By Sanjeev Kumar, a veteran of India’s catering industry and author of Stalwart of Catering Industry.
Ask anyone about an old family wedding and chances are, they’ll first talk about the food.
Not the décor. Not the lighting. Not even the venue.
They’ll remember the hot jalebis being fried live at midnight, the aroma of desi ghee floating through the lawn, or the halwai everyone insisted on hiring for every family function because “unke haath ka taste alag hai.”
That was the real beginning of India’s catering industry.
Long before hospitality became a corporate word, Indian celebrations were run by halwais who built their reputation purely on trust and taste. Most of them had never attended culinary schools. Their recipes were not documented anywhere. Everything came from instinct, years of practice, and family tradition.
And honestly, many of them understood hospitality better than modern systems do.
For them, feeding guests was emotional. If people left the wedding happy and overfed, the event was successful.
Today, the industry looks completely different.
Over the last two decades, catering in India has transformed from a traditional food service business into a full-scale hospitality experience. Weddings have become larger, more curated, and far more detail-oriented than before. Food is no longer just part of the function. In many weddings, it becomes the main conversation.
Families now discuss menus months in advance. Guests expect interactive experiences, global cuisines, live counters, artisanal desserts, healthier options, and presentation that looks elegant both in person and on social media.
Sometimes I feel today’s food is served twice — once to the guests, and once to their Instagram.
But that shift has also pushed the industry to evolve in positive ways.
Indian caterers today are managing operations at an incredible scale. What once depended on handwritten notebooks and landline coordination is now driven by production planning, technology, logistics systems, guest analytics, and highly trained service teams.
The modern caterer is no longer just cooking food. He is managing hospitality.
At the same time, something interesting is happening. After years of chasing international trends, people are slowly returning to Indian roots.
There was a period when every luxury wedding wanted imported concepts because they looked aspirational. But today, guests get equally excited about regional Indian cuisines. A beautifully prepared Kashmiri wazwan, authentic Rajasthani food, temple cuisine, millet-based recipes, or even a simple traditional breakfast served properly creates a stronger memory than many imported dishes.
And personally, I think that’s a good sign.
India’s culinary identity is incredibly rich. Every few hundred kilometres, flavours change completely. Earlier we underestimated our own diversity. Now there is pride attached to showcasing it.
This change is also helping local communities in ways many people don’t notice immediately.
A large Indian wedding supports hundreds of livelihoods behind the scenes — farmers, florists, potters, transport workers, artisans, servers, fabric suppliers, decorators, local vendors, and small craftsmen. Hospitality has always created employment, but today there is growing awareness around making that ecosystem more local and more conscious.
Clients now ask where ingredients come from. They want locally sourced produce. They want handmade elements, sustainable serviceware, regional ingredients, and less wastage. Even simple things like using clay pots, cane baskets, or Indian-made serving equipment are becoming part of larger conversations around sustainability and supporting local economies.
These conversations simply did not happen earlier.
I believe the “Vocal for Local” movement has played an important role here. It has encouraged both businesses and consumers to look inward again and value Indian craftsmanship beyond tokenism.
And honestly, Indian hospitality has never lacked warmth. What it lacked sometimes was confidence in its own identity.
That confidence is coming back.
Of course, the pressure on the industry today is also much higher than before. Guests are more aware, expectations are bigger, and social media leaves very little room for mistakes. One small issue can become public instantly. But in many ways, that pressure has also improved standards across the industry.
Yet despite all the modernisation, I still feel the core philosophy of Indian catering remains unchanged.
People may appreciate luxury, but what they truly remember is warmth.
They remember whether they were looked after properly. Whether someone insisted they eat more. Whether the hospitality felt genuine.
And that lesson comes directly from the old halwai culture.
The attire may have changed from kurta-clad cooks standing beside giant kadhais to professionally managed hospitality teams in uniforms, but the intention remains the same — making people feel welcomed through food.
That, in my opinion, is what makes Indian hospitality timeless.
The industry may have evolved from halwai to hospitality, but its heart is still beautifully Indian.
