Cooking is about creating new dishes & narrating stories around it: Chef Anahita Dhondy

Zoya from the House of Tata celebrates ‘Finely Crafted Journeys’ with chef Anahita Dhondy.

Zoya, the diamond boutique from the House of Tata, presents Finely Crafted Journeys — conversations with women achievers, whose creativity and commitment to their craft has created something truly distinctive.

Zoya’s muse this time is Anahita Dhondy, the chef partner at SodaBottleOpenerWala, Cyber Hub, Gurugram. After studying at IHM — Aurangabad, Dhondy worked in four hotels in three cities before she went to pursue the dream of graduating from Le Cordon Blue.


Excerpts from an interview:
What inspired you to pursue your craft?
As a child, I saw my mother running her catering business, which inspired me to pursue the profession too. Watching her practise her craft was the reason I developed an interest in cooking as well. I think this kind of family bond plus learning so much from her was a positive experience. It led me towards the direction of becoming a chef and pursuing my culinary degree.



What does creativity mean to you?
For me, creativity would mean to be able to create, innovate and make something that might not be the best dish, but at least I get the freedom to try that out. With that kind of creativity, we came up with some amazing gems at SodaBottleOpenerWala. And because of those, we have people coming back to us again and again over the past five years.

What do you enjoy most about your craft?
I love the fact that I am constantly learning, innovating and creating something new. That is the reason that I love going back to work because other than creating dishes, there is a whole story around it and as a chef, I love telling that story.

Zoya and me:
Because of my Parsi cultural heritage, I have grown up with a lot of English and Victorian influences in the way our homes are done, in our sartorial choices and even our crockery and cutlery. I have a natural inclination towards Zoya’s collection and the delicate and intricate work that makes it special. It’s something that I would wear when I dress up and go out. It’s beautiful and wearable, especially with my Parsi sarees.