New Culinary Platform MMCA Launches With Investor Backing

In a year when India’s organised food services market was projected to cross Rs 6 lakh crore, driven by premium dining and experiential formats, renowned chef Manish Mehrotra formally launched his new venture, Manish Mehrotra Culinary Arts (MMCA) — a contemporary culinary platform aimed at scaling modern Indian cuisine through research-led innovation, curated dining experiences, and global collaborations.

MMCA has been co-founded by Amit Khanna, founder of Amaya Ventures, and Binny Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart, marking one of the most significant entrepreneurial moves in India’s premium hospitality space this year.

Obhan & Associates advised Amaya Ventures on the investment, including drafting and negotiating the transaction documentation. The firm also counselled the parties on the intellectual property licensing structure between Chef Mehrotra and MMCA — a key element given the brand-led, chef-driven nature of the platform’s expansion strategy.

The transaction was led by Ashima Obhan (Senior Partner), supported by Akanksha Dua (Partner), Aastha Srivastava (Senior Associate), and Arnav Joshi (Associate).

MMCA marked Chef Mehrotra’s return to the industry with a new creative and entrepreneurial pursuit following his exit from Indian Accent. The platform intends to bring contemporary Indian cuisine to a global audience through immersive dining formats, cross-cultural chef collaborations, and a pipeline of new hospitality concepts tailored for international markets.

With premium dining witnessing double-digit growth and Indian cuisine gaining global traction, the MMCA–Amaya Ventures partnership positioned itself at the intersection of brand IP, culinary innovation, and scalable hospitality models.