Panki Queen Of Mumbai, Asha Jhaveri, Connected Generations Through Homestyle Food At Swati Snacks

In 1978, a young Asha Jhaveri took over the responsibility to run Swati Snacks at Tardeo after her mother, Minakshi Jhaveri’s demise, without any prior experience in hospitality. 

The eatery was then known for its chaats and hand-churned ice creams. “It was not easy, but she faced the challenge head-on,” says Asha’s nephew Shaan, who later joined her to set up processes and run the outlets – two in Mumbai and two in Ahmedabad. 
On June 14, Asha passed away at the age of 79 at Breach Candy Hospital after a prolonged illness, leaving a rich legacy to Mumbai’s culinary scene. But she put a steady spotlight on homestyle Gujarati delicacies, like Panki, which she introduced in the ‘80s. 

 

The rice-flour batter, flavoured with curd, ginger-chilli paste, coriander and garlic, takes days to prepare. Steamed between banana leaves, the dish went on to become synonymous with the outpost. The menu was further enhanced with fada ni khichadi as well as sat-padi roti and gatta. 

 

Shaan walked the journey with Asha, matching her step – where she was focused on pampering her guests, he brought in pragmatism and set practical processes. “Asha had a single laser focus on getting the food right. I helped her with expanding and standardising recipes. We created a tri-pack of spices that is shipped to all outlets from our facility for the past decade,” says Shaan, who took over the running of the outlets in Ahmedabad in 2002. People thought they were bonkers to open a Gujarati restaurant in Gujarat.

Serving Homestyle

The essence of Swati Snacks to date is simple – to serve home-like, fresh food that is reliable and relatable to multiple generations. “Four generations should be able to enjoy a meal together. You will find idli, dosa and pizza on the menu alongside more traditional dishes like Panki and fada khichdi. The younger generation comes to eat here with their family, and when they grow up, they have developed a taste for the traditional dishes. Both generations should also feel comfortable in the restaurant,” Shaan says. He also took charge as co-owner of running two outlets in Ahmedabad; the first one opened in 2003. Swati Snacks remains family-owned, with Asha’s brother Anand as the oldest family member who is actively involved. 

Prabhakar Gurav was 37 when he first joined Swati Snacks. He spent the next 25 years being Swati’s manager. “She taught me like a child,” he recollects with heaviness in his voice. “She would come to the restaurant and ask about service, customer feedback and concerns. She taught me everything I know. She always said, whether I am there or not, run this place well,” Gurav told us over the phone. 

Culinary Community Remembers 

Gauri Devidayal of Food Matters Group, which owns Mag St., Magazine Street Kitchen and The Table, calls Asha Jhaveri the least insecure restaurateur she has ever known. “She was focused on her diner and was not there to impress other restaurateurs. This simple thought kept the brand on top of its game for 40 years and counting. The team is wholly focused on quality and guest experience - how you are made to feel when you dine there,” says Devidayal, adding, “When I asked her how she’s retained her team over the years, she explained that no one including the head chef are from an F&B background - they have literally grown up in their career with her. Investing in her people has been the ‘secret’ to low staff turnover.” 

 

Sharing an anecdote, Devidayal recalls that even Asha’s nephew Karan had to go through a round of interview before joining the business. “No one had rites of passage, including family,” says Devidayal.  

The reason for opening a second outlet in Mumbai at Nariman Point was the guest experience over commercials - the waiting time in Tardeo had reached a ridiculous point of up to two hours on some days. “She once told me she was a very spiritual person, and she was able to surrender to the situation rather than react to challenges. I think that’s a big part of the reason for her resilience, given that this business was thrust upon on when she was least ready, when her mother passed away. She was a quiet mentor to the entire industry just because of the way she did what she did at Swati Snacks,” she signs off.

 

Asha Khatau, Gourmand World Cookbook Winner and Jhaveri's family friend, remembers her fondly. “Once in a while, we would brainstorm and also invite each other to our respective homes for a meal. As much as we appreciated traditional Indian delicacies at Swati snacks, she enjoyed global cuisines, especially Lebanese Mezze and Thai curry, at my place." Jhaveri, in her opinion, took Indian street food and traditional home-style favourites to a different height. “She was constantly innovating interesting options. As a result, Swati became the go-to place for locals as well as visitors,” says Khatau.

 

Rashmi Uday Singh first visited Swati Snacks as a journalism student at Bombay University in 1974. As time would have it, 20 years later, she wrote a restaurant review for her column. And years later, Asha Jhaveri, a friend by then, asked her to write the forward to her book. “We shared a personal rapport, and through her medical suffering, she continued to smile. I came to know her as a soft-spoken person, and her spot became a go-to for my panki-fix, my chaat cravings. The spot, no frills and simple seating, became a hub for authentic flavours. From a person who was forced to run the restaurant after her mother, she went on to have three of them!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rashmi Uday Singh (@rashmiudaysingh)

The Service Goes On

In the last decade, Jhaveri expressed her inclination to be a little hands-off, and the family stepped in to troubleshoot. “We have a great team in place, so that goes a long way,” says Shaan.

Today, his 26-year-old daughter Niva, a fourth-generation family member, has also joined the business. She visits Mumbai every fortnight to oversee operations. 

If you are wondering, like us, who Swati Snacks is named after, it remains an unsolved mystery to date. “An old lady came to the restaurant and told me she was our grandmother’s neighbour. Her name was Swati, and the restaurant was named after her. But we have no proof,” Shaan signs off.