3 weeks ago
Mumbai coffee-table book by all-women team wins 'Oscars of food'
A group of women who love food and stories made a beautiful big book about Mumbai's food.
The book is called 'Mumbai: A Journey Through Its Kitchens, Streets, and Stories.'
It shows how people in Mumbai cook, eat, and sell food, from street snacks to family recipes.
The book has photographs, drawings, and stories about the people who feed the city.
It even won a famous prize called the James Beard Media Award, which people call the 'Oscars of food.'
The women wanted to show that Indian food is much more than chicken tikka masala and naan.
One of them lived in America for many years and noticed people there only knew a few Indian dishes.
The team worked very hard, taking about 20,000 photos and choosing only the best ones for the book.
They met in Mumbai to celebrate their win together.
Now they hope to make books about other cities and maybe even a TV series.
The coffee table book 'Mumbai: A Journey Through Its Kitchens, Streets, and Stories' by Heirloom Cities won a 2026 James Beard Media Award, often called the 'Oscars of food.'
The award was in the visual category for books with exceptional graphic design, art or photography.
The all-women team includes editor Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal, founder Sri Bodanapu, photographer Bhavya Pansari, and illustrator Nandini Thirani.
Founder Sri Bodanapu said the idea grew from seeing Indian food abroad reduced to a chicken tikka masala and garlic naan stereotype.
Heirloom Cities has published books on Mumbai and Kolkata, has a Dubai book underway, and is exploring a Bali edition, a Sri Lanka title, and formats such as a Netflix series.
- Who
- The all-women team behind Heirloom Cities: editor Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal, founder Sri Bodanapu, photographer Bhavya Pansari, and illustrator Nandini Thirani.
- What
- Their coffee table book 'Mumbai: A Journey Through Its Kitchens, Streets, and Stories' won a 2026 James Beard Media Award in the visual category for exceptional graphic design, art or photography.
- Where
- Chicago hosted the awards ceremony, and the team gathered in Mumbai last month to celebrate the win; the book documents Mumbai, India.
- When
- The award ceremony was held in June 2026; Heirloom Cities applied in November 2025 and learned of the nomination in May 2026.
- Why
- To showcase Mumbai's culinary legacy and India's food diversity beyond the chicken tikka masala and naan stereotype common abroad.
Key facts
- Book title
- Mumbai: A Journey Through Its Kitchens, Streets, and Stories
- Publisher
- Heirloom Cities
- Award
- 2026 James Beard Media Award (visual category)
- Curator and editor
- Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal
- Photographer
- Bhavya Pansari
- Illustrator
- Nandini Thirani
- Photography
- About 20,000 images shot; roughly 150-160 published
- Other titles
- Kolkata published; Dubai underway; Bali and Sri Lanka in planning
Quotes
Bhavya Pansari
Photographer and visual contributor to the book
“"Never to be a photographer to get rich… but to experience the world."”
indianexpress.com
“"Having our parents say they’re proud of us makes a bigger cut."”
indianexpress.com











