From Music To Meals

Anaida Parvaneh, the pop star of the ’90s popularly known by her first name, is now making a name for herself as a chef and food curator, notably for the restaurant chain SodaBottleOpenerWala.

- Nivedita Jayaram Pawar

In a cramped kitchen at Soda Bottle Opene rWala (SBOW), a chain of old Bombay-style Irani cafés, she is shredding herbs into a vast saucepan, where kilos of lamb simmer away. Behind her is a pan bubbling with pearl barley, mixed sprouts, mushroom, carrots and turnips, and it fills the kitchen with a sweet, steamy fragrance. She pauses to inhale the colliding aromas for a moment, then turns her attention to a pot of haleem. The immaculate white apron aside, Anaida Parvaneh is no ordinary chef. Most know her simply as Anaida, the Iranian-born singer and pop star of the 90s, who created waves with her singles Oova oova and Oonchi neechi, won numerous awards for her singing and even acted in a Bollywood movie. For now, Anaida is the brain behind Post Cards From Persia, a new section on the menu at SBOW, owing to her Iranian roots and her love for cooking.

But why food? “Why not? I like finding new avenues to express myself. And this is one more, but not the last. I enjoy cooking immensely. So when AD Singh (owner and founder of SBOW and the Olive chain of restaurants) suggested a Persian food pop up, I jumped in. I wanted to showcase my Persian roots and see how India responded. A pop up in different cities was the perfect platform to test the waters. The response to the event went through the roof and before I knew it, I was the chef and partner at the new outlet of SBOW in Powai, Mumbai. I am so excited for this new phase in my life.”