The chef who became Mayor of Sawantwadi | Yuvrani Shraddha and Yuvraj Lakham Bhonsle | TEDxIBS Pune

A Culinary Institute of America trained chef leaves New York for Sawantwadi, a small town in Maharashtra, and takes on a palace hotel and restaurant, and later the role of town mayor. The talk, given by Yuvrani Shraddha Bhonsle at TEDxIBS Pune, covers how she and her husband, Yuvraj Lakham Sawant Bhonsle, restored Sawantwadi Palace as a chef-owned heritage boutique stay. The couple, the 19th generation of the Sawant Bhonsle family, now runs the property as an art hotel inspired by the card game Ganjifa, keeping the region's art, lacquerware and cuisine alive. The speaker also discusses raising a family alongside these roles.

• Background of a chef who returned from New York to Sawantwadi
• Restoration of Sawantwadi Palace as a heritage boutique hotel
• Role of the Ganjifa theme in the hotel's art and culture
• Turning inherited royal legacy into lasting work

What happens when a Culinary Institute of America trained chef leaves New York for a small town in Maharashtra, and ends up running a palace, a kitchen, and eventually the town itself? Yuvrani Shraddha Bhonsle of Sawantwadi shares how she built a palace hotel and restaurant from scratch, got elected Mayor, and raised a family through all of it, and what it takes to turn a royal legacy into something that lasts. Yuvrani Shraddha Bhonsle and Yuvraj Lakham Sawant Bhonsle are the 19th generation of the Sawant Bhonsle family of Sawantwadi. The two met at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and later came home to lead the restoration of the Sawantwadi Palace, now described as India’s first chef-owned heritage boutique stay. Today they run it as a boutique art hotel inspired by the ancient card game of Ganjifa, where the region’s art, lacquerware and cuisine are kept alive for a new generation. Their story is about turning inherited legacy into purpose. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx