Goa, renowned for its vibrant culture and picturesque beaches, is witnessing a culinary revolution led by talented women restaurateurs. These visionary entrepreneurs are reshaping the gastronomic landscape, infusing creativity, diversity, and innovation into the traditionally rich Goan culinary scene.
Isabella’s Tapas Bar is one of its kind modern tapas bar helmed by Arati Naik, a Goan herself. Launched last year, the food and drinks at Isabella’s is an ode to bodegas, taverns, pinxto (small snack) bars and taperias (a restaurant serving tapas) across Spain and Portugal. The bar serves an array of hearty Spanish and Portuguese dishes and is situated in the commercial and culture district of Panjim, this tapas bar brings a novelty to the F&B scene in Goa.
Chartering her journey, Naik says, “Restaurants in Goa were primarily home style and family owned and run, with the male members usually holding the pivotal roles. But the changing F&B scenes has seen a drastic change in cuisines and concepts, going from Goan Konkani food to everything from Pan-Asian, North Indian, Mexican, European and many more, with a new exciting restaurant opening every few weeks.”
Naik further says, “One of the most poignant change though is of women entrepreneurs spearheading many such new establishments, be it founders, Exec chefs or Pasty chefs with some absolutely lip-smacking food that Goa has ever seen and it’s just getting better and better.”
What women bring to this industry is a fresh new approach and an inclusive and diverse working culture along with a grace that makes the industry more approachable. “I too have faced my fair share of challenges while starting Isabella’s, but I’ve always found many who are ready to help and support me as I find my footing. I’m very excited to see where the Goa hospitality scene is taking us, especially with more women taking centre stage,” shares Naik.
Inspired by the idea of Mindful Gastronomy, Chef Sai Sabnis, based in Goa, embarked on the journey of creating Posa. This culinary venture focuses on honoring the cultural, political, and environmental aspects of food by utilizing overlooked or humble ingredients.
After a career that spanned New York, Andaman Islands and even Goa with her previous restaurant Elevar in Ashvem, Sai returned to choose Goa as the home of Posa. “Goa gives me a supportive community on both sides- farmers, sellers & activists working with food, as well as customers that are engaged, well traveled, and passionate about food in a more holistic sense. Not just that, Goa is rich in inspiration with beautiful, native biodiverse ingredients,” explains Sabnis.
Posa’s recent event, for example, was a forest-to-table multicourse sit-down dinner using ingredients foraged from Goa’s Mhadei forest, giving people an experience of unique ingredients straight from the most regenerative food source, our forests. Another unconventional initiative by Posa is a women-driven wholefoods salad-meal delivery service, that started in the covid lockdown, through which subscribers discover hyper-local and seasonal foods.
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