Picture this: The table in front of you is set with crockery and cutlery. If they could converse, they would tell you that you’re in for a feast.
The air is resplendent with a bounty of sounds — the crackle of something delicious being fried, the gentle bubbling of a soup on low flame, the song of birds that have arrived to keep you company as you await your meal and the steady chopping as vegetables are diced into petite cubes.
The changing colours of the skies replace what would otherwise be your mobile screen, and the sounds of crickets and birds play substitute for music. Today, you are about to eat with intention. You are about to feast on a farm-to-table meal.
While few may have experienced this, no one is a stranger to the concept.
According to a Godrej Food Trends report (2023), a 60 percent surge was reported in the farm-to-table restaurant concept, conceding with the notion that people are showing signs of navigating in the direction of mindful eating. While Indian villages have been living by this moniker for aeons, the concept has recently found an ear in metropolitan cities.
It is undeniable that the farm-to-table movement is starting to evolve into one with burgeoning demand. And here are eight individuals championing this cause –
1. C’est L’avi – Table in the Hills, Goa
In one of the pockets of Goa, in a village called Velim, Chef Avinash Martins has created a paradise that is replete with clay pots, original wood fires, the babble of the stream and the freshest produce. From working in the top-notch kitchens of India to now delighting tourists with his traditional food in modern blends, the chef’s journey has been telling. And doing this on his 250-acre ancestral property holds significance.
Through C’est L’avi, Avinash comes together with over 60 farmers from Velim to create an unforgettable experience. He shares, “Our classic smoked mackerels was a fisherman recipe that people had stopped making in Goa. To give them a taste as well as an experience, we let guests watch the smoking of the mackerels in the field and serve it with crisp poi (bread).”
Another hit is the slow duck breast which is made with condiments that are ground by hand.
Feast here.
2. MOGLU, Bengaluru
If you’re on the hunt for great vegetarian food that is prepared from fresh produce in Bengaluru, MOGLU beckons you to look no further. Started by Ankita Shree, an ex-IRS officer-turned-entrepreneur, and Dr Kiran Narayanan, a computational physicist who switched to a culinary career, the space fuses creativity with traditional Indian culinary secrets.
The duo’s love for food exudes through the carefully curated menu at this recently-established spot. A must try, they say, is the burrata with green beans and toasted lentils which reinvents traditional South Indian parippu usli and vethakozhumbu in a salad form. Coupled with ginger-tamarind sauce, the meal packs a punch of flavour.
Feast here.
3. Project Hum, Mumbai
It may come as a surprise that this culinary endeavour that is bang in the heart of Bandra in Mumbai was once a doodle on the last page of Jatin Talreja’s college notebook. Along with his friends Raghav Simha and Pragun Bajaj, Jatin conceptualised Project Hum — a farm-to-table restaurant that popularises clean eating and ensures customers can ‘know’ the farmer behind the produce they are served.
Speaking about the programme, Jatin says, “It indulges a lot of people who care about what they are eating. The farmer of the month is decided on the basis of what vegetable or fruit was consumed the most in a month and which farmer was responsible for growing it.”
Project Hum’s network extends to over 230 farmers from Talegaon, Nanded, Nashik, Kolhapur and other villages.
Feast here.
4. Mharokhet, Jodhpur
“Farm food cannot match luxury.” The recent decade has proven this assumption wrong.
But if you are someone who needs proof of it, head to Mharokhet. The experiential farm is run by duo Rajnush and Vedika Agarwal who are more than happy to take guests around, let them pluck their own produce and then watch as it makes its way into a fiesta.
The couple’s creation is a feat in experiential dining with exotic vegetables — chamomile, cherry tomatoes, oyster mushrooms, fresh oregano, sage, kohlrabi, black carrots, golden beetroots, kale, iceberg lettuce — the protagonist of many dishes.
The desserts and starters exude craftsmanship in the way they are prepared and served.
Rajnush emphasises that as much as 90 percent of the seven-course meal comes from the farm.
Feast here.
5. Brio Art Cafe, Lucknow
Ankita Jaiswal, the owner of Brio Art House and Cafe in Lucknow was intent on creating a space that is reflective of mindful eating and mindful enjoyment. For this purpose, she partnered with artisans and farmers across Lucknow. Brio Art Cafe is authentic in its offerings with all the ingredients served in the cafe being from the land itself.
The rose shrubs find their way into the gulkand (a sweet preserve of rose petals), while the fresh buttermilk is sourced from the dairy on the land. Elaborating on this, Ankita says, “Depending on the season, the menu varies. We have vegan pumpkin coconut milk soup, salads brimming with cherry tomatoes, mint, pickled onions, and dals with rice.”
Feast here.
6. Solitude Farm, Auroville
“A society that doesn’t know where its food comes from is a society without culture, and humanity without culture will perish.” This thought forms the cornerstone of the practices, farming techniques, food, and activities at Solitude Farm started in 1996 by a group of young Aurovillians led by Krishna McKenzie.
Krishna’s inspiration lay in Masanobu Fukuoka — a Japanese farmer and philosopher who is credited with the inception of modern-day natural farming practices. Based on his teachings that bio-resources such as leaves, weeds and branches should be returned to the soil to increase its fertility, Krishna began to follow suit. And it worked wonders!
Today, the land’s bounty of papaya, banana, guavas, breadfruit, mangoes, sword beans, corn, plantain, radish, brinjal, butterfly pea, and hibiscus makes its way into the food that is served at the farm cafe, started in 2008.
Feast here.
7. Molasses, Pondicherry
Located off the Pondicherry-Tindivanam highway, Molasses is a testament to what can be achieved on decimated land when all you have is a dream. The transformation of a piece of land which was recovering from the effects of over-grazing and wood cutting, into a paradise of green is the work of entrepreneur Rachna Rao, who laid a keen focus on rewilding.
The concept refers to letting nature take care of itself to enable the creation of a biodiverse habitat. The project is an example of a complete ecosystem, where nature is the hero. If you are headed to Molasses, be sure to try the spicy passion fruit hot sauce that we hear is a crowd-puller.
Feast here.
8. The Farm, Chennai
Calling all those who want to explore ‘life on the udder side’ to head to this oasis in Chennai filled with cows, buffaloes, chickens, goats and horses amid vegetable gardens, rice fields, coconut groves and plantations. Not only will you get to taste homemade cheese but also grow and eat your own fruits and veggies.
The venture maintains that the produce is chemical-free, fresh, completely natural, and organically grown. The restaurant menu features bakery goods, pickles, jams and more. Sustainability is not only in the food but also in the decor.
The restaurant is built within an existing coconut grove with a high thatch-roofed structure made from materials on the farm such as the wood from eucalyptus plantations.
Feast here.
Edited by Pranita Bhat
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