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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

Agenda

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, 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

  • The café and coffee economy in West India
  • How Coffee beverage-led cafés are driving profitability and repeat consumption
  • The role of equipment, consistency, and operations in scaling café brands

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. Abhayraj Singh Kohli, Founder, Tori, Grandmamas Café, MRP & The Roll Company

  • Mr. Amrut Mehta, Director, Little Italy

  • Ms. Niketa Sharma, Founder, Blah, Thane Club, Vivi, Magna, South Stories, Masalader and ITI

  • Mr. Vishal Desai, Director, Rupa Group (Le Meridien, Navi Mumbai: Mizuki, Basil & Beans, Madurai Bhavan & Piccolino)
  • 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. Vikas Panjabi, Co-Founder & MD, The Chocolate Room (India) Pvt Ltd
  • 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. Shubham Tibberwal, Business Head (Food Services) Pakka Limited
  • 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
  • Ms. Shikha Nath, Culinary Director, Charcoal Concepts
  • Mr. Gurmeet Arora, Founder & CEO, Flax
  • Ms. Anamika Desai, Founder & CEO, Miku’s Kitchen
  • Chef Altamsh Patel, Director culinary, Hilton Mumbai International Airport and Jt. Secretary, Western India Culinary Association
  • Ms. Natasha Hemani, Brand Director, Blondie by Bastian
  • Chef Jerson Fernandes, Culinary Director (Corp Food), Sodexo India
  • 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 Andakat, Managing Partner, SARAZA a unit of cuisine Nutrition Pvt. Ltd.

Speakers

  • Mr. Mukesh Katotara, Executive Director & CFO, Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group India

  • Mr. Ishaan Bahl, CEO, Risa Hospitality

  • 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 Gupta, 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

3:15 PM – 3:25 PM

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

  • Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, Celebrity Chef & Entrepreneur

3:25 PM – 4:20 PM

Session Partner

Mixer Partner

Session 6: West India’s Nightlife Renaissance: From Craft Cocktails and Mixology to Wellness, Culture, and Evolving Consumer Experiences

  • 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. 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
  • Mr. Aman Chawla, Founder/ Director, Nami Foodbev Pvt Ltd

4:30 PM ONWARDS

AWARDS REGISTRATION

5:00 PM - 5:45 PM

NETWORKING HI-TEA

5:45 ONWARDS

AWARDS PRESENTATION CEREMONY FOLLOWED BY NETWORKING DINNER

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