5 mom-preneur who started their venture out of the love for food

Over the last few years the status of women in India has been subject to many great changes.  Women in the country have scaled in every field. From managing a home maker’s job, to growing as a leader and owning a business, they have helped a lot in growing the economy. And, as eating out has become one of the most fashionable and trendy trend, women and mothers are scaling high in this field. More and more women are joining the bandwagon and pursuing their dream leaving behind the four walls. Here is a list of five strong mom-preneurs who are doing something great in the field of food.

Shailja Bhalotia, Co-Owner, Royal China Kolkata: The young and sprightly entrepreneur Shailja Bhalotia is currently on cloud nine. The co-owner of Royal China in Kolkata has recently fulfilled her childhood passion of owning a restaurant after taking up the franchise rights of the Cantonese fine-dining restaurant Royal China. “I have been aspiring to start a café or restaurant of my own. When I got the opportunity to open a franchise of a brand of the magnitude of Royal China, that too with my best friends, it was certainly a dream come true for me,” she added. In her leisure time, the fun-loving Shailja loves to cook, especially Oriental fare like Thai and Chinese. In fact, she confesses she has always been fascinated by chefs who churn out delicious and innovative cuisine. Her other hobbies include reading voraciously as well as watching movies.  

Vidisha Bathwal, Founder, Paprika Gourmet : A passionate foodie by nature and a fitness enthusiast who is driven towards perfection, Vidisha Bathwal is the Founder of Paprika Gourmet, an exotic artisan catering service that is Kolkata's premium gourmet destination.  Vidisha believes that cooking can be a vital instrument in one’s life, it often acts as a stress buster or simple bearings in the joy that comes with creating something completely exotic with the very basic ingredients. It is this pursuit for happiness, which inspired her to start Paprika Gourmet in 2011. In the span of her decade long journey with Paprika, she has won many accolades under her belt, Aparajita Award in the field of Gourmet in 2012, Go Getter YFLO Kolkata Gourmand in 2018, Just Dial Paprika Take Away in 2018, and Sanjeev Kapoor Cooking Competition in 2019 by FICCI Ladies.

Madhuri Sen: “My day job is that of a marketing and brand communications strategist, with my own boutique consultancy ACE Brand Strategist,” shared Madhuri Sen of RATS Bikers Café, Thane. It is the only one in India set up, run and managed by an active bikers community, a first of its kind in the country, serving a delectable range of burgers, bao, sandwiches etc along with coffee made of beans sourced from Chennai and tea leaves from the Kodukkumalai estate in Kerala.

“Children in particular are very excited by the experience. It reminds me of my son, Aaryan's early fascination for bikes. He's now a strapping young man who enjoys both rides and drives, as long as it takes him places. Like mother, like son. He often helps out at the Café,” added Sen.

Salma Saluddin, Homechef: She was the only child, raised by a single parent, as she lost her mother when she could barely speak. Taking over the household responsibility came early to her and so was her marriage that too in a joint family. Life wasn’t exactly a fairy tale for Salma Saluddin who went on to become a mother of 2 daughters which was again considered a stigma. Today, at the age of 75 she runs Ameez Kitchen serving koknai muslim food in Mumbai.  

Pooja Singhal, Founder & Inventor of Coriander: A first generation entrepreneur who is passionate about inventing healthy and nutritional food. The business was inspired out of her deep interest in reinventing the regular every day, food dishes into healthy food dishes, without compromising on quality, Flavour and Taste. “Mother is a glue that keeps everything together yet invisible, shared Singhal who is a mother to 17 years old "Stuti"and Priyanshu."