Madras Catering: Elevating the Indian Wedding Feast
By Rema Deo
Growing up in Mumbai, weddings were always events that I looked forward to attending. Not only was it fun dressing up and meeting family and friends, but we also got to eat some wonderful food. Typically, weddings featured a simple but well-proportioned regional Indian breakfast and a sumptuous lunch – usually reflecting the wedding party’s home state. Receptions were often simpler affairs with soft drinks and ice cream rather than a full dinner. The exceptions were when receptions were hosted in five-star hotels which usually served elaborate Indian meals with curries, dal, naans, rice, desserts and even ice cream stations.
Who would’ve thought that wedding meals would evolve to become the gastronomic experiences of today? Whether in India, the US, or elsewhere, an Indian wedding meal has become a grand multi-course event. As most of us have seen at weddings we have attended, the variety and presentation of the meals today can be absolutely staggering.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down and have dinner at India Grill with the restaurant owner Soye Thomas, one of the prominent Indian wedding caterers in the United States. We were a small group of friends gathered there for the purpose of this article. In full transparency, the meal was complimentary, and we had a nice long conversation with him along with a tasting menu consisting of several courses.
“The restaurant is a large space which has some rooms for small to medium-sized get-togethers. Although the general ambience was fairly simple, the private room where we dined was elegant and beautifully set up.”
It also became clear that “while the restaurant remains very much in operation, wedding and event catering is truly the heart of the business”.
We received a warm welcome and were escorted straight to the private dining room. They curated a vegetarian tasting menu specially for us. The first course was a palate cleanser – a shot glass filled with thick, sweet mango milkshake. While we waited, the courses arrived one by one, beginning with the first appetizer served in a glass – Palak Chaat – fried spinach leaves, yogurt, boondi, pomegranate seeds – at a medium-spice level. The spinach leaves were fried crisp to perfection, while the yogurt and accompanying ingredients softened them just enough, allowing each mouthful to simply melt in our mouths.
This appetizer was accompanied by a jaljeera mojito, a mildly spiced mocktail blended with lime juice and garnished with basil leaves. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, some of my friends felt it could have been a little less tangy. Personally, the tanginess did not bother me at all.
The next course was another pair of appetizers – mixed vegetable pakoras with assorted chutneys and Gobi Manchurian on skewers. My eyes lit up when I saw the pakoras, but I was less enthusiastic about the Gobi Manchurian as it’s not something I generally like. But in the interest of doing justice to this article, I tried to taste everything, and boy, was I in for a surprise. My experience was the opposite of what I was expecting – the pakoras were not crisp enough and not quite perfect, while the Gobi Manchurian was simply heavenly – perfectly and mildly spiced, served in bite-sized portions. I was astonished to discover that, for once in my life, I genuinely loved the Gobi Manchurian!
The fourth course was a South Indian delicacy presented in a unique manner – dosas rolled like cigars, placed in a champagne flute and dipped in a blend of sambar and tomato chutney. As a South Indian, I can eat dosas in any form, at any time of day. The dosa remained crisp at the top and soft at the bottom where it soaked up the dip. The dip was extremely spicy – more than I could handle – so I ended up eating the rest of the dosa plain. As a super fan of dosas, I did not mind at all!
As the cocktails – a Mumbai Mingle Cosmo and a Spicy Mango Margarita ordered by a couple of members of our party – arrived, we had more company. Soye joined us at the table and regaled us with stories for the rest of the evening.
He had just returned from Miami after showing wedding venues to a prospective client. They were most probably going to select Vizcaya, the European-style mansion and one of the most iconic and sought-after venues in Miami.
Soye began by telling us the story of his catering career and how it progressed from him being an executive chef for Marriott Hotels to becoming an entrepreneur – first Madras Café in Pompano Beach and then India Grill in Royal Palm Beach. When asked about what excited him the most, he responded that he is addicted to weddings and parties and that he loves the catering operation. His driving force, he said, is the client and the entire family – as for them, the event is a matter of prestige, an important day for them all including the bride and groom of course. His priority is making sure that the client’s family is happy.
This client-centric mission came through clearly that night. The next course was a fusion dish which I believe could be an oft-requested dish in an elaborate wedding meal plan – these were paneer tacos with avocado sauce, pico de gallo and sautéed and marinated mushrooms. The tacos themselves were grilled which gave them a nice texture and warmth. The spice level was mild, but the stuffing was bursting with flavor. These were the tastiest tacos I have ever eaten. The fusion of Indian flavors with a familiar Mexican favorite worked surprisingly well and felt exactly like the kind of creative dish modern weddings now embrace.
Between courses, the table was cleared and we were given fresh plates and silverware for the entrées. As is customary in Indian cuisine, all the entrées were served together. They included Malai Paneer, Palak Paneer, Yellow Dal, and Tandoori Veg Penne Pasta, accompanied by basmati rice, plain naan, bullet naan (extra spicy), and garlic naan. The naans arrived hot and soft, fresh from the tandoor, while the rice was topped with caramelized onions. The pasta sauce appeared to be freshly made, and its Indian seasoning gave it a distinctive flavor. Among the main dishes, the malai paneer was, in my opinion, the standout.
During the meal, we continued our conversation with Soye. He told us about how he now focuses on large budget events. On any given weekend, he might prioritize just one large budget event or wedding and perhaps include one smaller event on that weekend. These large budget events are of such high intensity that his team prefers to concentrate most of their energies on them. This team’s rates for Indian weddings are among the highest in the country, and their rationale for the high cost is the fact that the entire cuisine presentation is choreographed to perfection – the presentation, the timing, the service, the quality. He informed us that his clients are in the top 1% of the Indian community in the US and have extremely high standards. For instance, he was narrating a story about a 500-person party on a yacht where he carried four tandoor ovens to the yacht – two for vegetarian food and two for non-vegetarian food, because the tandoori food would not be perfect unless it was served straight from the tandoor.
Soye told us that even for smaller events, he always sends a serving team to ensure that the food is presented properly and served at the right temperature. He does not simply provide food in trays delivered to the venue because his reputation is impacted if the food is not served properly. The pursuit of perfection is what sets him and his team apart.
Next came the royal finale — dessert. A beautifully arranged tray of desserts was placed on the table, featuring Mango Kulfi Falooda in a martini glass, Gulab Jamun Cheesecake and Chocolate Cake in shot glasses, and Carrot Halwa with Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. Everything was incredible, but the dessert that truly took the cake – literally – was the carrot halwa. Decadent and roasted in ghee for over five hours, it reminded me of my mother-in-law’s Gajar ka Halwa. Each of us was also served a Madras Coffee Latte in a small Kulhad-style clay cup — a swirling blend of South Indian filter coffee and whipped cream that resulted in a truly one-of-a-kind fusion latte.
As he shared stories from the many events he has catered over the years, it also became clear how much Soye values long-term relationships with his clients, many of whom return to him repeatedly for multiple events.
When we discussed marketing, he mentioned that he hardly invests in advertising or social media. Most of his business comes through word of mouth, keeping him busy with large events on most weekends throughout the year.
The pride with which he and his team serve their clients, and the fact that so many are repeat customers, speaks volumes about the high regard for his cuisine and overall offerings.
About the Author:
Rema is an IT professional whose experience includes cybersecurity consulting and implementing financial technology solutions in highly regulated environments. She lives in South Florida with her husband. A proud mother of twin boys, she is also an active member of the local Indian community.
Rema enjoys traveling to different countries and meeting and working with people of different backgrounds and cultures. Rema is actively involved in the South Florida community and serves as a Board Member of the Indian Regional and Cultural Center, and has also served on the Board of Trustees of the North Broward Preparatory School.
