This fall, Chef Tushar Tondvalkar will open doors at Kavita (250 West 3rd Avenue) a deeply personal project that brings regional Indian cooking into sharp focus through the lens of British Columbia’s seasonal ingredients.

Tondvalkar has clocked over a decade in some seriously top-notch kitchens worldwide — from Gaggan (No.3 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024) and two-Michelin-starred Gaa in Bangkok, to Bauhaus and Blue Water Cafe in Vancouver —but opening his own spot has always been the end game.

The roots of Kavita run deep. Tondvalkar grew up in Mumbai but spent summers in his ancestral village of Malwa, where cooking meant open fires, fresh mangoes, roaming chickens and real, seasonal food. “Cooking was never fancy — it was real, raw, and seasonal,” he says. That formative experience threads directly into the soul of Kavita – a name that holds significant weight itself. “Kavita has a lot of meaning for me,” says Tondvalkar. “Not only is it named after my mother, it will be a place where I can finally introduce Vancouver to the regional and diverse flavours of the India I know in new, creative ways. Like poetry, we want each dish to tell a story and spark conversation and connections when people take their first bite.”

That storytelling will unfold across two distinct menus. The à la carte offering is designed to evolve with India’s festival calendar, with each dish being tied to a particular celebration, spotlighting regional techniques and ingredients. For example, Tondvalkar plans to honour the Ganesha Festival (Vinayaka Chavithi), which typically falls in September, with a special plant-based menu. “During this time, many Hindus observe a vegetarian diet for two months,” he explains. “We’ll mirror that at Kavita, serving only vegetarian food during what’s called the Shravan season. It’s when many land and marine animals enter their reproductive cycles, and traditionally, people give nature space. We want to honour that rhythm and bring that story to the plate.”

The second “Amma-kase” menu follows the same ethos as the à la carte one, but provides a more intimate, multi-coursed (11-12) tasting experience at the nine-seat Chef’s Table. It’s also a playful nod to Japanese omakase, with “amma” meaning “mom” in several Indian languages. At any time, guests might be treated to Chicken Kebab Stuffed Morels with nettle-infused korma, or zucchini blossom chaat—a vibrant take on the classic aloo tikki.

“Indian food isn’t monolithic, but that nuance rarely gets explored here,” says Tondvalkar, whose creativity is fuelled by a mixture of lived experience and global training — not to mention a winning turn on Hulu’s Chef vs. Wild series. “I want to show Vancouver the food I grew up with, in a way that feels fresh and authentic.”

Here, authenticity isn’t just an aesthetic. Tondvalkar sources spices straight from farmers in Malwa, the result of years of relationship-building. “When I launched Indian Pantry — a line of prepared Indian spices — I was using a local distributor. But I realised everything was being shipped from India anyway, so I spent a year and a half finding farmers I could work with directly. Some were so small they didn’t even have the licensing to export, so I helped them get that done. Now I bring in everything from there—spices, citrus, flours, rice. It’s all grown in my village.”

Closer to home, Kavita’s pantry will draw from BC’s farms and wild spaces. Buffalo milk from Tesfa Farms in Abbotsford will be used for house-made paneer. Tondvalkar is also an avid forager, often drawing parallels between local ingredients (like prawns and other seafood, or nettles and morels of BC that also show up in dishes of Northern India, for example). “It surprises a lot of people, but there’s real crossover,” he says. “It makes sense to build those connections.”

The space itself is still in its raw state, but the vision is already clear. Based on renderings (see below) and additional details he’s shared with Scout, the design will be restrained in order to let the menu’s storytelling shine. Concrete and warm wood form the base, layered with eclectic finishes and bursts of greenery. A centrally located open kitchen will be anchored by a chef’s table wrapped in elegant tile. Seating will range from communal tables built for lively conversations, to quiet corner banquettes. High ceilings will keep things light, while tactile textures ground the space.

Construction gets underway this week. Tondvalkar anticipates a soft launch in August, ahead of September’s grand opening. It’s an ambitious timeline; our fingers are crossed it all shapes up as planned.

“Opening Kavita means everything to me,” says Tondvalkar. “It’s about family, memory, and the profound stories food tells. Vancouver deserves a deeper taste of India’s incredible culinary diversity. I can’t wait to share it.”

Kavita

Neighbourhood: Mt. Pleasant

250 W 3rd Ave.

WEBSITE