Chef hosts traditional GSB supper club in UK

Mangaluru: In culinary initiative in the United Kingdom, chef Akshata Devanand Shenoy has introduced a traditional GSB Supper Club, offering an intimate and immersive dining experience that brings the lesser-known Indian cuisine to a global audience.

The first event, held on June 7 in Manchester under the banner ‘Supper and Stories’, featured a 13-item authentic, temple-style vegetarian menu prepared entirely by Shenoy.

At the event, guests were served a traditional banana leaf meal, accompanied by a detailed narration on the GSB community, the philosophy behind each dish, ingredient use, flavour balance, and its focus on sustainability and zero-waste practices. The same menu will be served again on June 14 after an overwhelming response, with both editions booking out within days. A total 27 guests attended the first event, including people from Gujarati, Sindhi, Malayali and British communities, with attendees travelling from Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham, Scotland, London and Milton Keynes.

Shenoy, a third-generation chef with roots in Udupi and Mulki, said the initiative stems from lack of awareness. “South Indian cuisine is often reduced to idli, dosa and vada, while the depth of regional cuisines like GSB food remains largely unexplored,” she said. She highlighted that GSB cuisine is naturally vegan, seasonal, and prepared without onion, garlic, turmeric or excessive spices.

Shenoy moved to the UK in Jan 2023, where she currently works as a chef tutor at a culinary school. Prior to this, she served as a lecturer and worked with leading hospitality brands in Mumbai. She also started ‘Food Hunt Manchester,’ in 2024, a women-centric community hosting monthly cuisine meetups for over two-and-a-half years, covering 27 cuisines without repetition. She also plans family breakfast meets and day trips for women.

Shenoy sourced most ingredients directly from Mangaluru, including tender cashews, Byadgi chillies and papads, while banana leaves and colocasia leaves were ordered through a local Kerala shop. Breadfruit was sourced from a Sri Lankan store.

Mangalurean and Karavali cuisine is almost unavailable in the UK, with South Indian options largely limited to Kerala and Tamil cuisines, she said. The meal was prepared entirely by Shenoy, who also distributed homemade rasam powder to guests.

She said the initiative is not profit driven, and aims to build awareness. Recently, she received the ‘Most Popular Choice’ award under the ‘Promising Professional’ category by IIW at the Houses of Parliament, London. She also holds a PhD holder in hotel management (culinary) specialising in Karavali cuisine of coastal Karnataka.

She now plans to expand the concept to include other coastal Karnataka cuisines, including Tulunad and Mangalurean Catholic traditions.