Juggling act
India’s F&B industry, much like the Middle East’s, employs a distinct lack of females, he highlights.
“There are a few women who get into this profession, but they don’t stay long enough,” Kapoor says.
“Working in a professional kitchen is very physically demanding and in India – no matter what profession you’re in –women take charge of the home. They look after the kids and everything else. There are no fixed hours it’s seven days a week and when they have to work as well, it becomes very difficult for them to cope.
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“Most women still cook [for their families] but they don’t get any recognition for that.
“Cooking is something they have to do – they don’t get any appreciation and there’s no value to it,” continues Kapoor.
“So I thought I can help by allowing them to start making some money through the cooking that they’re already doing and I devised a method for this.”
Kapoor launched Wonderchef, a retail business promoting handpicked cookware, kitchen tools and accessories from some of the world’s best brands to housewives. He had two objectives: firstly to “enable the Indian homemaker to cook tastier, healthier food, conveniently”, but more importantly to “empower the Indian woman by enabling her to create a business of her own, boosting her pride and household income”.
Put simply, with minimal investment women can start their own businesses selling the products to their friends and family earning 5000 Indian rupees (around US $90) and up each month.
“That gives them a lot of confidence, they can stand out and feel the power,” says Kapoor, who explains that the women are trained to cook certain recipes requiring specific products. They can pass these recipes on to others who may wish to buy the products so they can recreate the dishes for themselves.
“If you want to make money you can. Cooking and sharing recipes is something they were doing before and not getting any recognition for, but suddenly [with Wonderchef] they are and they don’t even have to leave their homes.”
Feeling inspired
It’s not only women Kapoor seeks to inspire. For readers thinking ‘I could be famous too’, he says it’s easy to make the transition from kitchen into the limelight.
“The chef isn’t just the one who cooks something brilliant, he already has the whole package. Any good chef is complete in all ways from the dishes that speak for themselves to knowing the costs and interacting with the diners. They have to understand people and bring their own flavour and emotion into the food.”
As for becoming a ‘celebrity chef’: “It just depends on the mediums you use to reach out to more people and make yourself more known. You have to share more – not just your food, but your philosophy and everything,” Kapoor concludes.
Restaurant brands by Sanjeev Kapoor
Khazana: Flagship, upscale restaurant that serves chef-inspired, redefined Indian dishes
The Yellow Chilli: A Casual restaurant serving popular Indian food with a twist
Pin Yin Café: Soon to be launched - casual oriental restaurant with an all-day dining café format that serves popular Asian cuisine
Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor: A fine-dining restaurant serving Kapoor’s authentic Indian signature dishes
Sura Vie: A live music lounge that showcases contemporary Indian music and a hand-crafted international comfort menu
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