Manekshaw B. J.

Born in 1922, Bhicoo Manekshaw grew up in Mumbai. Her fondness for good food and cooking began at the early age of five, in her grandmother’s kitchen. In 1963, she became the first Indian to gain admission to the Advanced Course at the famed Cordon Bleu School of Cookery in London. In a long career as expert chef and catering consultant, she has worked with the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai and the Spencer Group of Hotels, the India International Centre in Delhi and the Delhi Golf Club. She was also the catering consultant at Raj Bhavan in Bangalore during the tenure of Governor Dharma Vira. For over a decade, she worked with Chef Air and Air India, where she was responsible for catering for all VIP flights, including those during the NAM and CHOGM conferences.
Bhicoo Manekshaw has also taught at the Delhi Polytechnic for Women and given numerous demonstrations of Indian and continental cuisine in India and abroad. She is the author of Traditional Recipes of India and has contributed recipes and articles to several books and magazines. She worked at the famous Delhi restaurant Basil & Thyme.