You don’t have to be a Michelin star-chef or have trained at the Cordon Bleu to churn out dishes that have people craving for more. The recipe for success in the Indian food market just got a dash of verve with several new entrants who passionately dish out everything from wraps to vada pav to Chinese and even gourmet chocolate. Armed with a sound knowledge of the market, a zeal to make a mark in the culinary world and of course, the social media, these young Indians are all set to redefine the dining experience — whether it is in a café, a star restaurant or even the road side.

The sweet tooth
Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a book that is synonymous with childhood for many. Reading about Charlie’s adventures in this delectable land, at some point or the other, we’ve all wished to trade places with him. For Puducherry-based Srinath Balachander, this was one dream that he was sure of turning into reality. The youngster went on to study hotel management and then pursued a course in chocolate training in France, after which he returned to set up an exclusive chocolate boutique Choco La back home. He recalls, “When I was asked by my teacher in school about what I would do if God granted me one wish, the answer was spontaneous — a lifetime supply of chocolates. Looking back, it is like a dream come true.” Srinath plans to expand Choco La to Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad in the near future.
Kishi Arora, who runs Foodaholics, which receives orders from all over the globe, believes in the power of the online medium. She says, “I applied at a culinary school and automatically shifted to baking. Foodaholics is both a food consulting service and specialises in cakes. We have a niche style of baking and customise cakes according to the needs of every client. We never repeat cakes. Yes, the ingredients remain the same, but the way we put it together differs. Since it’s an online store, we have been able to reach out to clients who have heard of us across the globe. I even had a person calling me from Nigeria. We get orders on Facebook and Twitter as well. Food is very subjective to what you like, and that’s the idea behind this company.”

Spaced out
That’s about those with a sweet tooth. While on one hand Gen N entreprenuers are baking a storm catering to the sweet tooth of the new age Indian, on the other hand some savvy entrepreneurs who want to make a splash in the food business but are restricted in terms of capital and space have found a smart solution — kiosks.
According to Natasha Varma, a business consultant in the food and beverage sector, one of the reasons why kiosks are mushrooming around the country is the minimal investment that it requires. “And we’re not talking about the shack-like places, these serve top-quality food with impeccable hygenie standards. Like Falafels, Goli Vada Pav, Go Gola and so on. The operational costs are lower and they’re usually one-man shows with a limited menu.”

On the move
Many of these kioks are located in malls or IT parks which caters to youngsters on the move. Kiran Nadkarni, the force behind Kaati Zone — a kiosk serving the popular kaathi rolls, says, “Our main target is people who are looking for convenient dining options when they’re on the move — grab and go kind of food.”
But does this mean that the crowd at kiosks are limited to just those on the move? “You’d be surprised,” quips Rakesh Raghunathan, the founder of Petawrap which serves freshly-made wraps. These outlets are situated at petrol bunks, near movie theatres and even near the sport stadiums. “Of course we have a lot of youngsters walking into our outlets but there are also the 45-plus crowd that relishes the wraps just as much. I think it is just a matter of opening up your palate to different flavours and this is something that is happening in India now,” he adds.

Flavours of home
For some it is a desire to bring international flavours to the Indian market, but there are a bunch of people for whom nostalgia is the driving force. Take for instance, Ranjana Singhal of Coimbatore who is credited with starting That’s Y Food. “When I moved here from Delhi after I got married I believed that nothing could come close to my hometown. Since my sister had some experience in the hotel industry, we thought it was a good idea to open our own place. Initially I had dreams of opening an Italian restaurant but then I thought it was best to stick to my roots and we zeroed in on north Indian food,” she explains. The going was tough in the beginning but now nine years later Ranjana, like other entrepreneurs in the food industry who have learnt it the hard way, is still smiling with success.

(With inputs from
Srinidhi Rajagopal)