HYDERABAD: He was recently in the city to felicitate women who had become successful entrepreneurs through the direct-to-home (DTH) sales network of Wonderchef Home Appliances. This was a venture started by the chef and entrepreneur Ravi Saxena in 2009. Apparently, the women chose Hyderabad to be the destination of the conference as they wanted to explore the city’s famous culinary offerings, especially during Ramzan.
Talking about food, cooking and new trends in fitness, Sanjeev recalls that Nizam Club in Hyderabad makes a winsome Gongura Mutton. He also mentions how he is waiting to relish the season’s favourite haleem.
Reflecting back on the days he started hosting the popular TV cookery show ‘Khana Khazana’, the chef reveals that it was a call from his father that made him realise that he was breaking stereotypes. “My father told me that women in our society are oppressed, and cooking is something that they are just supposed to do, but it’s never celebrated. He said that by doing that show, I was breaking the mould and showing that men can cook too,” Sanjeev adds.
Busting myths about food trends, the chef adds, “It was widely believed that our younger generation is getting influenced by western food habits, but the fact is that they are more aware of healthy food and lifestyle. This is also a time when regional food is getting widespread attention. Once upon a time, India was known for a few staples like chicken tikka, but now, people are aware of the cuisines of different regions.”
The chef said that one of their main aims was to make women financially reliant and empowered. “We could have gone for a conventional model of selling rather than direct sales. The effort needed in DTH model is more, but it has been a rewarding journey.”
Revealing how Wonderchef Appliances work, Ravi Saxena says: “Food can be prepared with less oil on our non-stick appliances. Thus it promotes a healthy lifestyle. Currently, 60,000 women have been empowered through our DTH network across the country. We aim to provide employment opportunities to over 100,000 women by 2020.”