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Shef’s | 👩‍🎨 Shefalii Dadabhoy

@shefnochef

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🌸 India's Only Floral Brownie Artist
🍓Pavlova-Chennai’s celebration dessert artist
🌱 Sustainably Made, Ethically Sourced
💌 Based in Chennai

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When your daughter asks for “the prettiest cake in the world” for her milestone birthday, you give it your all. so I wove together lemon and raspberry, cloaked it in white chocolate ganache, and adorned with blooms as vibrant as her spirit, made it with every ounce of love in my heart.

May every year ahead be as sweet, bright, and breathtaking as this day. Happy birthday, my baby girl 💕🌻!!

#Sweet16 #HomemadeCake #FlowerCake #BakingWithLove #BirthdayMagic #prettiestcakeintheworld #bakefeed #foodandwine #food52 by @shefnochef

Celebrating August at Shef’s

# Shef’s #artisanal #desserts #dessertsofinstagram #floral #fruit #happiness #enjoyeverymoment by @shefnochef

From a Child’s Drawing to a Garden… and Now, a Little Piece of Art!

Some stories come beautifully full circle. This is one of them. 💛

At Roshni Matriculation School, our Youth Connect journey began when we invited children to imagine and draw their dream sunflower garden. Their drawings became the inspiration for the garden we went on to create together. On September 7th, the children got their hands into the soil and planted the seeds that would bring their designs to life.

Weeks later, those little seeds burst into golden blooms. The children and teachers watched their garden grow, witnessing first-hand how an idea, a little effort and a lot of nurturing can create something beautiful.

And now, the story has taken another lovely turn!

One of the school’s teachers has captured the sunflower blooms in this beautiful collage, even creating a special November greeting that is now finding its way into the school’s communication and newsletter.

From children’s imagination, to a living garden, to a teacher’s creative expression- nature has inspired creativity at every step.

This is what we hope to nurture through Chennai Sunflower City and Youth Connect: not just gardens, but experiences that encourage children to imagine, create, participate and discover their connection with nature.

A heartfelt appreciation to the children and teachers of Roshni Matriculation School for taking this journey with us. And a special shout-out to the teacher who turned these blooms into such a lovely piece of art!

A drawing became a garden. A garden inspired art. And the inspiration continues to grow.

What might your little patch of green inspire? We’d love to see more schools and communities join us!

#ChennaiSunflowerCity #YouthConnect #RoshniMatriculationSchool #FromDrawingToGarden by @shefnochef

Every movement has a beginning. Ours began in a garden.

Before the seeds travelled across Chennai, before schools, colleges, public spaces and institutions joined our journey, there was this little patch of earth in my own garden.

I still remember the joy of planting those first seeds and watching them grow. Tiny shoots became tall green stalks, buds slowly opened into golden blooms, and soon the garden was alive with bees, butterflies and the beautiful buzz of nature at work.

What began as a simple experiment in my urban garden became something much bigger than I could have imagined. People began to take notice. Seeds found their way into other homes, schools and communities. One garden inspired another, and slowly, an idea blossomed into Chennai Sunflower City – A Citizens Movement. 🌻

Today, with over four lakh seeds shared and countless people joining hands, this garden remains our most special reminder of where the journey began. Every sunflower we see across Chennai carries a little piece of this story.

Looking back, I realise that sometimes all it takes is one small idea, a handful of seeds and the willingness to begin.

This is more than a garden. It is where a dream took root, a community came together, and Chennai began to bloom.

And our story is still growing.

Would you like to be part of the next chapter? Plant a seed, bring your community together, and help us make Chennai bloom.

With love,
Shefali Dadabhoy

#ChennaiSunflowerCity #WhereItAllBegan #CitizenLedMovement #SunflowerStories #GreenChennai by @shefnochef

We planted seeds on September 7th. Today, we’re watching joy bloom!

Remember the little hands that came together to plant sunflower seeds at Roshni Matriculation School? Weeks later, those seeds have grown into a beautiful patch of sunflowers -and what a lovely sight it is!

For the children, this is more than just a garden. It’s a living classroom where they can witness the magic of growth, discover the wonders of nature, and see how a little care and patience can transform a tiny seed into something beautiful. And for us, it’s a reminder of why we do what we do.

Through Chennai Sunflower City – A Citizens Movement, we’re bringing people together, one seed and one community at a time. And we’d love for you to be part of this journey!

🌻 Could your school grow a sunflower patch?
🌻 Could your apartment complex, home or neighbourhood become a little greener?
🌻 Would you like to bring a sunflower experience to the children in your community?

Reach out to us and join the Chennai Sunflower City movement. Together, we can help Chennai bloom!

And tell us in the comments: Where would you love to see the next patch of sunflowers bloom? 👇🌻

#ChennaiSunflowerCity #YouthConnect #RoshniMatriculationSchool #SunflowerStories by @shefnochef

Taking Chennai Sunflower City to the heart of sport! 🌻

A meaningful meeting with Thiru Sandeep Nanduri, I.A.S., Secretary to Government, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, to share the journey of Chennai Sunflower City – A Citizens Movement and explore how we can take it to the next level.

Shefalii Dadabhoy & Archana Meyappan,Core Committee Members along with Miraya Dadabhoy, our Youth Connect Ambassador, shared the initiative’s journey from a small home garden to a growing citizen movement that has brought together communities across Chennai.

We also discussed an exciting opportunity: bringing more sunflowers to and around Chennai’s sporting arenas, while engaging the city’s youth in growing and nurturing them. Our vision is to combine the joy of sunflowers with the energy of sport, giving young people meaningful ways to participate in making their city greener.

We are grateful to Mr. Nanduri for his encouraging response and support for the idea. With the right partnerships and the enthusiasm of Chennai’s young people, we hope the coming sunflower season will see more blooms around our stadiums and sporting spaces :adding colour, joy and a little more nature to places that bring our city together.

Because a greener city is built not just by planting seeds, but by inspiring people to grow with them.

Here’s to more flowers, more youth participation and a brighter, greener Chennai! 🌻

#ChennaiSunflowerCity #YouthConnect #YouthForChange #GreenChennai by @shefnochef

Planting seeds for a greener Chennai -one little patch at a time!

A little late in sharing, but some moments are worth celebrating, whenever they find their way here. 💛

On 1 October 2026, World Tourism Day, Chennai Sunflower City – A Citizens Movement took another step towards bringing more green and sunshine into our city, with a sunflower seed-planting initiative at the historic Government Museum, Egmore.

The initiative was inaugurated by Mrs. S. Malathi Helen, I.A.S., Chennai District Collector, with students, volunteers and members of the public joining hands to get their hands into the soil.

A special shout-out to our core member Kanchana, who spearheaded the initiative, and Neha Baid, who volunteered her time and energy to help bring the activity to life. It is the commitment of people like them who turn a simple idea into collective action.

For us, every seed planted is more than the promise of a sunflower. It is an invitation to care for our surroundings, reconnect with nature and take a small, tangible step towards a greener city.

And what better way to celebrate World Tourism Day than by adding a little more life, colour and nature to one of Chennai’s treasured heritage spaces? 🌱

Our heartfelt thanks to the District Administration, the team at the Government Museum, and everyone who joined us in making this planting possible.

One city. Many hands. Countless seeds of change. 🌻

#ChennaiSunflowerCity #WorldTourismDay2026 #SunflowerCity #GreenChennai #CitizenMovement by @shefnochef

One plate ahead.

Holding this book in my hands fills me with a kind of pride that’s difficult to put into words.

What started as Miraya’s love for food, cooking and her own journey as an athlete has now become ATHLeat – One Plate Ahead, her very first cookbook.

For past 2-3 years, I’ve watched her learn, experiment, cook, question what goes onto her plate and understand how much eating well can influence how we feel, perform and live. What makes me happiest is that this hasn’t just been about writing a book; it has been about creating a lifelong relationship with food, nourishment and eating clean.

I hope this is only the beginning, and that she continues to explore, learn, cook and share her passion for good food for the rest of her life. ❤️

I’m incredibly proud of the person she is becoming and of the thought, patience and perseverance she has poured into bringing this book to life.

And a very special shoutout to @sheetalparakh, who helped bring Miraya’s vision to life through the design of this book. Your creativity, patience and, most importantly, the incredible amount of patience you had through all the little details, changes and conversations have meant so much to us.
Thank you for believing in the book and giving it a visual identity that feels so beautifully Miraya. ❤️

Here’s to one plate ahead, and hopefully a lifetime of eating well.

Proud mama moment. ❤️

#ATHLeat #OnePlateAhead #MirayaDadabhoy #ProudMama #EatClean by @shefnochef

A little more sunshine at Guru Nanak College!

30 September 2026 was a special day for Chennai Sunflower City, as we brought our movement to Guru Nanak College, planting sunflower seeds and sharing our vision with an enthusiastic community of students, faculty and volunteers.

At the heart of Chennai Sunflower City is our Youth Connect initiative -creating opportunities for young people to move beyond simply planting seeds and to become active participants in creating a greener, more connected city. Seeing the students engage with the idea was a wonderful reminder that when young people take ownership, a small seed can become something much bigger.

A heartfelt thank you to Guru Nanak College, The Good Deeds Club and the Guru Nanak Centre for Consultancy and Outreach Initiatives for inviting us and creating this wonderful platform for action.

A special thank you to Apsara Reddy, founder of The Good Deeds Club, for bringing together this community and creating a space where conversations can translate into meaningful action.

And what a pleasure it was to listen to Dia Mirza, UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India, and hear her perspective on people, planet and possibilities. Dia brought the connection to life with a simple breathing exercise, reminding us that every breath we take is, in a very real way, connected to the trees around us.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this day happen ; and especially to the students and teachers who got their hands into the soil and joined us in planting the next chapter of Chennai Sunflower City.

The seeds are in the soil. Now let’s watch them grow. 🌻

#ChennaiSunflowerCity #YouthConnect #GuruNanakCollege #GoodDeedsClub #diamirza by @shefnochef

Some cakes just make me ridiculously happy!!

Here’s my Lemon, Raspberry & White Chocolate Cake dressed back in flowers.

Bright lemon, tart raspberry and creamy white chocolate come together in layers, but for me, the real joy is dressing the cake. And this time, I went for a cascade of Lisianthus, carnations,chrysanthemums and delicate baby’s breath, letting the flowers spill naturally from top to side.

I love how something so simple can make a cake feel almost like a little garden.

I think I’d like to live in this cake for a while.
Happy Weekend folks 😊

#Shefs #FloralCakes #LuxuryCakes #ChennaiBakers instagramcakes by @shefnochef

I’ve been quite enamoured by those Instagram reels of impossibly creamy, almost molten cheesecakes and, naturally, I had to try making one.

So this was my little experiment with a Burnt Basque Chocolate Cheesecake, chasing that same dreamy, creamy texture I kept seeing on my feed.

Quite happy with how this one turned out: deeply chocolatey, beautifully burnt on top, and gloriously soft and fudgy within.

Sometimes, Instagram really does make you bake :)

#shefnochef #burntbasquecheesecake #instagramcakes #todaysinspiration #joy by @shefnochef