Circa 2010: NIFT interns, Vaibhav and Anshumala, meet at a brand apparel organisation in Bengaluru, miles away from their respective homes. Over time, they become friends and begin cooking and hosting friends together. After a corporate run in the fashion and lifestyle sector, they decide to pursue an MBA from foreign universities.
During a university break, they embark on a culinary trip to Istanbul, discovering the city through its food with a few locals hosting them at their homes over food, coffee readings, teas and Raki (local alcoholic drink).
They realise the power of connecting people through food on this trip, but don’t think much about it. Post MBA, Anshumala starts working for Bvlgari (Rome) and Vaibhav at Louis Vuitton (Delhi), but the two remain in touch. Seven years later (in 2017) at an event in Delhi, Vaibhav meets another food lover, Neha. In 2018, he approaches Anshumala and Neha about starting a venture around food.
That;s how Conosh was conceptualised. It finally took shape in Bengaluru last year, and now has presence in Delhi and Mumbai. "Conosh is about making friends over food, creating unforgettable memories and fostering a feeling of community living that barely exists in today's isolated digital age," says Vaibhav.
None of them has any experience in the food industry. "But food has shaped us into who we are today," says Neha, adding, "During this journey, we met a number of people and heard their stories about how food helped them overcome major low points in life."
COVID setback
Pre-COVID, Conosh had hosted over 150 pop-ups in Bengaluru and 70 in Delhi, with a diner count ranging between eight and 30! "We even catered to a wedding of 75 guests, and various corporates had begun showing interest in having these dining experiences for their teams when COVID happened," informs Anshumala. The trio took a few weeks off to reconfigure their plan of action.
"We wanted to stay true to ourselves and everyone connected with us, home chefs and customers alike," shares Vaibhav, adding their home chefs too reached out to them at the onset of lockdown seeking help.
"Unlike restaurants, home chefs have no umbrella organisation to support them. Most of them are not even registered with the FSSAI. So we signed up with them, and roped in celeb chefs who would help them upskill and educate them on running their businesses," he adds.
Celebrity flavour
This model gave shape to Social Hours wherein names like Ranveer Brar, Meghna, Kirti Bhoutika, Anna Poyviou, Sashi Cheliah, Vicky Ratnani, Anahita Dhondy, Sarah Todd and Gary Mehigan, have helped home chefs under the Conosh banner.
"When we look at their work post these workshops, it brings us immense joy. A few of the participants come from far-off places. It is fulfilling to know the value we create in setting up or scaling their business from home in the middle of a crisis," says Vaibhav.
Neha quips that Social Hours gave them an opportunity to reach different cities and regions which they may not have, had the Covid not happened. "We have had passionate home cooks from Nepal, the UAE, London, the US, Argentina, joining in! These women are fired with a passion to serve something new to their customers or their family from their kitchen," she puts in.
These days, Conosh is curating menus with home chefs, tasting it and then uploading it on their website for customers to purchase. "We recently did meals inspired by the street food of Latin America and on the recipes from A Kitchen full of Stories (written by Ummi Adbulla). Both sold out within minutes," says Neha.
"We are working on bringing more exclusive food experiences and diverse online learning sessions," says Anshumala. The three visualise Conosh as an ultimate food platform for delivery, offline pop-ups and new learnings. "But offline pop-ups will begin only after the COVID vaccine is in," says Anshumala, adding that they are now focusing to improve their food delivery.
WAY FORWARD
The three co-founders visualise Conosh as an ultimate food platform for delivery, offline pop-ups and new learnings. "But offline pop-ups will begin only after the COVID vaccine is in," says Anshumala, adding that they arenow focusing to improve their food delivery.