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11th June 2026 | NESCO Centre, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai
Thank you for making the Food Connoisseurs India Convention 2025 – West India Edition a Grand Success!
11th June 2026 | NESCO Centre, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai
conference
the future of business
2026
Venue:
PARKROYAL, Hotel Singapore
Date:
14 – 15 August 2025
About the Convention
Industry Live is proud to launch the Food Connoisseurs India Convention – West India, a world pThe West India Edition of the Food Connoisseurs India Convention, an initiative by Industry Live, arrives at a pivotal moment for the nation’s vibrant and fast-evolving F&B community. After the tremendous success of ten editions, the convention has cemented its place as India’s most influential platform for the food and hospitality fraternity—bringing together over 500 Esteemed Speakers, including top chefs, restaurateurs and F&B visionaries, sparking conversations that shape the future of food and hospitality.latform in the F&B fraternity. FCIC was launched in the year in 2021. It has since grown to become the biggest convention for food and beverage industry fraternity. So far, this convention has hosted over 300 industry visionaries and thought leaders who reached over 4,000+ professionals across sectors. The convention has now become a “must-attend” event for F&B pioneers, blending insightful conferences, prestigious awards, and dynamic exhibitions. The last two editions saw over 300+ exhibitors demonstrating cutting-edge innovations and over 500+ awards celebrating excellence in various categories.
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Speakers
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Exhibitors
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Awards
What awaits for you at the Conference
Insightful Talks
The conference offers insightful talks strategy, leadership, innovation, growth.
Networking Opportunities
The conference offers networking with HoReCa leaders and professionals.
Latest Trends
Discover the latest trends in Food & Beverage Industry.
Practical Solutions
Explore practical solutions to your Food Service business growth and challenges.
Inspiration & Motivation
Gain inspiration and motivation from leaders and successful Restaurateurs & Chefs.
Conference Agenda
Session 1: The West India F&B Power Curve: Decoding a region where legacy taste meets luxury aspiration
West India’s evolving diner preferences, hyperlocal nuances, and rising experiential trends
Starting a Restaurant, QSR, Cloud Kitchen or F&B Business—how to tackle its Pros & Cons
How cities are redefining culinary experimentation
The role of cultural nostalgia in menu engineering
Market insights: understanding hyperlocal preferences
Behavioural shifts—solo dining, late-night ecosystems & brunch culture
Rise of experiential gastronomy and chef-driven storytelling
The competitive matrix: national chains vs homegrown powerhouses
Session 2: The Restaurant of the Future—Tech, Talent & Transformation
Creating intelligent, human-centric F&B ecosystems
AI-enabled forecasting, staffing & service orchestration
Robotic kitchens, smart appliances & automated inventory discipline
Bridging the skill gap—crafting a future-ready culinary workforce
Guest experience personalisation powered by data
Strengthening back-of-house efficiencies through IoT
Future POS ecosystems—omnichannel integration & payment fluidity
Sustainability-led design: energy optimisation & waste minimisation
Session 3: Culinary Creativity & Menu Innovation - Where bold ideas meet regionally-rooted authenticity
Navigating the balance between hyperlocal flavours & global formats
Ingredient innovation—millets, coastal produce, microgreens, global food, vegan
Seasonal engineering for cost, consistency & variety
Sweet spot of indulgence—reinventing mithai, customized pastries, cakes & dessert artistry
Crafting iconic signature dishes with staying power
Elevating food gastronomy through Menu R&D
Creative plating & design trends for modern Indian dining
Session 4: The ‘Profitability Stack’ for Modern Restaurants - Decoding the economics behind sustainable success, franchising & expansion in the F&B Landscape
Identifying profit power-centres across menu, manpower & marketing
Unlock the blueprint for expanding — from cozy cafés and high-energy QSRs to dessert bars and artisanal bakeries & more
Essentials of creating scalable concepts—how structured franchise models accelerate growth
Best-in-class cost control & dynamic pricing
Franchising as a Profit Multiplier
Building revenue durability—delivery + dine-in balance
Vendor negotiations, local sourcing & backward integration
Smart planning for long-term ROI
Understanding the new-age investor lens
Profitability benchmarks for premium, midscale & QSR formats
Session 5: Hospitality Leadership for the New Era - Building resilient, people-forward environment in Hotels
Talent wars—attracting & growing the right people
Culture-building strategies for multi-unit F&B groups
Leadership agility in a volatile hospitality environment
Emotional intelligence & empathy-led service delivery
Training frameworks that create lifelong hospitality professionals
Crisis response playbooks for operations & reputation
Gender diversity, inclusivity & modern workforce expectations
Session 6: West India’s Beverage Renaissance – From the art of mixing to craft cocktails and functional wellness drinks
- * The booming craft mixology scene of West India, craft beers, new flavours, authentic taste
* Non-alcoholic beverage innovation—functional, fermented, botanical
* Bar tech, food pairing with drinks, ambience & innovation in breweries, bars, lounges and nightclubs
* Designing beverage programmes with purpose and storytelling
* Local terroir—Goan spirits, Indian wines, artisanal distilleries
* Beverage profitability: margins, menu design & pairing strategies
* Evolving consumer expectations at bars & lounges
* How unique bars are redefining menus with signature infusions, craft techniques & regional ingredients
* From Vineyard to Kitchen: Pairing with Purpose
* Experiential Dining as a Brand Strategy – Moving beyond food to create immersive concepts
* Harmony on the Palate: Food & Beverage Synergy
A Few of the previous editions Eminent Speakers
Chef Hemant Oberoi
Founder, OB Hospitality & Hemant Oberoi Hospitality; Founder, Michelin Selection Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi, One Toque by Gault&Millau
Sanjay Vazirani
Chief Executive Officer, Foodlink F&B Holdings India Pvt. Ltd.
Chef Ranveer Brar
Celebrity Chef, Restaurateur, TV Show Host, Masterchef India Judge, Author & Food Film Producer
Rocky Mohan
Brand custodian, Old Monk,
Author, Founder, Gourmet
Passport & Chef Pin
Nitin Tandon
Food stylist, Chefpreneur,
& Educator
Karan Kapur
Executive Director,
K Hospitality Corp
Prashant Issar
Founder, Ishaara and
Director, Bellona Hospitality
Tapan Vaidya
Group CEO – Papa Johns India/UAE/KSA/Jordan
Pawan Shahri
Founder & CEO, Chrome Asia
Hospitality Pvt Ltd.
Avinash Kant Kumar
President,
Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd.
Raghav Joshi
Co-Founder,
Rebel Foods
Gaurav Parikh
Director,
Richboyz Hospitality Pvt Ltd
Sonal Holland
Master of Wine, Founder Director,
Soho Wine Consultants & Sonal
Holland Wine Academy
Chef Montu Saini
Executive Chef – Parliament House
SHIKHA NATH
Culinary Director, Charcoal Concepts (Copper Chimney, Bombay Brasserie)
Neeti Goel
Director,
Avan Ventures Pvt Ltd
SIDDHANT RAGHUNANDAN KAMATH
Director,
Natural Ice Creams
Aditi Dugar
Director & Founder, Masque &
Urban Gourmet India Pvt. Ltd.
Rakshay Dhariwal
Founder & Managing Director,
Pass Code Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.
Kaushik Roy
CEO & Co-Founder
Biryani By Kilo
Chef Vineet Manocha
President – Culinary at Bikaji Foods International Ltd,
The Kachori Story & Author
Sid Merchant
Co-Founder,
Good Flippin’ Burgers & FLYP Coffee
Mahesh Reddy
Chief Executive Officer, GOPIZZA
Akshara Bisht
Director-Food Division,
Sankalp Group
Akshay Balwani
Director, Upper Crust Foods Private Limited (Sbarro Pizza India)
Chef Suvir Saran
Culinary Director,
one8 Commune
Jasmit Tibb
Managing Director,
Tibb’s Frankie
TARAK BHATTACHARYA
Executive Director and CEO,
Mad Over Donuts
KRUNAL CHAHWALA
Brand CEO, PizzaExpress
Prahlad Sukhtankar
Founder, The Black Sheep Bistro and Black Market Goa
Mukesh Katotra
Executive Director & CFO,
Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group India
Abhijeet Anand
Founder,
abCoffee
Rajat Agarwal
Chief Executive Officer, Barista Coffee Company Limited
Niketa Sharma
Managing Director,
Keish Hospitality
Vikas Panjabi
Co-Founder & MD,
The Chocolate Room (India) Private Limited
Chef Niyati Rao
Chef & Co-Founder,
Ekaa, Bombay Daak and KMC Bar & Bistro
Chef Ambar Rode
Chef and Restaurateur,
Founder- Nannas Negroni, Lepetit Amour, Flamingo Pune, Fig and Fromage
Arjun Chugh
Founder,
7th Heaven Bakery Cafe, 7th Avenue Waffles & 7th Street Boba
Anisha Anand
Founder Director,
Aurum Foods
Navin Shetty
Founder Director,
Aurum Foods
Rahul Seth
Co-Founder,
Burger Singh
Sonal Barmecha
Managing Director,
Santé hospitality pvt ltd, La Magia and Yumma Swami
Ashish Saxena
President, UrbanPiper
Chef Mayank Tiwari
Group Executive Chef, PVR INOX, The Luxury Collection
Dheeraj Gupta
Managing Director,
Jumboking
Deepa Hall
Business Head – F&B at Reliance Brands Limited
Twinkle Keswani
Founder & MD,
Pisco Hospitality
Chef Ishijyot Suri
Executive Chef and Founder Mulk, Miniyaturk & SJI Gourmet
Chef Ranjeet Pandey
Vice President, Operations,
Fisherman’s Wharf
Vijay Balwani
Chairman,
DNY Hospitality
FOOD CONNOISSEURS INDIA
AWARDS
distinguished benchmark of excellence
A prestigious platform for restaurants across diverse categories, food service enterprises, chefs, food-tech innovators, and service providers to present their distinct value propositions, achievements, and contributions to the evolving industry landscape.
Award Categories
RESTAURANT AWARDS
CLOUD KITCHEN
CUISINE AWARDS
CAFE & BAKERY AWARDS
DESIGN AWARDS
NIGHTLIFE AWARDS
NEWCOMER AWARDS
INDIVIDUAL HONOURS
SPECIAL AWARDS
A few of the previous Esteemed Jury Members
What they've said about us
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