A granddaughter found a loyal customer base for her grandmother’s podis, pickles and chutneys through My Grandmoms Kitchen. An oncology researcher used his knowledge to bake treats for cancer patients, through Wholesome Rhapsody. But they aren’t the only ones in town getting creative in their kitchens.
The second edition of Ministry of Home Chefs, curated and organised by city-based Eat Pay Love, features 20 such food entrepreneurs. Most of them are new initiatives still trying to make their mark, but some are well-recognised names in the city. Says Munira Daniel, co-founder of Eat Pay Love, “The idea is to give people who have something unique to offer, a solid platform. There are many talented people who really know what they’re doing in the kitchen, but lack the marketing and branding expertise to put their work out there.”
So expect naturally-flavoured probiotic drinks by Abhas Probiotics; lesser-known Bengali sweets like ice cream sandesh by House of Kshir; tea cakes, granola bars, energy bars and smoothies from Akimi Gourmet; pasteurised honey from the Western Ghats by Ghats Honey; podis and pickles by My Grandmoms Kitchen; millet biryani by Shubha Vilasini and more. For Munira and co-founder Batul Turab, the event is not just about putting them in touch with customers. “These entrepreneurs get business opportunities from an event like this. In our previous edition in September, some brands had been picked up by city retail chains. One had been approached by a high-end hotel,” she says.
This further prompted the duo to put the home chefs they found, through a vetting process. “The idea is to bring in newer, lesser-known brands. Except for brands like Wholesome Rhapsody and Shubha’s millet biryani, which people insisted we bring back a second time, all the 20 entrepreneurs are new to Ministry of Home Chefs. For some, this is actually their debut as a full-fledged business. So we had to make sure that their product and process were consistent, their packaging was good, they had a brand and identity in place...”
Ministry of Home Chefs — Edition II will be held on April 26 and 27 at The English Tea Room, Alwarpet, from 11 am to 8 pm. For details, call 7299702277.