The secret to Pune-based caterer Sharadchandra Bagde's food is marination. So much so that it's what he named his catering service after. "Marinare means marination in Italian," he says. "Unless the meat is marinated for good 12 hours, I will not sell it to gourmands. If someone calls me last minute, no matter how dear the customer is, I do not deliver meat. In most hotels, the meat is boiled and kept for an hour max before immersing it in masala."

Bagde earned his stars as a chef in food-crazy Pune by cooking up a storm in his kitchen. A structural engineer for almost two decades, he became a full-time home chef in 2014. Thanks to him, many intimate family dinners and big corporate feasts in Pune have tasted better since. His raan (Rs 1,500 for 1 kilo) and bharleli kombdi (a whole-roast chicken stuffed with mutton kheema; between Rs 600 and Rs 1,200) are among his most popular dishes.