3 min readUpdated: May 9, 2026 09:23 PM IST
Chef Vishnu Manohar had cooked 10,000 kg of misal, for Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jayanti in Pune in April 2024. A month later, he repeated the feat for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti at Shivaji Maharaj Nagar in Pune. Then, there was 10,000 kg of halwa for an event in Baramati hosted by Ajit Pawar.
When Shri Ram Mandir Pratisthapana was being held in Ayodhya in January 2024, the chef was celebrating in his hometown Nagpur by cooking 6,000 kg of “Shri Ram Halwa”. He was in Ayodhya a month later to rustle up 7,000 kg of Shri Ram Bhog Mahaprasad for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti and Golwalkar Guruji Jayanti.
Chef Vishnu Manohar does not think bite-size. When he discovered that June 7 is marked as World Poha Day, there was only one way to highlight one of Maharashtra’s breakfast staples. “We are going to attempt a World Record by making 5,000 kg of Tarri Pohe in Nagpur,” he says. The math in the kitchen is impressive. “Poha increases three times upon cooking; if you take 1000 kg, you get 3,000 kg. We will add 300-400 kg onion, 300 kg potato and 150 kg oil. The poha provides us with calcium and the protein comes from the chana tarri,” he says.
The challenge is that good poha is fluffy, so he has to stir it carefully. “We are working on ensuring that 5,000 kg of poha taste evenly delicious and, importantly, not a grain must burn,” he says.
Manohar’s restaurant in Erandwane, Vishnu ji ki Rasoi, is among those impacted by the shortage of commercial cylinders. His ambitious venture to make the poha highlights his practice of cooking on wood. “This method of cooking adds to the flavour,” he says.
The chef is a record holder many times over. Among the feats recognised by The Limca Book of Records, India Book of Records, and Asia Book of Records, are preparing a 5 paratha, a 53 hour non-stop cooking marathon, and making 3,000 kg and 5,000 kg servings of rice and beans. He will add to these on Independence Day this year on a record-breaking gigantic pancake in Dallas made over 27 hours without stopping. Then, Manohar will be serving Punekars with egg bhurji made from 100,000 eggs.
The son of a commercial artist, Manohar entered the catering industry as a teenager when a plate of pulao, puri, sabji, chhole, gulab jam and raita, at weddings was Rs 5. After graduating in Fine Arts, Manohar went on to become a chef, entrepreneur, cookbook author, actor, orator, and singer. Vishnuji ki Rasoi, which serves Punjabi and Maharashtrian cuisine, is located in Nagpur, Pune, Latur, San Francisco, San Jose and Dallas.
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“One of the essential parts of cooking is serving the dish. This is where artistry comes in. After you cook, how will you present the meal with the right kind of garnish and aesthetic cutlery,” he says. After each accomplishment of making more food, he draws satisfaction from watching people enjoy their dishes. “Serving food to people is one of the great joys of the world,” he says.
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