UNOX, a leading Italian manufacturer of professional cooking equipment trusted by chefs and foodservice operators across more than 130 countries, marked an important step in its India expansion with the launch of the UNOX Lounge Kochi on February 25, 2026. The new lounge was inaugurated at Rising Loaf Academy of Baking and Pastry Arts, Palarivattom, Kochi, in collaboration with Savvy Kitchen Equipment, represented by its Partner, Mr. Ajith Prasad.

The launch further strengthens UNOX India’s footprint in South India, making its advanced cooking solutions more accessible to chefs, hoteliers, restaurateurs, bakers, and food entrepreneurs across Kerala and nearby markets. UNOX’s product portfolio includes intelligent combi ovens, high-speed ovens, and convection ovens, all designed to deliver precision, consistency, energy efficiency, and smooth kitchen operations.

The inauguration ceremony opened with an address by the UNOX India leadership team and was graced by Chief Guest Chef George K. George, Executive Committee member of the South India Chef Association (SICA), who officially unveiled the new experience centre.

Speaking at the launch, Vivek Mishra, Team Leader Sales, India, UNOX, said:

“The launch of the UNOX Lounge in Kochi is a proud moment for us and a strong step forward in our India expansion journey. South India has always been a vibrant and progressive food market. With this new lounge, we aim to provide chefs and food entrepreneurs with a dedicated platform to experience and test our cooking solutions firsthand, direct access to cutting-edge professional cooking technology that enhances efficiency, consistency, and sustainability in commercial kitchens. Our goal is not just to supply equipment, but to build long-term partnerships and empower culinary businesses to scale with confidence.”

Adding to this, Chief Guest Chef George K. George shared:

“Kochi and the larger South Indian culinary community are evolving rapidly, with growing demand for precision, innovation, and global standards in kitchen operations. The UNOX Lounge will serve as an important platform for chefs to experience advanced technology firsthand, learn, experiment, and elevate their craft. This initiative will certainly contribute to raising professional kitchen standards in the region.”

The event brought together hospitality leaders, bakery entrepreneurs, culinary professionals, and industry experts for an immersive showcase of technology and cooking innovation. Guests experienced live cooking demonstrations by the UNOX Corporate Chef team, featuring bakery and multi-cuisine preparations using flagship equipment such as the CHEFTOP-X and the CHEFTOP MIND. Maps PLUS commercial combi ovens. The sessions highlighted the precision, performance, and intelligent automation that define UNOX’s modern kitchen solutions.

In the spirit of Ramadan, the celebrations concluded with a special Iftar dinner, creating a warm and inclusive atmosphere while demonstrating the versatility and efficiency of UNOX equipment in real-time service conditions.

With the launch of the UNOX Lounge in Kochi, UNOX India continues to reinforce its commitment to the Indian foodservice industry by delivering innovative, sustainable, and high-performance cooking solutions that support the evolving needs of professional kitchens.

India’s organised retail landscape is steadily moving beyond transactional shopping towards experience-driven destinations where dining, entertainment and social engagement take centre stage. In 2025, retail leasing across major cities touched approximately 8.9 million sq. ft., among the strongest performances in recent years. While fashion brands accounted for nearly 48% of leasing demand, food and beverage made up about 13% and entertainment close to 8%, underlining the growing weight of experiential formats. Across north India, several prominent malls and high streets reflect this transition.

Ambience Mall, located on NH-48 along the Delhi–Gurugram border, remains one of NCR’s largest retail destinations. Opened in 2007 and spanning nearly 1.8 million sq. ft., it houses over 200 outlets alongside multiplex and dining options, positioning itself as a combined retail and leisure hub. Similarly, Ambience Mall continues to anchor organised retail in south Delhi with its expansive brand mix, entertainment zones and established food offerings.

In west Delhi, Vegas Mall caters to a catchment of over one million residents, blending fashion retail with gaming zones and a multiplex to drive longer visits. Gurugram’s Reach 3Roads adopts an open-air, pedestrian-friendly high street design along the fast-growing SPR corridor, prioritising community interaction over enclosed formats.

Beyond NCR, CP67 integrates retail, office and entertainment in a mixed-use layout along Airport Road, reflecting tier-two market ambitions. In new residential belts of Gurugram, Felix Plaza is planned with over 150 outlets and leisure zones, while SPJ Vedatam introduces organised retail infrastructure into the dense Old Gurugram neighbourhood.

Collectively, these projects underline how India’s malls are increasingly designed as lifestyle ecosystems where visitors come not only to shop, but to dine, socialise and spend time

The Pune edition of Saksham, a knowledge-led industry platform by Elanpro, brought together hospitality professionals, kitchen consultants, engineers, compliance experts, and solution providers for focused discussions on strengthening safety systems and infrastructure discipline across food service operations.

With over 70 participants attending the one-day programme, the discussions revolved around three core operational pillars: Safety, Compliance & Audit Readiness, and Sustainable Infrastructure. These themes reflected the increasing need for structured systems as restaurants, hotels, cloud kitchens, and food retail formats continue to scale at speed.

The inaugural session featured insights from Atul Gokhale, Dean, SSCANS; Pramod Paleri, Founder, S&P Associates; and Rajeev Jalnapurkar, Former Chairman, Indian Association of Amusement Parks & Industries. The speakers set the tone by underlining the importance of disciplined operational frameworks in managing growth responsibly.

Technical sessions during the day addressed critical operational areas such as LPG safety, cold-chain management, electrical safety systems, compliance cost exposure, smart manufacturing practices, and sustainable kitchen design. The sessions were led by industry experts including Sanjay Jain, Director, Elanpro; Jesal Sampat, CEO, Pune Gas; Sanjiv Deshmukh, Kitchen Solutions; Swapnil Deshpande, Swastik Synergy Engineering; Jayaant Dongrre, Catalyst Support Services; Vishwanath Pandey, THI; Moiz Master, Alister Equipment; P. Sravan Kumar, Founding Member, HCF; and Nivedita Dileep, CII-IGBC.

The discussions highlighted that while the food service industry is expanding rapidly, gaps remain in areas such as temperature discipline, preventive maintenance, gas handling protocols, and audit preparedness. Participants agreed that these gaps often expose businesses to avoidable operational and financial risks. A key takeaway was the need to embed compliance into everyday operations rather than treating it as a periodic checklist.

Speaking about the initiative, Sanjay Jain, Director, Elanpro, said, “Food businesses today operate at unprecedented scale and speed. Sustainable growth requires strong operational systems and informed technical decisions. Saksham is designed to bridge knowledge gaps and equip teams with practical frameworks that can be implemented immediately.”

Sharing his perspective at the event, Sravan Kumar, Founding Member, HCF, said, “As the industry expands, strengthening safety fundamentals and compliance readiness becomes critical. Collaborative knowledge-sharing initiatives such as Saksham help raise professional standards while supporting responsible and sustainable growth.”

Elanpro also reiterated the importance of application-driven refrigeration systems in maintaining food integrity, improving energy efficiency, and optimising lifecycle costs in high-load kitchen environments.

Positioned as a continuing multi-city initiative, Saksham aims to address city-specific operational challenges while steadily strengthening professional standards across India’s evolving food service ecosystem.