This diwali, Chefs cook up a storm at home parties
With Diwali soirées turning grander, hosts are ditching the chaos of in-house cooking for curated gourmet experiences put together by professionals
A stress-free solution for festive feasts
This festive season, hosts are swapping the stress of an in-house chef for the ease and flavour-packed menus of cloud kitchens. Punn’s Canteen, a cloud kitchen nestled in Lucknow’s Dalibagh is stealing the spotlight. “Hiring a chef at home means no sourcing of ingredients, prepping the space, and managing the mess. It’s a logistical juggle that few want during the festive rush,” says Sagar Punn, founder of the cloud kitchen. He provides a compelling alternative: “The curated menus are not only cost-friendly but also entirely customisable. Whether your guests crave fiery spice, gentle flavours, or health-conscious bites, the menu bends to your taste.” Their prices start from Rs349 per person for vegetarian options.
Akshat Gupta from Coox in Noida highlights the need for flexible, fragmented services. “During festive season, people look out for getting their traditional food customised,” he notes. Coox, serving from minimum of two people and up to hundreds, offer a chef on call to prepare a tailored menu, with options for clients to provide their own ingredients or even have Coox supply them. “The cost changes, obviously,” Gupta explains, adding, “Minimum charges start with the smallest ticket size being two people, two dishes, somewhere ₹700, to a whole gourmet meal for 40–50 people in Rs8,000and more. So much is there for the audience to pick from.”
The rise of bespoke at-home experiences
The home soirée has become a playground for creativity and taste, fuelling the demand for professional culinary services catering directly to the home.
Saloni Uppal and Chef Suramya, co-owners of Delhi-based gourmet catering house Saloni’s Kitchen, are witnessing this surge firsthand. “We are packed this Diwali for card parties, gatherings, and more,” says Saloni. Chef Suramya adds that the orders are incredibly diverse, from international cuisine platters to setting up vibrant grazing tables: “We see orders for cheese and charcuterie boards, and even Indian-style chaat platters.”
Guests are no longer passive diners; they are part of the show. “Guests want to experience frosting cupcakes at live bakery pop-ups, dipping fruits into flowing chocolate fountains, or crafting their own pizzas, pastas, and desserts,” Chef Suramya explains. Their service scale starts from a minimum of 50 and goes up to hundreds of guests. Their charges begin from ₹3,000 per person.
For Chef Mehrwan Bawa, owner of Delhi-based Farro Experiences that caters pan India, the shift in client expectations is clear. “Earlier people called for food from available restaurants. But now, they are loving the concept of calling chefs home, ordering from cloud kitchens, and getting their favourite Diwali traditional food customized to their wish,” he says, adding, that their most sought-after option is full-service catering. Their team completes a recce of the house and farms beforehand, with minimum charges starting at ₹3,000 per head.
The theatrical art of the home bar
No luxurious soirée is complete without masterful drinks and freelance mixologists are stirring up classics and experimenting with new-age concoctions. Delhi-based mixologist Ratan Gurmacha elaborates on the theatrical element they bring: “It’s often adding a dash of drama with juggling acts, smoke, and fire.” These gatherings are nothing short of immersive culinary performances and Gurmacha adds, “This Diwali, my team and I are totally drowned in parties.”
