The Hills Are Alive with...

The Sound of Cooking, Baking and Brewing

This hill station of Maharashtra stands tall and proud as the home and business base for a handful of gifted individuals. Cheese, kombucha, bread, sweets, sumptuous meals... there's plenty going on in Panchgani thanks to these budding food entrepreneurs. A one-of-a-kind UpperCrust Discovery!

 

Text & Photographs: Farzana Contractor

I have extolled the charms of Panchgani oftentimes and now I have reason to appreciate this cosy hill station even more. It seems to be attracting outstation bungalow owners to convert their second homes into first homes, meaning people who visited Panchgani only occasionally are now looking at staying here full-time. Which means a certain kind of decent community living is now going to be possible. A new, much needed social life seems to be in motion. Which can only lead to good tidings. Like for example, those who are permanent residents here, known as "locals', are gearing up to fulfill new needs, gourmet needs, at that.

Things that city folks are bound to miss when they come and stay here longtime. I spent the entire lockdown period of over seven months in Panchgani and this drove me to enquire, dig and delve, if there were "supplies' from out of the ordinary. There were! And I was so happy and relieved to make that foodie discovery. All in all, I was blessed to be locked down here and to have made such a super UpperCrust discovery! Cheese-makers and bakers and brewers!

Andre Savard

Let's begin with the cheese-maker of Panchgani, Andre, a French Canadian, shy and almost reserved, a man of few words. Makes divine artisanal cheese.

Andre grew up and lived all his life in Montreal. It was only when he married Megan, an Indian girl, did he venture to move out of Canada. But it took Megan nine years to get him to India and eventually Panchgani to live in her family home, situated most picturesquely, literally clinging to the hillside! The reason they made the move was to raise their children in this part of the world.

I got to know Andre almost three decades ago when I was looking for someone with an electric saw. He very kindly came to my charming old house with red wooden rafters, to help saw the decaying trunk of a fallen guava tree. Next time I saw him, he was paving his own driveway all by himself; mixing cement and sand and slapping on the mortar going down the steep pathway.

Andre is that kind of a man. Do it yourself. And that's what he is doing with cheese, too, now. Watching him work is like seeing him pray.

Well, long before cheese happened in Andre's life, he along with Megan, had set up Eco Camp, helping bring some excitement and adventure in people's lives. It was Andre who got trekking and paragliding going in Panchgani. Once this was a success, he started to indulge in his other hobby more seriously; cheese-making. A hobby that became a passion which just stuck on! Fortunately for us. Because good cheese is not something that you can just go to the bazaar and buy off the shelf in Panchgani. And I don't think my friend Avni Biyani of Foodhall has any plans of opening her gourmet store here, even if it is a 500 sq. ft. one, just yet!

But that's fine, we have Andre. Who wakes up at dawn every Thursday and goes to personally pick up fresh cow's milk from farmers who live in villages in the valley just below the town of Panchgani. Once home, he marches to his cheese shed and gets working. "That's the last I see of him until nightfall," says Megan, "he disappears after breakfast, every Thursday."

Well, one Thursday, I was at Andre's shed and saw how he works. Totally hands-on. He has acquired from Megan's family a huge tamba tapeli (copper pot), in which he first double boils the milk to the right temperature, meticulously checking the food thermometer dozens of times and then following the due process of curdling, straining, setting aside, curing, etc. It takes him all day. And weeks if he is curing Cheddar.

I have tasted most of what Andre makes. Cream cheese in chives, or garlic, cheese curd, Cheddar, but what I really love is his Feta. And I guess all his regular clients, too, for I never seem to get an order through – "oh, it's over!' is what I hear most of the time.

But that's Andre, not into commerce. Not a businessman. Simply a man pursuing his interest. He makes a reasonable quantity, enough to allow him to indulge in his passion and keep him happy.
And yes, he uses vegetarian rennet.

Andre Savard
Eco Camp, Main Road, Near Municipal Garden, Panchgani 412805
Mob: 0 90218 20764

Laura Christie Khanna

Laura is a delight. Vivacious, she gurgles like a brook. Happy in her own skin, she is as natural and organic as one can get. And therefore, making kombucha, one among the many things she does, seemed the most obvious choice. Kombucha is a cultured, fermented tea and ancient wisdom of East Asia. A 2,000-year-old elixir, considered "the tea of immortality!'

So let's get to know Laura. Who is this lovely girl who plays the ukulele, sings and brings joy; and what is she doing in Panchgani?

Born and raised in the US, Laura is the quintessential outdoorsy kind, having lived in what is known as the jewel of America, the wet and evergreen Pacific Northwest. The smile never leaves Laura's face as she gushes, "Our family was always adventuring outdoors – sailing the Salish Sea, hiking in the Cascades and digging up clams in the tidal flats. On Sundays, when all my friends were dragged to church, my mom would take us out into the mountains and tell us, "this is your church!'" It's obvious, her growing up years were unconventional.

Laura describes how their home in Seattle was unusual too – with chickens free-ranging, compost piles piling up everywhere and only veggies and fruit trees all around. No, they had no place for ornamental plants and trees! A deep reverence for nature, a love for food and a lust for travel have shaped Laura's life. The inculcation of balanced living.
"I've always forged my own path and university was no different. At the University of Washington, I created my own major specifically on food politics and came to understand the tragedy of the world's broken food system and its impact on public and environmental health. I got active – I campaigned against GMOs, helped create Seattle's first public food forest and documented the work of organic farmers. It was also in college where I started brewing kombucha! The trend was on in the USA and I bought my first SCOBY (an acronym for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) at the local farmer's market, much to the disgust of my college roommates. The travel bug never left me and at age 23 I took off to travel the world, spending the next several years working for cash-in-hand in all kinds of restaurants and exchanging free labour for food and accommodation at countless organic farms across Australia and Asia. Early on in those travels, I met Kunal Khanna, the love of my life, and at 26 I immigrated to Australia to be with him!"

Well, it is because of Kunal that Laura found her way to Panchgani. The two shifted from Australia to India a few years ago and then decided to start their own permaculture farm on a one-acre property in Panchgani. While converting this barren land into a thriving organic farm, Laura knew she wanted to start a fermentation line. After years of studying traditional food ways and the body's microbiome, she was convinced the key to optimal health starts in the gut. "Kombucha was an obvious choice because it is a health goodness that crosses age groups," says Laura who has 10 years of kombucha brewing under her belt, Laura took the plunge and Rise Up Kombucha was born!

Rise Up is lightly sweet, tart, refreshing, completely home-made. Laura brews it at her home factory at The Odd Gumnut. It's always made in small batches to maintain its craft production. Laura explained, "Our kombucha is naturally full of probiotics, amino acids, polyphenols and enzymes. All the good stuff needed for digestion and cleaning out the toxins! And we brew in glass to ensure the best quality booch! Medicinal flowers and herbs from the farm and fruits from other organic growers flavour our booch."

Take your pick, Rise Up comes in three flavours: Lemon Zinger which is flavoured with fresh ginger, lemon juice and lemon zest, Juicy Blue flavoured with blueberries and the last, Original, which has nothing but tea!

Laura Christie Khanna
The Odd Gumnut Permaculture Farm
Krishna Bungalow, Bhilar,
Panchgani 412805
Mob: 0 91360 88682 / 74001 75557

Sahar Gooran

Sahar Gooran has a very interesting background, and even bloodline. She was born in Isfahan in Iran but lived and studied between two countries, Iran and Turkey. Her Turkish mother has family links in Russia, and now Sahar is married to Firdaus Khambatta, a Parsi. She has two sweet little children, Dariush and Jeanna, no doubt as lovely as they are thanks to the blood from a variety of races running through their veins! It is said the offspring of mixed blood creates extraordinary human beings.

Well, Sahar's coming to India was prophesied when she was a small child, just three years old. Her older brother, Saeed who was schooling in Panchgani, a young lad himself, always carried his baby sister's picture in his wallet. One day, his best friend chanced upon seeing this picture and blurted out, "Wow, who is this doll, will you give her to me?" That was about 15 years ago. Cut to 2011, Sahar found herself in Panchgani at the advice of this same brother. She had come to study English, very necessary for her higher studies in Ankara, where she was going the following semester.

But that never happened. Saeed's best friend, the same who had said, "will you give me this doll', now a young man, saw Sahar, instantly fell in love, immediately proposed and the two were married within six months! Sahar now lives in Panchgani with Firdaus, tantalising all of Panchgani with her amazing cooking; cuisine of Iran and Turkey. So, as the fairy tale goes... met in April 2011, married in November 2011, pregnant in 2012, with two children, done by July 2015.

Well, a loving, caring, supportive husband always helps. Firdaus, a pilot trained in Texas and proprietor of one of Panchgani's oldest hotels, Mount View, is incidentally the one responsible for Sahar coming out from being, albeit an extraordinary cook, just a home cook to becoming a caterer and the talk of the town! This was the result of the lockdown and Firdaus's encouragement.

"Ya, that's true," says soft spoken Sahar, "I would have never done it, if not for his coaxing. Also what happened was, about four or five months ago, Neha and Rudransh, good friends of mine, asked me to cook dinner for them for nine guests. I happily did so. They could not believe what I had made for them and they literally forced me to go commercial... Once I took my first order, there was no going back, no stopping!"

Cooking comes easy to Sahar, she has been helping her mum, who she says is truly, truly talented, from an early age. But baking is what Sahar is very passionate about. Well, I can vouch for her baking. I have become the biggest fan of her borek, an outstanding Turkish bread baked with spinach and cream cheese. I haven't tasted one as good, even in Turkey! When she came over with one, freshly baked, still hot off the oven, I thought to myself, "How will I ever finish that by myself, living alone as I do!' But believe me, it was over sooner than I thought. One can eat this as a teatime snack, at dinner, or, like I did, with eggs for breakfast! I believe mince-stuffed borek is even nicer. Hmm...

When I asked her what her speciality was, she said, "Everything!' So I took my pick...  Zaresh Polo (berry pulao), Dolme Kalam (cabbage leaves stuffed with mince with herbs and pomegranate puree), Morgh Ghermezi (chicken in red gravy). But I think my next order with her is going to be Iranian Raan with Saffron Rice, the raan slow-cooked on low heat for 14 hours.

Sahar grows a lot of herbs, chilli, tomatoes, salads and other veggies organically on the terrace of her home. Creatively, in discarded old bathtubs (from their hotel, no doubt), a brilliant idea, I thought. So very Wabi Sabi.  I also love the fact that the more exclusive ingredients needed for all her cooking come straight from her loving mother, who lives in the Iranian border town of Tabrez. Mother dear sources all things Turkish, too, and sends them to her daughter. From Tabrez you can actually peep into Russia, so perhaps Sahar will soon serve us Russian fare, too. Shall wait for some blini and borscht and pelmeni!

Sahar Gooran Khambatta
Mount View Executive – The Valley Resort
Ganesh Peth, Ruighar, (Near On Wheelz Amusement Park), Panchgani 412805
Mob: 0 84829 33294

Sakina Aly Sevwala

It is marriage that brought young and beautiful Sakina to India and Panchgani. She is the wife of Alyasgar Sevwala, a very respectful and industrious hotelier who efficiently runs his family-owned property, Hotel Malas, amongst the oldest establishments of this hill station.
Sakina was born and brought up in Bahrain and she started to bake cakes when she was just nine years old!

"That's right! I grew up watching my mother bake delicious buttery pound cakes for us. I would often assist her and that's where I fell in love with the art of baking," says Sakina, adding, "In fact, I used to bake for my schoolmates for their birthdays and in my university, I was known as "The Brownie Girl'"

Gradually Sakina started experimenting with different kinds of cakes and pastries. Her sisters and parents were among her first tasters. It was their support and encouragement that gave Sakina confidence to keep on baking.

It was after Sakina completed her Masters in Bahrain, specialising in International Marketing, that an opportunity came her way to become the pastry chef at a bakery. She realised she did not have it in her to pursue a conventional job. Just as well, for marriage soon happened; she shifted to Bombay, then Panchgani and once again got the support from family, this time a loving husband, to pursue her love for baking. Says she, "I have to confess, it was Aly who  believed in my skills and passion for baking and motivated me to bring the culture of gourmet cakes to Panchgani."

Sakina's menu is quite eclectic, her repertoire includes a good range from the Classic Marble Cake and Flourless Almond Cake with Figs and Honey to Coconut Macaroons, Pear and Pistachio Tart and Toasted Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. My favourite is basbousa, the  Middle Eastern cheesecake. Says Sakina, a lot of what I bake is a fusion of Middle Eastern and Indian flavours. "I want my customers to experience a little bit of both my cultures through my pastries." Sweet, I thought.

The reason Sakina found being a conventional baker in a commercial establishment difficult is that ingredients tend to be governed and controlled by pricing. Being her own boss, she is free to be dictated by her own standard of perfection using only the best of ingredients. Says Sakina, "That's the only way I know baking should be. And everything I bake is from scratch and I do it with care, love and devotion." For goodness sake, isn't that nice! No wonder her brand is called For Goodness Cakes.

Sakina Aly Sevwala
Hotel Malas
Rowen Road, Panchgani 412805
Mob: 0 80005 00099

Shailly Arora

Shailly Arora is an IT executive turned boulangére! Someone who lives in the haze and aroma of bread-baking in the oven at all times! I can assure you this is her final calling. She isn't about to go back to her corporate life, ever again.

Shailly trained as an electronics engineer in the early 90s and proceeded to work in high-ranking organisations all over India. And then landed up in New York and later Australia. After a stint of 15 years of staying and working overseas, Shailly returned home to India, husband and son in tow. Then after 25 years of being in the high profile industry, she called it quits and moved to Panchgani with her family in 2018. The hectic, corporate life now behind her, she basked in the happy mountain air, which no doubt gave her new ideas of doing something worthwhile. After all, you can't keep a person who has worked all her life, from indulging in some constructive activity.

"That's true," says Shailly, "all the travelling I have done all across the globe, the cuisines I have tried has really helped hone the finer nuances of life; and somewhere along, I did develop a passion for high quality bread. As for cheese and wine, I can live on them!"

Cooking was always a passion with Shailly, but baking bread is what her heart was set on. So, once she shifted to Panchgani, she taught herself about the art of baking. Right from scratch. She experimented, she succeeded, she failed, she kept at it, even taking online courses. After many attempts and hours of dedicated effort she was satisfied that she now knew the tricks and perfected the artisanal technique of baking a good sourdough bread using the three ingredients that go into making one: flour, salt and water.

Once she developed the confidence in baking a good basic sourdough bread, she started to experiment as a baker. She tried using local grains like ragi and jowar and seeds like sesame, pumpkin and flax.

Shailly is in a happy space, having found a balance, living as she does in a scenic area of Panchgani, between walking, practising yoga, reading and baking, baking and more baking!

Shailly Arora
Sharma Farms
Plot 29, Bhose Khind, Panchgani 412806
Mob: 0 96501 52889

Radhika Vohra

Radhika is a young woman who seems to have a crystal clear vision on all matters of life. Perhaps it's her analytical mind, well-honed due to her very impressive education. A Bombay educated girl who went on to complete her Bachelors in Commerce and Masters in Finance from UK. And then staying put in London for over five years, working at the prestigious Morgan Stanley as an associate at their Risk Analytics division.  This probably makes her the youngest to hold such a position, which is just short of being a director in the company. How does that feel, I wondered aloud to Radhika, who blushes and says, "Oh, please, I hope it doesn't sound like I am showing off!"

No, you are not, my dear girl, but let me do so on your behalf. For it doesn't just stop at that. One day, seated in a Eurostar train, she suddenly thought, "Enough of finance, let me now pursue business'. To which end she landed up in Paris, doing her Masters in Management at another prestigious educational establishment, the INSEAD. "Which really opened me up to enormous potential in the business world. The learning, the training, the interaction with students from all over the world was tremendous," says Radhika.

Once the degree was achieved, Radhika chatted with her mother, who is nothing but an image of God for her, and decided to return to India. At that juncture, Radhika had not envisaged a future in her home country but the lure of uniting with her parents and a  family life drew her back.

"Please let me tell you, I come from a simple, middle class family, living at Matunga in Bombay in a tiny home. My parents who put every penny, or rather every rupee, together, just to give me a good education, are like God to me."

A self-confessed bookworm, who sat on her terrace to study, with birds for company, Radhika thinks she must be a weirdo, for she loves studying, broccoli and milk!

Well, milk and all things that milk can produce is going to be her future, judging from the melt-in-your-mouth, ghee-based nankatais that Radhika has got into producing. But first, a little more about her. I was curious, how come she landed up in Panchgani from Paris?

"Well, when I returned from France, I came to Panchgani for just one night with some friends and happened to be introduced to a guy called Nikunj. Before I knew it, meaning within a week, this guy and I were talking about marriage! It was so strange, we were two strangers who connected and knew we belonged and were now discussing our own arranged love marriage!"

Wow, Panchgani seems to be a romantic hill station of sorts. First, there was Sahar and Firdaus and now Radhika and Nikunj! And the two girls incidentally went on to becoming best friends!

Marriage soon happened and Ishaan, their son came along within a year. Radhika got involved in the family business of food. Her father-in-law, Mayur Vohra, is a highly respected Panchgani man who has industriously created a name and fortune for himself. Mapro, their brand is an institution and no visitor to the hill station can miss its presence. Apart from selling jams and fruit drinks and sweets and toffees and what not, through hundreds of their outlets, they run cafés which are hugely popular. In fact, the one in Wai, at the foothills of Panchgani, right as you turn off the highway, is worth visiting.

Creatively done up in a vast space it offers the most delicious pizzas made in wood-fired ovens.

No doubt Radhika became a great asset to the family. She handled the sales and marketing for Mapro pan-India while Nikunj looked after retail sales in Panchgani, in itself a big responsibility.
But soon the urge for a "new baby' took shape in Radhika's mind and about eight months ago, she conceptualised Mum Says...

She planned to bring to gen next, food that was being forgotten. She had this longing to not allow traditional foods high in nutritional values to fall into oblivion. Along with biscotti, there ought to be some nankatai!
And lo, behold. Four months ago, after many trials and learnings, she succeeded in delivering to food aficionados with a sweet tooth, the super soft and crumbly nankatais made in pure ghee, the kind that doesn't stick to the roof of your mouth.

"I have to say, I put in a lot of effort. Learnt through many mediums, including research on Google and arrived at a point where I was satisfied I was on the right track!" says Radhika. Helping her in no small measure was a friend from Poona, Ali  Reza, a third generation Iranian bakery owner, with many cafés, making good confectionery, in Bombay, Poona and Hyderabad. She worked at his bakery, hands-on, for a month, learning about fats and edible oils, the nuances of peanut oil and olive oil, their smoking points, etc. Radhika concluded she did not want to use processed and refined oil which is the industry norm, which is no doubt easy to use and light on the pocket. She also went on to understanding the different varieties of flour, from wholewheat to other grains such as oats and millets, as also sweetening agents, sugar, jaggery, honey... She saw that most fried snacks sold in the market used cheap palm oil and that was certainly not what she intended to use for the snacks she planned to produce in future. She likes peanut and sesame oils, ghee and butter...

So readers, watch out for Radhika Vohra. After nankatai, it's going to be banana chips fried in coconut oil! And she doesn't plan to keep her products tucked up in the mountains for long. You will soon see her traditional snacks everywhere. Quite simply, she plans to go digital, sell online.

The way of the future, the way of the young – her target market. Didn't I tell you right at the beginning, Radhika is a visionary. UpperCrust is surely going to keep her in its sight...

Radhika Vohra
Kala Kunj, Khinger, Panchgani 412805
Mob: 0 98075 55333