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VIEW PHOTOS
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Host: Gitika

Mumbai (Bombay), India

USD
$34-$60 per person

A tribal Assamese meal in a modern Mumbai home

Host offerings
  • Apartment
  • Professional cook
  • Pets
  • Vegetarian
  • Alcohol
  • Transportation
  • Cooking class
  • Market visit
  • Food tour

Meet Gitika

Gitika considers herself the ambassador of Assamese tribal food in Mumbai and her face lights up when she talks about it. She gave up a 14-year career in corporate communications to follow her passion for food. Gitika lives with her husband DJ in a cozy apartment in Juhun, which is famous for its beach and home to many Bollywood celebrities. Gitika and DJ are both F1 fanatics who travel extensively to unusual destinations and have many adventurous stories to share.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (1-5 guests) You will be greeted with a welcome drink and, if you are interested, you can enjoy a tasting of Assamese rice beer, which Gitika brews herself. Every ingredient, spice, herb, meat, vegetable in Gitika’s kitchen comes from Assam. She believes that the unique flavors of her food cannot come to life if the produce is sourced from anywhere but her village.Your meal might include dishes such as pan-fried eggplant fritters, aloo pitika (Assamese mashed potatoes), sticky rice with cooked lentils, til maas (river fish simmered in a black sesame gravy) and gahori khorisa (fermented bamboo shoots cooked with pork) and Assamese black tea (on request).

Cooking experience: (1-5 guests) Enjoy a conversation about Assamese food, culture and tradition before joining Gitika in her small kitchen to learn to prepare an authentic Assamese meal. You can expect to learn how to make 2-3 of the dishes you will be eating. You can expect to be cooking for 1-2 hours before you share the meal you helped prepare over conversation with your host.

Notes: Please give Gitika at least two weeks notice if you'd like to taste her home-brewed Assamese rice beer.

Languages spoken: English

Traveler reviews

1.0 (1)
My group was very disappointed in our experience. We signed up for a cooking class, but instead got a home cooked meal. We would have paid $15 for this type of experience, not $45. We didn't enjoy the food, but that wasn't really a big deal (hard to please everyone). The host was extremely nice and eager to tell us about her culture, but we would have had a much better experience if we had gotten a chance to actually cook the food and learn about it. It also could have been a 1 hour event, not the 3 it was scheduled for (we spent about 2 hours there but the last 1 was kind of awkward).
- Hannah June 01, 2015
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Gitika

$34-$60 USD

per person
100% VETTED
Learn more
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back
  • Credit card is not charged until the host confirms your booking
  • Private experience
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $50 $40 $34
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $60 $50 $40
Alcohol
 $0 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $50 $40 $34
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $60 $50 $40
Alcohol
 $0 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
 Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
 12:30pm-2:30pm 7:30pm-9:30pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
 9:00am-12:00pm 3:30pm-6:30pm

Meet Gitika

Gitika considers herself the ambassador of Assamese tribal food in Mumbai and her face lights up when she talks about it. She gave up a 14-year career in corporate communications to follow her passion for food. Gitika lives with her husband DJ in a cozy apartment in Juhun, which is famous for its beach and home to many Bollywood celebrities. Gitika and DJ are both F1 fanatics who travel extensively to unusual destinations and have many adventurous stories to share.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (1-5 guests) You will be greeted with a welcome drink and, if you are interested, you can enjoy a tasting of Assamese rice beer, which Gitika brews herself. Every ingredient, spice, herb, meat, vegetable in Gitika’s kitchen comes from Assam. She believes that the unique flavors of her food cannot come to life if the produce is sourced from anywhere but her village.Your meal might include dishes such as pan-fried eggplant fritters, aloo pitika (Assamese mashed potatoes), sticky rice with cooked lentils, til maas (river fish simmered in a black sesame gravy) and gahori khorisa (fermented bamboo shoots cooked with pork) and Assamese black tea (on request).

Cooking experience: (1-5 guests) Enjoy a conversation about Assamese food, culture and tradition before joining Gitika in her small kitchen to learn to prepare an authentic Assamese meal. You can expect to learn how to make 2-3 of the dishes you will be eating. You can expect to be cooking for 1-2 hours before you share the meal you helped prepare over conversation with your host.

Notes: Please give Gitika at least two weeks notice if you'd like to taste her home-brewed Assamese rice beer.

Languages spoken: English

Traveler reviews

1.0 (1)
My group was very disappointed in our experience. We signed up for a cooking class, but instead got a home cooked meal. We would have paid $15 for this type of experience, not $45. We didn't enjoy the food, but that wasn't really a big deal (hard to please everyone). The host was extremely nice and eager to tell us about her culture, but we would have had a much better experience if we had gotten a chance to actually cook the food and learn about it. It also could have been a 1 hour event, not the 3 it was scheduled for (we spent about 2 hours there but the last 1 was kind of awkward).
- Hannah June 01, 2015
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $50 $40 $34
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $60 $50 $40
Alcohol
 $0 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $50 $40 $34
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $60 $50 $40
Alcohol
 $0 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
 Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
 12:30pm-2:30pm 7:30pm-9:30pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
 9:00am-12:00pm 3:30pm-6:30pm
ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

FAQ

    You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

    If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

    Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

    Have a flight or other tour planned and can’t make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host’s profile doesn’t work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

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    Your host's detailed contact information, including their phone number, address, and direction notes, will all be provided immediately upon successful confirmation of your experience (after your hosts accepts your booking and your credit card is successfully processed). This information will be emailed to you to the email address you used to sign up, and will also be visible on your Traveling Spoon profile.

    All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

    100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host’s family.

    Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Your safety and security are our top priority. To ensure this, Traveling Spoon personally vets 100% of all hosts, including an in-person host visit, to ensure each host and experience meets our strict quality requirements.

    Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

    Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

    Most of our Traveling Spoon experiences are incredibly family friendly and can accommodate infants and children. If a host is unable to accommodate children that will be noted in the “Notes” section of their profile. Our child pricing policy is children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free.