Moshe's

History

Moshe Shek, an Indian Jew from Mumbai, founded Moshe's. He first visited Israel in 1988 for a month-long group trip, where he worked on a Kibbutz. His education included training at Sophia Polytechnic and at Richmont in Switzerland. Shek launched his first Indian business, a catering company called Caterbility, in 1992. After another trip to Israel in 1995, he returned to India in 1999 and opened Athena, a combined restaurant and lounge backed by Chateau Indage, where he stayed for eighteen months.

In 2001, he partnered with restaurateur Farhan Azmi to open Cafe Basilico, working there for roughly a year. Shek opened his own restaurant, Moshe's Oliva, in New Delhi in 2003, without any backers or partners. It was the first Delhi restaurant named after its chef. He chose to go independent, having learned from working with promoters that he preferred to do things his own way.

Within half a year, two Moshe's outlets appeared in Mumbai. The first opened in Cuffe Parade in 2004, inside a converted 1,600-square-foot bungalow. The second followed at Bombay Gymkhana. The chain grew further with locations at Crossword Bookstores in Kemps Corner, and restaurants in Fort and Colaba.

In January 2009, Moshe's Bakery Café launched at the Gateway of India in South Mumbai, offering sandwiches, deli cheese, desserts, takeaway items, and short-order meals. The fifth outlet opened at Palladium Mall in Lower Parel on 1 August 2011. In February 2013, Shek sold a 90% stake in the company to Prakash Shetty of Bangalore.

Cuisine and decor

Moshe's cuisine specializes in Mediterranean food and also serves Portuguese, Greek, North African, and Middle Eastern dishes, with menu items frequently rotated. Milk and meat are completely separated in the kitchens in keeping with Jewish law, though Moshe Shek is not an observant Jew and the food is not otherwise kosher. Shek worked with architect Ajit Shilpi on outlet designs, which feature high ceilings, dark wooden flooring, and patio and garden seating.