Choosing to sit al fresco under Delhi’s open skies, with an AQI of 500, is nothing short of an act of bravery. While researching this feature, I found myself in the city, braving temperatures as low as 4.8 to 8 degrees—hardly the most inviting conditions. Add the heavy smog into the mix, and it’s far from an ideal setting.
We were at Fig & Maple, one of Delhi’s go-to spots for open-air dining, to try their winter menu that chef-partner Radhika Khandelwal would have launched weeks earlier if the expected season’s fresh produce had not been delayed.
Climate change is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a pressing reality. In 2024, we found ourselves in a turbulent situationship with the seasons, as the weather flipped unpredictably between hot and cold.
The World Meteorological Department (WMD) declared 2024 the hottest year on record. Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed the onset of La Niña, bringing cooler temperatures and delayed monsoon.
Gradual climate change has taken a tangible turn in recent years, disrupting crop patterns. Fluctuating produce quality and unpredictable ingredient availability are testing chefs and F&B businesses while forcing diners to rethink their choices.
Radhika Khandelwal, Fig & Maple
Khandelwal confesses, the poor air quality in the Capital has adversely affected footfalls. “Half our seating is outdoors. People are scared of what they are breathing in,” says Khandelwal, who usually starts planning her winter menu by October. In 2024 produce predictability went for a toss: For example, gooseberries and strawberries that flood the markets by November didn’t come until mid-December. “That’s very late!” says Khandelwal. Dishes, such as chargrilled fish with smoky salsa, dropped out of the menu due to irregular supply.
Conceptualised around sustainability, the restaurant is equipped to bear the extra cost for produce. However, this year, veggie bills doubled for Khandelwal. “I can’t keep increasing my menu pricing because it is not fair to our guests. We are really feeling the pinch this winter,” she says.
In Gurugram, chef Vanshika Bhatia and team at OMO, has adeptly worked with in-season and organic produce for the past three years. “But since last year, we have been on our toes,” she says.
Like an impromptu jazz recital, they had to improvise when a batch of mangoes turned out to be rotten, strawberries sour and leafy greens and squash blossoms available for a shorter season span.
Bhatia, who sources ingredients from Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, down South, noticed a drop in profit margins due to a price sensitive market. “But the biggest hit is wastage. We try to ferment and preserve what is possible,” says Bhatia.
For restaurants that are built around the concept of fresh produce and using what is available, the challenge is paying a higher price for ingredients. “No matter what I pay, the produce is just not up to the mark,” says Niyati Rao of Ekaa and Bombay Daak in Mumbai, giving the example of a tomato, which has lost its true taste.
AD Singh, Olive Group
Cities like Delhi and Bengaluru witnessed stronger and longer periods of rain, bringing them to somewhat of a halt. “For the first time, the F&B industry has witnessed a setback due to climate change. It will be the same or worse every year,” according to AD Singh of Olive Group.
With the capital recording very high AQI levels, guests ditched the prime al fresco seating in Olive in Mehrauli during high pollution days. A number of people also left town during that time or stayed at home.
The sheer numbers going out dropped sharply. “That’s very difficult for the industry. The state of climatic upheaval in India is just a measure of very poor leadership and governance,” he concludes.
Further from the cities, the hills and remote regions are in a climatic churn. Himachal Pradesh witnessed a relentless summer that affected stone fruits like peaches in both quality and quantity while unseasonal rains affected trout. For Prateek Sadhu, who runs a 16-seater restaurant Naar in Kasauli, both are star ingredients on the menu. “We are in the midst of the ripple effect of climate change,” says Sadhu.
In his two years of service, the journey has been one of improvisation. Replacing peaches with apricots and plums, working closely with farmers to work with what is available. Foraging and preserving also go a long way when out of season rains or drought can damage crops.
Adapting to climate change in professional kitchens requires a certain degree of courage and strategy, opines chef entrepreneur Thomas Zacharias of Locavore, a platform that promotes sustainable food systems through storytelling and events. “But it is the right time. The simplest steps are to join the crusade against climate change is to curb food wastage as it helps cut costs and support the local farmer,” says Zacharias, who started the Millet Revival Project with Rain Matter Foundation in 2023 to encourage people to consume more diverse, climate resistant and resource intensive diets.
Kurush Dalal, Archaeologist and Food Historian
For food businesses working at the source, climate change shapes their reality daily. Indian farmers no longer see three distinct seasons—summer, winter, and monsoon. Shifts in weather impact crop prices and supply chains, from rice and wheat to cacao.
“Just as reports of erratic rainfall in Ghana or Ivory Coast shake global cacao prices, we’ve seen a stir in the Indian market too,” says Chaitanya Muppala of Manam Chocolate, who works with cacao farms in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh.
Unseasonal rain disrupts cacao flowering, alters pollination, and impacts both fruit quality and post-harvest processes like drying.
Similarly, in Assam, incessant floods and unseasonal showers have adversely affected the supply of indigenous crops and the flavour of Joha rice in recent years, celebrity chef Atul Lahkar tells us.
The elephant in the room is the population, which leads to pollution and overexploitation of resources, archaeologist and food historian Kurush Dalal says without mincing words. “There is a direct impact on the price of rice, wheat and vegetables, as well as over-exploitation of fish and prawn. Restaurants end up raising costs because if the overall price of living index goes up, then you have to increase staff salaries. More ACs are being run, more electricity is being consumed, which is heating up the atmosphere even more,” he explains.
Prateek Sadhu, Naar
Amid climate concerns, chefs are turning adversity into artistry. With diners embracing seasonal eating, they have room for thoughtful creativity through curated meals and traditional produce.
At Terrai, in Hyderabad, co-owner Rohit Kasuganti has seized the opportunity to showcase the cuisine of Telangana in a seven-course meal in collaboration with the Deccan Development Society (DDS). The 40-year-old grassroots organisation works with nearly 5000 Dalit and indigenous women farmer sanghams that cultivate around 27 to 28 different varieties of millets, among other crops. “We not only buy our ingredients from DDS but we will also have a farmers market followed by lunch made with their produce,” says Kasuganti. In the pipeline, is a project to revive the forgotten seeds.
Being close to the source, Sadhu stays attuned to the terroir and its farmers. Which means if another brutal summer tests his AC, he’s open to moving venues or even taking a seasonal pause. “Plan B has never been so important: to fall in line with nature,” says Sadhu.
“There is only one way forward: to fall in line with the seasonal shifts and have fun with it. We look for the right ingredient at the right time, adapt and play,” Niyati Rao concludes.
What’s out of season, needn’t be on the menu.