Kunal Joshi

Chef-owner at Kokum & Chul | Goan-Maharashtrian cooking, Pune | Small kitchen, full tables

I run Kokum & Chul, a 24-seat Goan-Maharashtrian restaurant in Erandwane, Pune. Most mornings start at Market Yard; most nights end with stock on the stove and someone being sent home with dinner. My cooking moves between fish curry, bhakri, seasonal vegetables and the recipes I grew up arguing about in the kitchen. I’m usually the loudest person on the pass, but I’m learning that a well-run kitchen needs clear instructions more than volume.

Opened and operate a 24-seat Goan-Maharashtrian restaurant in Erandwane. Handle menu planning, early-morning sourcing, kitchen training and service alongside a six-person team. Keep a short seasonal menu, with daily fish specials and vegetarian dishes that get equal attention.

Led evening service at a neighbourhood restaurant in Pune, managed prep schedules and trained new cooks. Worked with the head chef on regional specials and learned to cost a dish properly, not just cook it.

Worked across breakfast, hot kitchen and banquet prep at a Pune hotel. Built the basics: consistent cuts, clean stations, accurate handovers and getting staff meals out on time.

Goan Cuisine, Maharashtrian Cuisine, Menu Development, Restaurant Operations, Seasonal Sourcing, Food Costing, Kitchen Team Training, Food Safety, Inventory Management, Small Business Management

Marathi, Hindi, English

A cook on our team ran the pass for the first time on Saturday. I stayed on prep, which apparently required more self-control from me than the service required from him. Tickets moved, fish went out hot, nobody needed rescuing. Afterwards he said, “You kept looking over.” Fair complaint. Owning a kitchen cannot mean being the only person allowed to run it. Next Saturday, same arrangement. Less hovering.

Summer menu tasting today: raw mango dal, bharli vangi, rice bhakri and a fish curry that needed two fewer chillies. The vegetarian plates got finished first. Good reminder to stop treating vegetables as the things that sit beside the main event. We’re keeping the menu short again this season. With 24 seats and a small kitchen, I would rather run out of one good dish than keep fifteen average ones available.

Three years since we opened Kokum & Chul. The first week, I bought too much fish, underestimated dishwashing and thought I could do the accounts after service. Only one of those mistakes has been completely fixed. What has changed: a steady team, regulars who bring their parents, and a much better prep sheet. We celebrated with staff dinner after closing. Extra prawns, no speeches. I was told that last condition was important.