Chandni U
First, let me introduce two scenarios. You can’t go for a peaceful meal at a restaurant nor can you go shopping because you have a two-year-old hyperactive kid. Two, you are a foodie who loves to experiment new dishes but is lazy to hunt for the right ingredients, carrying a list from markets to grocery shops. What if I tell you, you can get pre-measured ingredients along with a printed recipe at your doorstep?
That’s what Awesome Chef does! A start-up by Praveen Kumar and his wife, Anjali Anand, the idea came from their own hyper-active son. Said Anjali, “Shopping with him is a little bit of an exercise and it’s tough at restaurants too. So, we wondered what we could do when the idea struck us. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get our ingredients delivered and enjoy a nice home-cooked meal? We set about to realise that idea.”
Not only do they deliver but they also make sure the quantity is precise to the recipe. It allows no wastage and a printed sheet with instructions assures you correct measurements with authentic flavour. “I was one of those who would find it difficult to stick to measurements. Also, my husband and I are foodies. We love to cook and experiment. Wouldn’t it be great to try out new recipes and spare yourself the trouble of hunting for ingredients?” added Anjali.
Praveen showed us an Awesome Cuisine box. The ingredients were put in ziplock pouches including liquid items like sauces and oils. Aren’t they worried about leakage? “We test them. We make sure that it wouldn’t leak even when you bounce it up and down,” said Praveen, shaking the sauce pouch upside down. “And in case we need to pack oil or any other sticky liquid, we use plastic cover and seal it well.” The non-perishable goods are stored at their godown and they buy the rest fresh from the market on the morning of delivery.
Talking about the definition of a foodie, Praveen said he had always wanted to be a chef. “It was back in 1998 but my mom wasn’t keen to let me pursue that path. Even today she doesn’t let me into her kitchen,” he laughed.
Praveen went to England to study engineering, he had a part-time job at a bakery where he observed and learned new things for four years. “When I came back to India, my company required me to start a food website and that’s how Awesome Cuisine was born. There are over 11,000 simple recipes there. Awesome Chef is more like our own extension to Awesome Cuisine,” he narrates.
Recipes for their start-up are inspired from the existing collection at Awesome Cuisine and also from the cooking shows they watch on TV. “We pick out interesting recipes, experiment with them by adding or changing little things. Before a recipe is programmed into Awesome Chef, it is tried and tested several times in the kitchen by me, my wife and my mother too. Only when all three of us give a thumbs up, it goes live. We are taking it slow, adding one recipe per week,” explained Praveen.
The price range for each box, that serves two in general, starts from `230.Visit www.awesomechef.in for details.
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