PROLOGUE. Homegrown Indian street foods concept JOSHH has got off to a flying start at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) Terminal 2 since opening early this year.
The T2 outlet is the second JOSHH at the Mumbai gateway, complementing the original T1 location opened in 2024.
The quick service restaurant (QSR) is run by Travel Food Services (TFS) as part of its partnership with Adani Airport Holdings under a franchise from K Hospitality.
Conceived by TFS Director and K Hospitality Executive Director Karan Kapur, it promises a bold and high-energy Indian street food experience.
This is delivered through authentic street food favourites amped up with TFS’s proprietary spice mixes, flavour kicks and curated serving style.
Already JOSHH has won a string of awards (see below) since opening in three downtown locations (with two more opening soon) and the CSMIA duo.
TFS describes its JOSHH food philosophy as simple – “Take the bold, nostalgic and vibrant flavours of Indian street food, level them up with our twist and energy without losing the authenticity and serve them using high-quality ingredients that you can trust.”
Specialities of the house include chatpata chaats such as Shake Shake Bhel; all-day binge snacks including Spiced Idli Pops or Samosa Buckets; and local fast-food favourites such as Chole Bhature or Benne Dosas.
The offer features value meals for lunch & dinner and an array of in-house beverages including Cold Kaapi and Bantai Sodas plus nostalgic J Star Kulfis. The menu embraces a range of offerings for all demographics and times of the day. The Moodie Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie reports from a recent visit to JOSHH and other TFS/Adani culinary offers at CSMIA.
On location: Cooking up a soulful experience
After taking a break for several months from a successful role as Director of Operations at Marriott International to look after his ailing mother (sadly since passed), Aniruddha (‘Ani’) Limaye approached TFS in 2022 in the hope of securing a General Manager’s role.
While there was no appropriate vacancy at the time, the company instead offered him the high-profile role of Executive Chef. “I took that challenge after saying to myself “Once a chef, always a chef, and then I succeeded,” Chef Limaye recalls with a smile as we chat airside at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
Today he serves as Regional Executive Chef for Semolina Kitchens (the food & beverage and hospitality joint venture between Adani Airport Holdings and TFS) and Executive Chef & Culinary Head for TFS.
“I have been here for almost three years. We have done well and have won a lot of awards,” he says proudly. “Then I got the chance with this JV to become a corporate chef, where I handle all the airports.”
“We offer North Indian and South Indian street foods, which everyone loves,” he says of JOSHH. “For example from North India we have samosas, while we have a local [Maharashtra] snack called Misal Pav, and, of course, dosas. Plus a range of very nice drinks.”
Chef Limaye says he is relishing the role working both for TFS (which he joined in July 2022) and its joint venture with Adani Airports. “I worked for Marriott for 11 years and I confidently tell everyone that I am enjoying my stay here better because the Kapur family don’t compromise on anything,” he says. “They’re so passionate about what they do and it flows down to all of us.”
Whereas TFS only used to run the lounges, the Adani partnership has added numerous quick service and other restaurants to Chef Limaye’s responsibilities. Today, he has some 200 chefs working under him across multiple outlets, including lounges run by TFS (now a joint venture itself with SSP) in Malaysia and Hong Kong.
During my visit he also shows me the recently opened AJ 1881, a stylish, purple-hued Dubai concept described as a social eatery and coffee house, which the Kapur family has introduced to India.
It offers a range of casual food, including fresh-baked sweet and savoury treats, burgers, salads, dessert and wellness offerings such as a quinoa meal.
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Next stop is Third Wave Coffee, another recently opened outlet in a prime traffic area. It is already generating booming sales, especially at peak travel periods when it is regularly packed out.
Around a year ago, Chef Limaye introduced Mishta, a cart-style fixture in the Adani First Class and Business Premium Lounge, offering a dazzling selection of Indian mithai (a beguiling array of Indian traditional sweet delicacies).
Lounge guests can purchase handcrafted treats made with premium ingredients such as Medjool dates and Kashmiri almonds, individually wrapped in boxes of eight, 12 or 16.
“We realised lots of guests travelling back from India want to take a gift,” says Chef Limaye. “So I came up with this idea to create top-notch Indian sweets made with the best ingredients possible.
“We are doing great; we have added a lot of revenue. We offer different varieties, including sugar-free and gluten-free options.”
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A finalist in the FAB Airport Chef of the Year Award to be revealed at Airport FAB + Hospitality in Barcelona next month, Chef Limaye prides himself on unrelentingly high standards even amid the often testing constraints airports provide.
Whether circumstances involve tight layovers, long waits or varied dietary needs, creativity and culinary identity remain paramount, he insists.
It’s never simply about the food, Chef Limaye believes, but about making airport dining feel personal, even soulful. That winning consumer-centric philosophy has sent a lot of passengers on their respective journeys feeling both well-fed and uplifted. Once a Chef, always a Chef. 
