H OW DO OTHE RS
C E LEBR ATE D IWALI?
“PUKKA MEANS
GENUINE,
AUTHENTIC,
AND SOLID.”
W H AT I S D I W A L I ?
Meet Harsh Chawla – one of the masterminds
behind Toronto’s premium Indian restaurant,
Pukka. We sat down with Harsh to talk about his
restaurant, growing up and celebrating Diwali
in India, how he has kept the traditions alive in
Canada, and what he believes the true meaning
of the holiday is.
How did you get into the restaurant business?
I always felt that Indian food was very underrepresented in North America,
and especially in a city like Toronto, we should have more options so that
people can have a premium experience and guests can enjoy Indian food.
My business partner Derek Valleau and I said, “Let’s do something which is
unique to us and keep true to the tradition of Indian food, but also do something
that is approachable and which everybody can enjoy.” Food is not only about
filling the stomach, it’s about having a cultural experience.
How did you celebrate Diwali growing up?
Oh, that was the best part of the whole thing. Diwali starts usually about 20
days before the actual day of Diwali. We as kids were always running around,
we would go to the markets, buy sweets, and firecrackers. That was the biggest
thing – we would light up the whole street, it was insanity.
Leading up to Diwali, about 2 weeks before, we would put up the lights
outside. The best way to describe it would be like Christmas lights, but about
five times bigger than Christmas lights. The whole neighbourhood would do it.
Harsh Chawla opened Pukka – a restaurant with a forward-thinking take
on Indian food in 2013, with his business partner Derek Valleau.
We went to all our friends’ and relatives’ houses to exchange sweets or gifts
or wish them Diwali, and everybody would call each other, everybody would
send cards – the same things you do at Christmas, but instead of having the
Christmas tree, we go to people’s homes.
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F E S T I V E F L AV O U R S
F E S T I V E F L AV O U R S
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