“I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to food, whatever the cuisine.”
Sreerang Pandit (57), Founder, Food Panditz is an affable personality deeply into catering but also sketches portraits. Here he speaks about his profession and interests in a talk with A.Radhakrishnan.
A foodie himself and a thoroughbred caterer, Sreerang Pandit, Founder, Food Panditz explains the nitty gritty of the catering business. His take: It’s a lot of hard work, mentally and physically draining, but immensely rewarding. The compliments that come at the end of the day make it really worthwhile. Also, be prepared to forego your social life. Most events take place in evenings and on weekends. When everyone else enjoys, you work.
Describe yourself.
I grew up in a typical middle class Maharashtrian family. When in 9th class, I saw a TV interview with Thangam Philip, Principal, IHMCTAN a.k.a. Dadar Catering College and decided to pursue Hotel Management. Fortunately, my parents were supportive. Passing out in 1986, I worked in 5 star hotels, Fine Dine restaurants as well as QSRs for seven years before starting my own business in Pune. Thirty years since I still love food and my work and can’t see myself doing anything else.
Are you a foodie?
Isn’t everyone?! I explore different culinary styles and cuisines, and examine the value that various ingredients bring in, in terms of taste, flavour, aroma, texture etc. Professionally it helps to know the latest trends and new dishes. Personally, I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to food, whatever the cuisine, e.g., I think some of the fusion foods go too far for my liking.
What are the types of catering? What is its main function?
Catering refers to the preparation and service of food & beverages. There are three types –
- Managing canteens of organisations. Menus vary across organisation types. E.g., educational institutions need wholesome, nutritious food. Mess services also include the home based mess services that deliver dabbas to the client’s house/office.
- Event Catering. Personal events like weddings and house parties, and corporate events like seminars, conferences, annual days, etc. These have rich varied menus and a variety of cuisines.
- Exhibitions & Expos. I often take over the food court of such an event and put up stalls selling foods & beverages to the organisers, stall owners and visitors. This type comes with a risk of not making enough turnover.
What makes an ideal caterer? What are the most important factors in developing a successful catering business?
An ideal caterer takes on the role of a host, plans based on parameters like nature of event, client expectations, profile of diners, the time of the day, the climate of the period, etc.; has a variety in the menu in terms of ingredients, taste, colours, textures and flavours; ensures hygiene at all costs; has efficient and friendly professional staff and pays attention to detail – e.g., a good quality paper napkin may go unnoticed but a bad napkin that doesn’t absorb oil or water is remembered!
I think the topmost success factor is the quality of food and service. Nobody books a caterer by looking at ads or yellow pages.
Was catering line always in your mind?
I started with the name Reds & Greens. Post pandemic, I started Food Panditz. After all, after almost 35 years in the industry, I feel like a Pandit!
Some events that Reds & Greens catered to were noteworthy: big weddings, national sports events and national conferences. I also managed canteens of corporates like Fujitsu, Mphasis, IBM et al and educational institutions. Food Panditz caters to any and all events, personal, corporate or social, provided there are a minimum of 200 persons to be catered to. This year it managed the Food Court for Constro Expo in Pune, where we catered to more than 30,000 individuals.
In 2014, deciding to diversify I had started the brand Masti Misal. It had grown to a point where we were looking at exponential growth through franchising when Corona showed up…
In addition, Food Panditz is also into consultancy for restaurants & hotels.
What is the weakness and strength of catering? What are the five mainstays?
Weaknesses are service is required to be perfect in every aspect the first time and every time. (I cannot say, ‘we are still giving finishing touches, please postpone your wedding by 2 days’!); it’s a seasonal business and dealing with perishables.
Strengths are personal touch with clients and diners; unlimited scope to keep innovating and word of mouth selling.
At Food Panditz, our mainstays are our core staff that includes our chefs & managers; the quality of the raw material that we buy; focus on hygiene; focus on detail ad and guest/customer friendly approach.
How was your experience working in 5 star hotels?
It was exciting! One comes across the upper crust of the society and it was great to interact with them. But behind all the glamour is a lot of hard work and sweat. My biggest learning was to ensure that the guests/ customers got not just great food, but an experience to remember.
Catering v/s Dabbawalla…Your comments?
Technically both are catering services though there’s a distinct difference. While both cook in bulk quantities, the caterer serves groups but the famous dabbawala in Mumbai serves individual meals and is a delivery service which picks food from individual homes and delivers to the individual’s office.
How do you hire and train staff to run your business?
Catering services tend to have a core staff including chef(s), and the rest are outsourced from labour contractors. Food Panditz has retained some staff for more than 20 years.
Hiring new staff is usually through recommendations. Training them takes about 3 months to a year depending on their skill and experience.
Recall a time when you dealt with a thorny issue successfully.
I had an order for 600 people for an AGM. Eventually more than 1,100 people had food that day. Ensuring adequate quality food was a tough challenge, to say the least!
How did you feel getting official tags like National Games, etc.? Any other major tag?
I got the opportunity to be the official caterer to the National Games at Pune in 1994 by being in the right place at the right time. A friend from Mumbai contacted me because he wanted a local partner to execute the contract. It was an awesome feeling!
Another tag I cherish is when I catered is to the International Athletic Meet at Balewadi, Pune. Carl Lewis & Merlene Ottey, the then world champions & all-time greats had participated in the meet!
What is Masti Misal? What was different about it that made it so popular?
Masti Misal was started in 2014. The idea was to offer one of the most popular dishes in Maharashtra in a neat and clean setting and serve it in an eye-pleasing manner. We took feedback from around 300 people on the 4-5 different recipes that they tasted for seven days. The top rating which was unanimous decided for me THE Masti Misal! Adding more varieties and complementary items was a natural progression.
In Dec 2019- Jan 2020 we shifted to bigger premises in Kothrud & Baner in Pune and also came up with a franchise model. Unfortunately, Corona struck within three months and we had to shut down. We are considering plans to start anew.
Have you catered to celebrities?
Devendra Fadnavis, Sharad Pawar, Late Lata Mangeshkar, some Bollywood celebrities – all were guests at the orders that I executed.
Do you have a vision for each event? What kind of atmosphere do you create with the food and decor?
An event organiser or a host of a private party has ideas about what they want. I give my suggestions. This helps me develop a vision and a theme, based on which I plan not only the menu but the whole set-up including décor, display, staff uniforms, etc.
Decors usually have fancy buffet counters, lighting, salad decorations, and fruit & vegetable carvings. Other props like planters, statues and artificial flower arrangements are also used.
I emphasise service aspects like thematic relevance, easy-on-the-eye, people friendly aspects like access to counters, ease of maintaining cleanliness, etc.
What are your most popular dishes? What determines the price per plate?
I am into vegetarian, non-vegetarian, regional Indian and world cuisines.
I keep introducing new dishes, and every year a new favourite emerges. For example, this year Vegetable Khasta (a mixed veg dish cooked in cashew gravy with a dash of spinach & a hint of mint) is quite popular. Broccoli & almond soup, corn velvet soup are the current favourites. My live Pasta counters are always a hit. Biryanis and Barbeques too have always been favourite. And among desserts, Trufle & Shahi tukda are our specialties.
Pricing largely depends on the size of the buffet spread; the variety in food and cuisines; the desserts in the menu; the set-up of the food counters; and the kind of service – buffet/it-down, hostesses, fancy uniforms, etc.
What is the difference between a plated meal, buffet, sit-down style, etc.?
Plated meal is a pre-plated dish that has limited items in a limited quantity with no second helpings. More of a budget service.
Buffets are when the food is laid down in chaffing dishes or service bowls on buffet counters where the guests can help themselves to whatever they want and can come back for second or third helpings.
Sit-downs are where the guests are seated and served at tables. The typical Indian wedding opts for this style.
Another style is where individual tables (generally round), laid out with the necessary crockery, cutlery and glassware, get served. These are generally more leisure affairs.
Where do you source your food from?
We source our raw materials from the wholesale markets in Pune. Processed food: we buy only branded products.
What was the most surprising thing you learned about marketing?
That marketing people speak a lot of half-truths and white lies. As far as the catering service is concerned, the proof of the pudding lies in eating!
Do you provide insurance in case something goes wrong?
There are hazards like food going bad and even food poisoning. Or, things can go wrong during transport that can ruin an event. These pose risks to both caterers and clients. But there are no insurance policies to provide cover to such aspects in our industry. A comprehensive cover for the catering industry is needed. Fortunately, at Food Panditz, no such incident has happened so far.
Why did you not start your own restaurant instead?
I did not have the funds to start a restaurant when I began. My catering services did well. Later I did start the Masti Misal but Corona put paid to my plans.
Advice to someone wanting to enter this catering line?
It’s a lot of hard work, mentally & physically draining, but immensely rewarding. The compliments that come at the end of the day make it really worthwhile. Also, be prepared to forego your social life. Most events take place in evenings and on weekends. When everyone else enjoys, you work.
Your other talents.
I love sketching portraits and playing the harmonica (mouth organ).
Contact :
Food Panditz. Tel: 9823102210. Email: foodpanditz@gmail.com
A. Radhakrishnan is a Pune based freelance writer, poet and short story writer