Twenty-two years of ‘Whatta Pav!’ in Pune

What started as an escape from ‘naukri’ is now one of the most famous Maharashtrian fast food chains in the city, also called the ‘McDonald’s of Pune’, Joshi Wadewale. The story goes like this — Shailesh Joshi and his wife Vasundhara had decided early on, when they were sweethearts in college, to be entrepreneurs.

“That we didn’t want to do naukri, was certain. After marriage, it was my wife’s idea to start a wada pav centre,” recalls Shailesh. But the wada pav dream was preceded by a stint in running a Xerox joint. “At the Xerox outlet we started keeping food items like samosa, misal, lassi and more, for there were many offices around,” says Vasundhara who cooked these snacks herself, until 1989, when they switched to wada pav.

Started in a 175 sq ft area, the first Joshi Wadewale outlet opposite Balgandharva, today spans across 2000 sq ft. The brand is now 17 outlets strong. And the last 22 years have seen it evolve and change, except one thing — Vasundhara’s wada pav recipe.

“All our outlets have been following the same recipe for all these years. We give this recipe to the acharya (an equivalent to chef), so the taste has remained the same,” says Shailesh.

That he had washed cars, sold gajras and kakadis (cucumber) as a teen to make ends meet, adds drama to this success story. And what makes this story even more interesting is the background.

Shailesh and Vasundhara, who were together in college, got married against their parents’ wishes. For the first six years of their life they lived in a 12x6 shed on a terrace, a place where they conceived the idea of a wada pav stall.

The proud co-owner, attributes the success to his Guru and wife. While his Guru’s (Vamanrao Pai) philosophy and words have been the guiding force, it is Vasundhara who is the other half of the winning mantra. “She has worked very hard. Had it not been for her determination and perseverance, we wouldn’t have reached this far,” adds Shailesh who shares all the profits, even his house, car and other assets, 50-50 with his wife.

The food chain, which is a popular haunt of many college students and working-class people, has also seen celebrities like Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar, Sonali Kulkarni and others dropping by. Shailesh, who is a black belt holder in Judo-Karate, and an alumnus of Modern College, says the key to his successful business is gratitude.

“I feel grateful to the guests and my labour-force. It is them who are most important to me,” says Shailesh who eats a wada pav from his outlet every alternate day to keep a check on the quality. “Also, we never compromise on quality. Our kitchen is hygienic and the products of good quality,” adds he.

Much like the sprawling tree, which was just three-and-a-half feet tall when Shailesh-Vasundhara started their ‘tapri’, the Joshi Wadewale brand has now grown to become a fixture in the city’s gastronomic topography.