Tall, blonde and athletic, Yair and Vadith Abramovich make a striking pair. The adventurous expat food entrepreneurs are regulars at their local vegetarian diner Rangnata in one of Bengaluru’s more conservative suburbs. However, they have a larger vision other than their daily fix of pongal, idlis, dosas and bisibele bhath. They are on a mission to make their affordable Mediterranean food like felafel, pita and hummus an essential part of the city’s street food scene under their brand FLFL-Meal in a Pocket.
“It was a mission that did not happen overnight or on a sudden impulse,” they say. The Abramoviches are clearly driven by intense passion, one that compelled them to leave their family and friends behind in the Red Sea town of Eilat in Israel and take on all the challenges of operating in a foreign culture and way of life in India’s Silicon Valley. Their passion is also evident when they describe their long and tedious 16-hour work days, their interesting interaction with their customers, their delight in the local cuisine and customs and pride in their own culinary heritage.
“Our food is a pure vegetarian fusion of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours with European patisserie influences,” they say, as they narrate their journey. Born and raised in Israel, the Abramoviches lived “every Jewish mothers” dream. Yair graduated from Technion, a top engineering institution in the country, going on to become vice-president of research and development at a tech company, while Vardit became a lawyer at one of the top commercial law firms. Then in 2000, Yair’s firm was acquired by an American company and the couple decided to step off the corporate ladder and reassess their goals.
“We started by pursuing our interest in water sports and getting our professional scuba diving instructor certification. Then we worked as scuba instructors in Eilat. By 2001, we qualified for a sailing and skipper license and spent some wonderful weeks cruising with friends in a small yacht in the Mediterranean sea,” say the duo. Then they decided to widen their horizons and explore different ideas and cultures though travel.
The Abramoviches set off on their adventure in 2002 and were drawn to India.
“We were fascinated by its history, mystery, people, and food. We ended up at Pushkar in Rajasthan and made friends with Prem and Pawan Sharma, people we still consider family,” says Vardith. Together, the four friends established a successful restaurant called Shivam Garden in 2004 where they served pizzas, Mediterranean and North Indian cuisine. Shivam Garden is still running successfully under the Sharmas.
After launching Shivam Garden, the Abramoviches returned to Israel to equip themselves with a degree in management and culinary sciences to become full-fledged restaurateurs. India was still on the cards, but this time they decided to invest in intensive market research first. “We found Bengaluru was perfect. It has great climate and an attractive cosmopolitan vibe, so we came here. We started operations in 2012 with a functional bakery and central kitchen without any fuss or fancy ambiance. Quality ingredients, hygienic operations and authentic flavours were our forté,” they say.
Though FLFL, the duo supply excellent pita and specialty breads, Mediterranean chilled and cooked salads, and dips like Hummus, Tahini, Babaganush and Matbouha to restaurants, supermarkets and catered events. Adjacent to the bakery and central kitchen, they run a modest outlet offering a limited version of their menu that is very popular with the locals who stop by for Falafel, Pita, Shawarma, a Majadra Rice meal or Pita Topy (a special fluffy pizza with different toppings). For desserts there are Turkish Mallabi (a rich creamy dessert), dark mousses and a slew of pastries.
“The response has been encouraging. It is not surprising, since FLFL is all vegetarian and uses ingredients close to the Indian palate—cumin, coriander, chickpeas etc,” says Yair. Bengalureans in particular, seem to love Mediterranean food and will appreciate the option to enjoy it across multiple locations around the city.
“We plan to open five outlets in the next two years offering our full-fledged menu, including a Mezze meal, Falafel meal, Couscous, Kubbe, Hummus platters as well as fresh and cooked vegetabl es salads for which our region is so famous,” says Yair.