Kashmir wazwan chefs set 10 pm deadline for serving food at weddings

Tired of waiting endlessly for the groom to arrive, Kashmir’s traditional chefs, known as waza have set a 10 pm deadline for serving wazwan at weddings.

At a conference held at a marriage hall in the Rajouri Kadal area of the city, wazas discussed the “inhuman conditions” under which they are made to work while serving the multi-course wazwan to guests at weddings and other functions.

The chefs unanimously decided that they would not serve food after 10 pm.

Kashmir Waza



Association president Ghulam Nabi Waza said his community had suffered in silence for too long.

“It takes several hours to prepare the dishes, and usually we work late into the night. Then we are expected to start serving lunch from around 1 pm till 6 pm, which is followed by dinner, which starts well into the night,” Waza said.

He complained that when chefs are engaged to cook at the bride’s home, they have to wait for the groom and his entourage to arrive, which usually happens past midnight.