Food Matters Group

Food Matters Group: hospitality group based in Mumbai

Food Matters Group is a business group in the restaurant and hospitality sector based in Mumbai (India). It was founded in October 2011 by Gauri Devidayal and Jay Yousuf, who continue as co-directors. The group presents itself as instrumental in establishing hospitality brands in the city and operates a collection of restaurants, a bakery, an events and catering kitchen, and its own farm.

Brands and concepts of the group

The group brings together several brands with differentiated offerings:

• The Table: flagship casual fine dining restaurant, with a globally inspired menu influenced by the San Francisco style of cooking.
• Mag St.: comfort food chain with a creative twist, present in three locations: 24th Road (Bandra), Mandlik Road (Colaba) and One Lodha Place (Lower Parel). It presents itself as a place for all meals and all audiences.
• Mag St. Bread Co.: bakery founded in 2016 that makes artisan breads, baked goods and pantry items, with delivery in Mumbai, Alibag and Pune.
• Magazine St. Kitchen (MSK): 2,500 sq ft experiential kitchen in Byculla, which functions as a venue for events and workshops, a delivery kitchen and a kitchen-on-hire.
• Iktara: catering and delivery kitchen based in Colaba, operating since February 2020, specialising in comforting Indian food. Its offering includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian North Indian options, and catering services for events of any size.
• Kaspers: project by Chef Will Aghajanian that combines the tradition of French bistros, the chef's American training and the concept of Italian osterias, located in the Bandra neighbourhood.
• Loud Mouth: food brand that defines itself as a lifestyle, with globally inspired bowls and wraps made with high-quality ingredients, designed for quick meals, healthy lunches, office meals, post-workout refuels and eating on the move.
• The Table Farm: farm in Alibaug that supplies fresh, high-quality ingredients to The Table restaurant and offers farm-to-table experiences, with organic farming workshops, harvesting of ingredients by visitors and lunches prepared by The Table's chefs.

Services and activities

The group states that it specialises in a variety of services covering dine-in, home delivery, experience-led events, catering and the sale of gift products. Its activity is distributed across its different locations and brands, with a significant presence in Mumbai and delivery of bakery products in Mumbai, Alibag and Pune.

Management team and areas of responsibility

In addition to the founders, the group has a management team covering different areas:

• Will Aghajanian, culinary director of the group.
• Alya Vachani, in the foundation office.
• Ameya Palav, head of operations at Mag St. Bandra.
• Prerna Bhandari, brand and communications manager.
• Rajkiran Sherigar, human resources manager.
• Dakshata Waykar, customer experience for the three Mag St. locations and events.
• Arth Shah, projects and operations manager.
• Louis Gomes, head chef at The Table.
• Biswanath Patra, sous chef at The Table.
• Venkatesh Namdar, bar manager at The Table.
• Durgesh Singh, beverage manager for the group.
• Bhushan Rane, general manager at The Table.
• Shivram Parki, head chef at Mag St. Colaba and Lower Parel.
• Vinay Naik and Ramesh Kedar, restaurant managers at Mag St. Colaba.
• Ranjit Borkar and Charudutta Patil, restaurant managers at Mag St. Bandra.
• Shannen Alexandra, head chef at Mag St. Bread Co.
• Ajay Singh Rana, senior sous chef at Iktara.
• Rohan Alex, assistant manager at Magazine St. Kitchen.

Recognition

The group has received distinctions in the Indian culinary field. Kaspers won the title of Best New Restaurant in India at the inaugural Tatler Best India 2026 awards. The Table was included among the top twenty restaurants in the country at those same awards. Kaspers also achieved four stars in Culinary Culture's Ultimate Restaurant Ratings 2026.

Events and experiences

The group organises events and experiences, including sessions of its Off Menu series at Magazine St. Kitchen. The Table Farm also offers the possibility of hosting private events and organic farming workshops, with activities scheduled between December and March. The company also produces the Speak Greasy podcast, hosted by Gauri Devidayal, focused on conversations with professionals in the food industry.