Chef Vanika Choudhary is on a mission to reconnect diners with where food truly comes from. Far from the glossy plating of fine dining, she’s pioneering a movement that’s rooted in soil, culture and heritage.

The pulse behind the plate

Vanika isn’t your typical chef. She’s a storyteller.

Born in Kashmir and based in Mumbai, she is the founder and chef of Sequel and Noon, two high-end restaurants where fermentation and preservation define the culinary language.

Think fermented heirloom tomatoes, wild foraged ingredients and recipes handed down through generations — not recreated for Instagram, but to honour the wisdom of the communities who nurtured them.

Inspired by her upbringing in Jammu and Kashmir, she channels indigenous techniques like fermentation and foraging not just as flavour tools, but as cultural reclamation. Entirely self-trained, her culinary voice has been shaped by extensive travel across India, particularly the Himalayan belt, where she continues to work closely with indigenous communities.

Where it all began

Her grandmother’s kitchen ran on seasonality and restraint — local produce, thoughtful use, nothing wasted. Those early impressions evolved into the values Chef Vanika lives by today, guiding her deep into the terrains of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, the Sahyadris and the Malvan coast, where she finds inspiration in the land itself.

A philosophy fermented over time

Fermentation sits at the core of her cooking philosophy. Deeply tied to her roots, it is a way of preserving flavour, memory, and culture. This belief extends beyond the kitchen through her partnership with Ladakh Basket, a social enterprise working to empower women while reviving Ladakh’s disappearing food traditions and biodiversity. In regions where foraging once faded away, Vanika is helping bring it back — ingredient by ingredient.

Closer to home, she works closely with tribal communities in Neral and Palghar, and across central-western Maharashtra, rediscovering wild, seasonal produce and reintroducing forgotten ingredients. From skotse (wild garlic chives) and kosnyot (wild caraway) to apricots and catmint from Ladakh, her menus champion the overlooked and the indigenous.

On the plate

At Sequel, the ghee roast finger millet dosa is a must served with coconut and peanut chutney, charred oyster mushrooms, curry leaf podi and fresh pea shoots.

At Noon, her seasonal tasting menus unfold as immersive journeys through flavour and technique, drawing from an extraordinary repertoire of over 140 house-made misos, kojis and garums. Each menu reflects not just seasonality, but the landscapes and communities that inspire her work. Don’t miss the Kashmiri saffron kahwah cocktail infused with saffron and cardamom, a tribute to the tea that accompanied the restaurant’s earliest days.

The food she comes home to

Her deeply personal favourite is gucchi pulao, a Kashmiri dish made with wild morels that has been passed down through generations, changing slightly in every household, including her own. Rajma chawal, a staple from the Jammu region, remains another family constant, always paired with an assortment of pickles.

At its core, Vanika Choudhary’s cooking is about continuity, honouring where she comes from while allowing food to evolve, one story, one ferment, one shared meal at a time.

Plan your visit to Sequel and Noon and tell us about your experience in the comment section below.