Pune = Chitale Bakarwadi and Amba Barfi was an equation etched in my head right since childhood. Anytime anyone went to Pune, they would get these two things.
Fast forward to when I started working ( post 2008), I remember Chitale bakarwadi was available in rectangular packaging in select shops in Mumbai. One such shop I remember is the Swami Samarth shop near Sujata Hotel / Waman Hari Pethe at Ranade Road Dadar.
In 2016 ,I was working in Bangalore and Chitale bakarwadi used to be available sometimes on grofers ( now blinkit ) and that used to be a sheer delight. To find Marathi food outside Maharashtra is always special.
In 2017, when I used to commute by the Andheri-Ghatkopar metro - a small shop at the Ghatkopar metro station would have Chitale Bakarwadi and amba Barfi. The amba barfi would always run out of stock and I used to pray that the stock lasts till I reach there.
In 2020, it was my daughter's 5th birthday in May and apart from cake - she wanted Chitale amba barfi and bakarwadi. Amba barfi was non-negotiable. This was a strict lockdown and there was no amba barfi available in my nearby stores. I tweeted this and it was noticed by Indraneel Chitale. He promptly arranged the logistics and amba barfi and bakarwadi were delivered to me before my daughter's birthday. It was a very special moment for me.
Long story short, before Chitale express outlets opened up - Chitale Bakarwadi was not as easily available in Mumbai as it is now , or at least I didn't know many outlets.
Fast forward to now - we have Chitale express stores across Mumbai. We visit the one in Goregaon and we have always been treated with warmth.
Every time I go to their store- their assortment of products keeps increasing. Butterscotch flavoured shrikhand ( butterscotchkhand ) is our recent favourite. My daughters refuse to eat any other shrikhand now.
All of us - me , my husband and my daughters are Chitale fans. Whenever we travel - be it in India or internationally - many packs of bakarwadi are in our bag. During our last trip to Singapore , our 0.75 kg of bakarwadi got over before we returned and my 3.5 yr old threw a tantrum to get more bakarwadi. I almost wished Chitale Express was present in Singapore.
I saw the new Chitale Bakarwadi ad by Harsha Bhogle today and was taken back down the memory lane.Chitale Bakarwadi is an emotion for me:) Coincidentally , I shopped my monthly quota from Chitale express today and the star of our independence day lunch was butterscotch khand by Chitale.
Btw - do you even eat any other Bakarwadi apart from Chitale ? Ok, honestly - I can't
