If you asked your grandma or mother how a dish was made, chances are that by the aroma of it cooking, they’d tell you what was missing in it. Yes, women can definitely cook well. But today, women are in the business of F&B for far more than their keen sense of taste and smell. They’re stirring things up in the food industry to lead and direct, and it’s creating a whole niche of entrepreneurs who have started their restaurants – called restaupreneurs. On Women’s Day today, we profile these top culinary names and get them to reveal their mantras for success, breaking the mold, and their approach to taking things ahead in the new normal…  

Bringing something so authentic was a challenge, but I was pretty confident that the Indian palate will take to Ramen: Vidushi Sharma, Chef and Owner of Mensho Tokyo, India

What are the changes that you as a woman have brought into your work?

I genuinely think being a woman has given me an advantage in my line of work, women are resilient, multi tasters, and hard workers. It wasn’t surprising that most of my class at le cordon Bleu was female and the camaraderie really helped through the course. Mensho is an international chain and the Delhi outpost is the first and I spent days and nights endlessly pondering over the smallest details from the design and interiors to the menu and of course, the food and that feels so satisfying.

Your success mantra is…. 

We are trying our best and we have a long way to go, I truly believe that if your product is solid nothing can come between you and success. Bringing something so authentic was a challenge, but I was pretty confident that the Indian palate will take to Ramen and I’m pleasantly surprised by how well our authentic Ramen has been received! 

List some of the challenges you faced as a woman in the industry and during the pandemic  

We have self-funded the venture and we have big plans for Mensho as a chain over the next two years. The concept is so new to our country and will soon be trending pan India. The recurrent waves and lockdowns have led to massive losses in most industries but especially the F& B industry, it’s been a very difficult time and we really hope that the time to survive is over and the time to thrive is here. In spite of diligently following all Covid norms, we’ve always been the first to get hit and I really hope the endemic is here. 

What is your approach to changing the food game?
 

I find inspiration in any and every girl who has entered a male-dominated industry and broken the stereotype. I feel regardless of gender, the only way you can sustain yourself in this industry is passion and that’s the only reason why I chose to pursue my course and take it forward to a career. 

There was the predominant stigma that most women know how to cook and hence enter the industry, and not due to their entrepreneurial choice to tap the potential in this sector: Megha Poddar, Founder & CEO - White Light Food 

What are the changes that you as a woman have brought into your work?
 

Surprisingly, top chefs have always been male. Earlier on to have successful a food venture or a restaurant it was assumed that the founders needed to either be chefs or have an in-depth knowledge of food craftsmanship. Hence most success stories seen were by men. Now times have changed - with the surge in female top chefs who have been able to scale up their businesses and also better work environment and opportunities for women at large, all of the above traditional setups have been shattered.  

My aim is to break the predominant trend usually followed in businesses relating to volume vs gourmet/premium. It has always been taken as a ground rule that anything very premium or gourmet in the food industry cannot see very high volumes and can only be churned out in restricted numbers. And if large volumes have to be achieved then the offering has to be more mass level. I want to build a brand that can have a premium offering that is consistent in its high quality and yet have a high-volume model.  

Your success mantra is…. 

I believe in keeping it simple always. My success mantra is also an extension to the same school of thought - Have a great aim, continuously acquire knowledge, work hard, persevere and succeed. There is no shortcut, consistency in efforts is key as per me.  

List some of the challenges you faced as a woman in the industry and during the pandemic  

Women account for the vast majority of food-purchasing decisions and also makeup almost half the entry-level workforce in the food industry, yet women are underrepresented across the board above this level. We need to continue to highlight the success stories and spread those practices across the food industry. We must continue to uncover these barriers, as they are likely to be common to many in the industry if not outside of it as well. The food industry has an opportunity to lead the next phase of creating gender equity. Women-led businesses often don’t see the inorganic growth phase in this industry due to the predominant stigma that most women know how to cook and hence enter the industry, and not due to their entrepreneurial choice to tap the potential in this sector economically. Hence most women-led food enterprises remain underrated unless they go the retail route.   

What is your approach to changing the food game?
 

The food scene has changed from comfort to complex, from just taste to also presentation, from fresh to shelf-life drove, at the same time. Organic yet long-lasting, gourmet yet satisfying the root taste buds, elevating yet not totally foreign. The complexities are mind-boggling and each business needs to find its niche so as to create a lasting impact in their TG’s mind along with generating a recall value. My approach in this regard would be to make a few elements or offerings as your stars, hard-sell them, push them till they become synonymous with your brand’s name, and take it up from there.  

My grandmother was the first roaster for Nandan Coffee as our blends were tested in small batches on a stovetop roaster: Yahvi Mariwala, Director, Nandan Coffee 

What are the changes that you as a woman have brought into your work?
 

Any form of diversity and inclusion brings out the best in business creativity and optimization because you bring in a varying skill set and perspective. Having women in the coffee space isn’t revolutionary. My grandmother was the first roaster for Nandan Coffee as our blends were tested in small batches on a stovetop roaster! Sonalini Menon is a trailblazer in the coffee world and has been pivotal in bringing Indian coffee to the forefront of the global market. You see women pushing the boundaries of creativity and quality every day, from harvesting to roasting to cupping
 

Your success mantra is…  

I believe in this strongly: customers don’t have a hierarchy in their importance. No customer is too small.

List some of the challenges you faced as a woman in the industry and during the pandemic.
 

Entrepreneurship is a challenging, albeit rewarding journey. I think all entrepreneurs are geared to finding creative solutions in challenging times and there is no further motivation to creativity than scarcity. Covid-19 definitely put that to the test when our team had to find solutions to everything from supply chain issues to supporting our partners who had a bulk of the material with them that would go to waste during the lockdown.

What is your approach to changing the food game?
 

We’re seeing customers be more conscious about sustainability and quality now than ever before. Nandan Coffee, since its inception, has been about sustainability and quality, and thanks to the fore site and values of my Grandparents and parents, I like to think we’re ahead of the curve in that sense. Nandan has sustainability embedded into its DNA and it’s great to see consumers appreciating that more as time goes by. As far as our approach goes, we’re hunkering down to perfect this approach - sustainable packaging for instance was near impossible as a certain type of packaging was required to protect the coffee beans. We’re excited to announce that we were finally able to find recyclable coffee packaging which was launched a few months ago!  

In the pandemic, I had to have a plan for every situation that could arise and prepare my entire team for it: Nikita Poojari, Co-founder Kyma, and Butterfly High 

What are the changes that you as a woman have brought into your work?
 

Today, women have come up with more sustainable food production methods. There is more emphasis on healthier food options such as vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, elimination of preservatives and that is something I have keenly followed and inculcated into my restaurants. We have also been hiring more women staff.  

Your success mantra is… 

Start your journey from the bottom of the hierarchy so you can learn and understand every role of each employee. Only focus on your end goal and do not get overwhelmed by success or failure while trying to reach there. 

List some of the challenges you faced as a woman in the industry and during the pandemic  

The Covid-19 pandemic was equally difficult for both genders. My biggest concern was how I would manage to pay my staff and workers when the business was closed as they are dependent on that monthly cheque. The environment was extremely unpredictable in terms of curfews and lockdowns, so I had to have a plan for every situation that could arise and prepare my entire team for it.   

What is your approach to changing the food game?
 

I think that the preference of people has slowly changed to all-day dining restaurants and there is a high emphasis on food and quality. People should be able to walk into a restaurant at any time of the day and be served the food they like, this is what will matter.