Across India, one thing we as people have in common is our love for food. Food has become a way of life today and this trend isn't dying anytime soon. In an industry dominated by men, women have managed to come out as winners with their culinary skills and fierce potential. In the day and age of going out and ordering in, they are getting ahead of the curve with their quirky and unique food ideas. They're truly building their own empires, redefining regional and international cuisines.
Women are at the helm of major food kitchens in the country, serving some of the best food out of their kitchen. And, we're going to talk about some of these women right here.
1.) Anahita Dhondy, Chef Manager, SodaBottleOpenerwala
Born in a Parsi household, little did she know that with SodaBottleOpenerWala, she'll be able to modernise Parsi cuisine. Here, you'll find the best twists given to some of the most authentic Parsi dishes like Dhansak, Egg Curry and Salli Chicken to name a few.
2.) Pooja Dhingra, Le 15 Patisserie
Having introduced the world of macarons to India, Pooja managed to create quite a stir with her fine patisserie skills. She keeps reinventing flavour combinations for her desserts, bringing out novelty every time it hits the shelves.
3.) Minali Gaba, Farmer's Cafe
Farmer's cafe is probably the best thing that happened to a foodie who counts calories. This place is heaven for guilt-free indulgences. It's a small eatery serving a delectable menu that can't be faltered.
4.) Namrata Asthana, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters
Who doesn't like coffee? It's a beverage that's consumed across India in more ways than one. A brainchild of Namrata Asthana and her partner, Matt Chitharanjan, this company relies on the importance of being transparent to its consumers. They exactly know what a good cuppa coffee means and strive hard to make it an exceptional experience for its consumers too.
5.) Ruchyeta Bhatiya, Love and Cheesecake
A patisserie made with immense love and attention to detail, it stands for all things joy and premium. At first, it started as a beautifully hand-crafted dessert bar but now it also serves a range of delectable soups, salads and sandwiches.
6.) Aditi Dugar, Masque
She is truly an inspiration and here's why. Her passion for food made her who she is today. She didn't let formal education come in the way. She baked her way through London restaurants and trained in Bangkok, gaining real-life experience. While in Bangkok, her love for vegetarian food fuelled her passion to come back to India and source locally produced ingredients. She met Prateek Sandhu, who also shared the same ethos and together they opened Masque in 2016.
7.) Manali Guha, Cafe StayWoke
Gourmet is the word that comes to mind when I talk about Cafe StayWoke. The food is all heart and retaining the originality of a dish is the way they choose to go about. Being a software engineer, she found her calling and made this cafe possible.
8.) Nikita Poojari, Fish N Bait
Daughter of Narayan Poojari, owner of the famous, Shiv Sagar restaurants all over Mumbai, Nikita set her foot in a totally opposite direction. With Fish N Bait, she takes seafood lovers on a journey around aquatic regions like the Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Thailand, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and more.
9.) Rashmi Daga, Fresh Menu
Being an IIM graduate and having a high paying job did not stop Rashmi from leaving it all and opening an online kitchen. Her vision was to serve fresh food with a daily-changing menu with recipes from across the world. Fresh menu now has more than 35 cloud kitchens across Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi.
10.) Shraddha Bhansali, Candy & Green
A Boston University graduate, Shraddha has managed to garner positive reviews for her Vegan restaurant in Breach Candy. She swears by locally-produced ingredients and most of them come from her own garden. It is indeed the best version of the farm-to-table concept that we have in India. She made news when she featured in Forbes India 30 under 30- 2018 list.
These women and many more (who have not been mentioned here) have changed the food scene in India and it's definitely a breath of fresh air with distinctive ideas materialising at huge scales.
So, thank you for making our food space brighter than the shooting stars. #HappyWomensDay2020