India, July 16 -- From peeling pumpkins in a sweet shop courtyard in Udupi to reimagining mithai at one of India's most exciting modern dessert brands, Girish Nayak's journey is a testament to quiet craftsmanship and relentless curiosity. The pastry chef and co-founder of Bombay Sweet Shop talks to Travel+Leisure India & South Asia about learning by hand, bridging Indian tradition with French technique, and why mithai is finally having its long-overdue moment in the culinary spotlight.

Excerpts From The Interview With Girish Nayak T+L India: Your first job was at a sweet shop in Udupi in 2006. What did you learn there? Girish Nayak: I was turning 21, just out of college. My mom insisted I spend time learning about the sweets from our ow...