fieldwork is through long conversations, best done over a shared meal.
Mukta Patil | Millet Projects Editor
Mukta is a writer and editor who works on stories that spotlight the intricacies of our food systems, and how they interact with the climate emergency, the environment, and people. She lives with her cat, Pooki, on the outskirts of Goa. More often than not, she is found reading poetry while forgetting things like filling invoices or replying to emails.
Design
Gayatri Vijayan & Karthik Srinivasan | Jan 2021 to June 2022 | Branding & Design
Gayatri and Karthik run Oddity—a collaborative design practice that focuses on meaningful transformation through experience design. Based in Bangalore, the studio creates impactful design through brand stories and spatial narratives. Their projects include designing spaces for offices and homes, learning environments for children and creating design narratives for brands and organisations across sectors. They are also the founders of Gosh, a children’s furniture company. In their free time, you will find them in their music room.
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