This IITian quit her high-paying corporate job to sell Pani Puri from her home kitchen and now owns a popular supper club in London – The Times of India

This IITian took a break from her high-paying corporate job to sell Pani Puri from her home kitchen and now owns a popular supper club in London Ankita Khante had done everything right—by the book. An IIT Guwahati graduate, she was working as a product designer with a reputed multinational company in Bengaluru when life took a turn two years ago. Her husband Aman Krishna received an opportunity to work in London as a data scientist with a leading bank, and the couple decided to move.For Ankita, a driven career professional used to fast-paced workdays, London’s initial calm felt unsettling. The pause, though comfortable, was unfamiliar. “I suddenly had time,” she says. “And I didn’t want to let it pass without doing something meaningful.”That pause became the space where a long-dormant passion finally surfaced.

Cooking had always been personal for Ankita, deeply rooted in memory, regional flavours, and experimentation. What began as an idea soon took shape as a small, intimate supper club in London called ‘The Bouzi Club’. Initially, it was meant only for close friends and relatives, a few dinners, shared conversations, familiar faces around the table. But the food had other plans.Word spread quietly. People came back. Then they brought others. Soon, requests began pouring in—not for restaurant-style fare, but for dishes that felt rare, thoughtful, and hard to find outside Indian homes.Two of her standout offerings became unexpected favourites: Dholi Kadhi and Nagpur-style Sambhar Vadi—regional dishes rarely seen on restaurant menus, let alone in London. Guests found themselves drawn to flavours that were both comforting and unfamiliar, indulgent yet rooted.“I wanted to serve food that was regional but luxurious,” Ankita explains. “Fusion, but original. Things people wouldn’t easily find in restaurants.” That philosophy shaped not just the menu but also the name-Bouzi, derived from tarbooz (watermelon), one of the club’s signature elements. Her watermelon and feta cheese salad, now an essential part of every menu, reflects the same balance of freshness, nostalgia, and restraint.

As the supper club grew, Ankita noticed something unexpected about the dining experience itself.“In the beginning, people were quiet,” she recalls. “Drinks would be served, but conversations took time to warm up. We needed an icebreaker.”That icebreaker came in the form of golgappa.The moment golgappas were introduced, the room transformed. Stories surfaced. Laughter followed. Every guest seemed to carry a memory of street corners, school days, late-evening cravings, or family outings. “This is one food loved across the length and breadth of India,” Ankita says. “Everyone has a golgappa story. Sharing those stories increased not just conversation, but connection.”Today, The Bouzi Club is far more than what Ankita initially imagined. It is a space where regional Indian food is reintroduced with care, where meals unfold slowly, and where strangers often leave as friends. Her husband Aman, born and brought up in Uttar Pradesh shared a common passion with Ankita-the love for good food and hosting people. He came in as a big support, helping Ankita at every step. Ankita has now expanded her base and is hosting her next supper club in Nagpur on 12th February at Three Beans, Byramji Town, Nagpur. And it is for just 15 people!Ankita’s journey isn’t about abandoning one career for another, it’s about listening to a quieter instinct when life finally makes room for it. In a city far from home, she built something deeply personal, drawing from memory, region, and emotion. The Bouzi Club stands as proof that passion doesn’t always announce itself loudly; sometimes, it waits patiently until the timing, and the table, are just right.