3 weeks ago

Mumbai coffee-table book by all-women team wins 'Oscars of food'

Mumbai coffee-table book by all-women team wins 'Oscars of food'
Beyond naan and tikka masala: How an all-women team won ‘Oscars of food’ for coffee table book on Mumbai and its culinary legacy · indianexpress.com

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.

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

Sources

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