Farcha, not fafda

It cannot be anything but a Parsi-owned eatery. This hits you as soon as you view the video of the 400 sq ft The Bawa Bistro in Ahmedabad’s Navrangpura. The cashier’s counter is fronted with a bright red embroidered sari encased in glass, which the founder-entrepreneur, 24-year-old Tiraz Commessariat told us belonged to his great-grandmother Banoo Anklesaria. A large mirrored wall adds space to the 16-seater Bistro that opened on August 1, 2023. Ahead are black and white photographs of Parsi worthies that include scientist Dr Homi Bhabha, songster Freddie Mercury and cricketer Diana Edulji. One cream colored wall is embellished with a three dimensional wooden ship in a depiction of the saga of the Zoroastrians who were said to have sailed from Persia to India. For the cheery, bright ambience, Commessariat says he took the help of an interior designer. "We asked for some elements that shout Parsi… The sari embroidery was something we really wanted… We wanted to use wood as it is common in Parsi homes and not commonly used in restaurants.”

Top: Dishes from Ahmedabad’s newest eatery (center);

above, from l, 1st row: Tiraz, Anosh,

2nd row: Armeen, Arshees Commessariat

On the all-Parsi menu are the predictable dishes — bharuchi akuri, chutney eeda patties, dhansak kebab, lagan nu custard et al with a nod to vegetarian guests in the shape of sali korma and Khursheed’s badami paneer, among others. Tandoori items are added to the menu on weekends, Commessariat stated. Prices range from Rs 250-Rs 600 for non-vegetarian mains and Rs 290-Rs 350 for vegetarian. "We do have Zoroastrian clientele and they have been enjoying our food so we are elated by their feedback… Every day we have at least one table with a Parsi family,” stated the neophyte entrepreneur. Generally, amongst the in-demand items are dhansak, patra ni machi and vegetarian Russian cutlets.

Their food is also available locally via Swiggy and Zomato, "but as of now we are seeing more sales in dine-in compared to delivery,” he noted. The Bistro operates with four chefs, one waiter and a manager. Their social media marketing is outsourced.

When he was a student at Ahmedabad’s Riverside School, weeklong internships were part of the curriculum in the final years. Commessariat narrated his journey towards becoming a restaurateur to Parsiana over a Zoom call on November 3. "I always went for ones involving hotel management or where I worked in the kitchen and I used to enjoy it so I was convinced I wanted to become a pastry chef.” This led to a month-long internship in Bombay at a famous patisserie at age 16, and "that’s where I realized that maybe being a chef wasn’t for me as I got a little bored making the same items over and over again.” The dream persisted even when he went on to study zoology at St Xavier’s College and did his masters in toxicology at Gujarat University. "I was happy, but it always felt like something was missing. One day I decided to take the risk, and shift. My family was extremely supportive!... I always told mom (Armeen) when I retire I’ll surely open my own restaurant.” The idea took shape in December 2022. The rent agreement was signed in June this year and renovations began, which extended till mid-July.

"The business is in my mother’s name, making her the owner… She had started a short-lived venture in catering which folded in the early days of the pandemic. She has helped me with the recipes and set-up but I manage and run the restaurant on a daily basis… Mom helps me out if I’m ever stuck. All business decisions are mine.” And it does not end there. Aunt Lily (masi) is honored in the name Lily’s Chicken Mayonnaise Sandwich; grandmother Khursheed lends her name to two main dishes and Armeen offers more than alliteration to Armeen’s Akuri. It is her secret recipe, and Tiraz’s favorite. "I have grown up eating it,” he laughed.

"It has been quite challenging, but we are finding our footing in this competitive space. When we opened in August, it was Shravan (the month when generally Gujaratis abstain from non-vegetarian fare), so sales were quite low.” However, the footfalls for dine-in and orders on Zomato did rise immediately after. "The response was and is positive… Staffing is a challenge. It took us a while to find waiters and chefs and train them,” stated Tiraz.

The interiors of The Bawa Bistro; (above) embroidery that "shouts Parsi”

In an era when the life span of many restaurants is limited, Tiraz states that he sees himself in the hospitality field his "whole life… We plan on starting catering and moving to a bigger space within two years… I am enjoying it a lot more than what I was doing three years ago.”

The Bistro joins other Parsi names in the restaurant business in Ahmedabad: the Silver Leaf in the venerable Cama Hotel; Silver Leaf Bistro also run by the Cama family (see "A leaf from the Camas,” Parsiana, September 7, 2016); Tomatos run by Rushad Ginwala.

Other members of the Commessariat family are also entrepreneurs. Father Arshees is into information technology products. Armeen owns and retails a brand of jewelry and gemstones called Tiroshe, a portmanteau from the names of her sons Tiraz and Anosh. Elder brother Anosh provides personal training for strength and conditioning.

Self assured, Tiraz believes, "There are people who value their traditions and the culture they have grown up with and would wish for it to be upheld whereas there are some to whom it may not hold that much importance… With the population of Parsis depleting, the probability of finding someone who matches your mind-set and core values is not too high. Maybe this is why we are seeing more intercaste marriages… So, to each his own and I respect that… (But) a few new genes in our gene pool wouldn’t hurt.”

On the method of disposal of the dead, in the absence of scavenger birds the erstwhile science student stated, "We could explore options where microbial agents like bacteria/fungi could help accelerate the process of decomposition.” He would prefer that "we find the perfect balance of our religious values and the reasoning behind it and the current times we live in.”

The Bawa Bistro, ground floor, M Square, Swastik Society, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380009. Phone: +91 7861928315. Timings: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.