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11th June 2026 | NESCO Centre, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai
Thank you for making the Food Connoisseurs India Convention 2026 – West India Edition a Grand Success!
11th June 2026 | NESCO Centre, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai
Time
Session
09:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Conference Registration along with Networking Tea
10:00 AM - 10:05 AM
Welcome Address
10:05 AM - 10:15 AM
INAUGURAL KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Beyond Taste: Building Scalable Culinary Experiences in India
- Chef Gautam Mehrishi, Corporate Executive Chef, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited
10:15- 11:05 AM
Session Partner
Superfoods Partner
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, Café, Cloud Kitchen or F&B Business – understanding the opportunities and challenges
- How cities are redefining culinary experimentation
- The future of specialty coffee and café culture in India
- Technology, automation and consistency in scaling café businesses
- The role of cultural nostalgia in menu engineering
- Market insights: understanding hyperlocal preferences
- Rise of chef/Barista-driven storytelling
- Changing beverage consumption behaviour and premiumization
- Building successful beverage menus for modern consumers
- The competitive matrix: national chains vs. homegrown powerhouses
- How coffee and beverage-led cafés are driving profitability and repeat consumption
Session Lead
Mr. Abhinav Mathur, Managing Director, Kaapi Machines
Speakers
- Mr. Prashant Issar, Managing Director, Bellona Hospitality Services Limited
Mr. Ranbir Singh Nagpal, CEO, Yazu Hospitality
- Mr. Ankit Gupta, Co-Founder, Burma Burma Restaurant & Tea Room
- Mr. Gaurav Narang, Founder & Director, Coffee Culture
- Mr. Vishal Desai, Director, Rupa Group (Le Meridien, Navi Mumbai: Mizuki, Basil & Beans, Madurai Bhavan & Piccolino)
Mr. Amrut Mehta, Director, Little Italy
Ms. Niketa Sharma, Founder, Blah, Thane Club, Vivi, Magna, South Stories, Masalader and ITI
- Ms. Natasha Hemani, Brand Director, Blondie by Bastian
- Ms. Swathi Varun, Founder, Yellow Spoon
11:05 AM – 11:15 AM
KEYNOTE ADDRESS – The Business Behind the Plate: What It Really Takes to Build a Food Empire
- Mr. Narayan T Poojari, Founder, Shiv Sagar Group
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
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
- Sustainable Packaging Systems: Waste Reduction, Material Innovation & Microplastic Risk
Session Lead
Chef Bharat Alagh, Vice President operations and culinary, Orange Tiger Hospitality pvt ltd & Vice President – ICF
Speakers
- Mr. Sachin Pabreja, Co-Founder & CEO, EazyDiner
- Mr. Sumit Govind Sharma, Founder & Director, Monarch Liberty Hospitality (MLH)
- Chef Sudhir Pai, Chef Consultant and Treasurer, Western India Culinary Association
- Mr. Anup Agarwal, CEO & Founder, CaterNinja
- Mr. Subrata Gorai, Vice President- Operations, Lite Bite Foods Pvt Ltd
- Mr. Prashant Narula, Vice President of Business Development & Operations at Prasuk Jain Hospitality
12:00 PM – 12:50 PM
Session Partner
Ready-to-Eat Innovation Partner
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 Lead
Chef (DR.) Gautam Chaudhry, Founder, MD Demiurgic Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. & Joint – Secretary – ICF
Speakers
- Chef Michael Swamy, Celebrity Chef & Restaurateur, Food Stylist, Author
- Chef Ishijyot Surri, Executive Chef and Founder Mulk, Miniyaturk & SJI Gourmet
- Chef Sherie Mehtaa, Celebrity Chef, Television Host, Judge (Sooperchef), Author & Food Researcher
- Ms. Anamika Desai, Founder & CEO, Miku’s Kitchen
- Chef Altamsh Patel, Director culinary, Hilton Mumbai International Airport and Jt. Secretary, Western India Culinary Association
- Chef Vetri Selvan, Principal Consultant | Brand Mantra LLC, Seattle, WA — USA
- Chef Tushar Malkani, Executive Chef ICONIQA, Mumbai
12:50 PM – 1:45 PM
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
- Tapping the 3 Cs of marketing in HoReCA — changing consumer preferences, competition, and curbing dependency on third-party platforms
- First-Party Data is the New Gold: Building Direct Customer Relationships
- Hyperlocal & Moment Marketing: Winning Customers in Real Time
Session Lead
Mr. Kushal Anadkat, Managing Director and Co-Founder, SARAZA a unit of Cuisinec Nutrition Pvt. Ltd.
Speakers
- Mr. Amit Mulchandani, Director, Kailash Parbat
Mr. Mukesh Katotra, Executive Director & CFO, Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group India
Mr. Gaurav Kanwar, Founder & CEO, Harajuku Tokyo Cafe
- Mr. Yash Dalwani, Founder & CEO, DNY Hospitality Pvt Ltd
- Mr. Pankaj Sharma, Director, Swastik Foodmart Pvt Ltd. (Sandwizzaa and Spicezzaa)
Ms. Shraddha Motipara, Head of Marketing, Nando’s India
- Mr. Aadetya Agarwal, Head of sales and marketing, Bachelorr’s (since 1930’s)
1:45 – 2:25 PM
NETWORKING LUNCH
2:25 PM - 3:15 PM
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 Lead
Mr. Rajiv Kohli, Cluster General Manager, Thalassa Beach Resort & Anemos Living Boutique Resorts & Spa
Speakers
- Mr. Arun Kumar Singh, Hospitality Educationist & Consultant, Past Director, FHRAI-IHM, Greater Noida, Retd. Principal, IHM Mumbai, Lucknow & Jodhpur
- Mr. Salil Fadnis, General Manager, Hotel Sahara Star
- Mr. Sachin Maheshwari, Cluster General Manager and F&B Alchemist with Accor
- Ms. Pearl Sanga, Director, Della Group
3:15 PM – 3:25 PM
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Reimagining the Plate of Tomorrow with the Tadka of Innovation
- Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, Celebrity Chef & Entrepreneur
3:25 PM – 4:30 PM
Session Partner
Mixer Partner
- 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
Session Lead
Mr. R.S. Dharmendra, COO, Icon Hotels, Bhagini Hospitality Pvt Ltd
Speakers
- Ms. Shatbhi Basu, Creative Consultants & STIR Academy Of Bartending
- Ms. Neeti Goel, Director, Avan Ventures Pvt Ltd.
- Mr. Gaurav H Parikh, Director, Richboyz Hospitality Pvt Ltd
- Mr. Nikhil K Rochlani, Managing Partner, Butterfly High and KYMA
- Mr. Goumtesh Singh, Co-Partner, Raasta; Co-Partner, Yeti
- Ms. Vaniitha Jaiin, Founder & CEO, Revelry Distillery & Vanaha Gin
- Mr. Aman Chawla, Founder/ Director, Nami Foodbev Pvt Ltd
- Mr. Nisarg Doshi, Chief Operating Officer, Aufside Hospitality LLP | Mumbai & Pune
4:30 PM
AWARDS REGISTRATION
5:00 PM - 5:45 PM
NETWORKING HI-TEA
6:00 PM – 6:10 PM
INAUGURAL AWARDS KEYNOTE: Culinary Tourism – West India’s Next Big Bet: Adding a Dash of Destinations to Plates and Palates
- Ms. Rashmi Uday Singh, Author of 40 food books, TV host, conferred the French government’s Chevalier knighthood. Founder of the non-profit global Hospitality Hope
6:10 PM ONWARDS
AWARDS PRESENTATION CEREMONY FOLLOWED BY NETWORKING DINNER