Finding her silver lining amid pandemic

Strap: City-based home entrepreneur found her calling in cooking healthy recipes

Neha Saini

Tribune news service

Amritsar, May 21

Though the pandemic brought misery upon businesses across the world, there are some home-based entrepreneurs who have been finding possibilities even in the most trying times. Priya Chauhan, who started her food label Food Zen, six months back, is one among such entrepreneurs.

Priya (36) comes from a family of jewellers and till a year back, was a dedicated homemaker, who never really jumped at the opportunity of setting up her own business. “Cooking for me was not something that I did regularly, until the lockdown was imposed. Being home bound, it gave me an opportunity to try my hand experimenting with recipes in my kitchen. I am big time into eating healthy, so I used to cook up recipes using healthier, nutritious ingredients. My family was the first to taste my food. It encouraged me with every attempt I made, until one day, my sister threw in the idea of starting my own food business,” she shares. And that’s how she started with Food Zen, cooking and curating customised food platters for her customers.

Priya has been catering to specific tastes, with her food label. “My food is not about universal standard menu. I prepare specific recipes, with multiple items in a platter. I mostly use healthier options such as whole wheat and multi grains for breads, seeds, quinoa and whatever the order demands. But I do not compromise on taste and hygiene.” Currently, she operates through a network of supply chains and delivery agents. “I do not take bulk orders but only pre-orders, as I am building on my brand yet. My mantra is not quantity but quality. I feel that under current circumstances, more than profits, a brand needs to work with sensitivity and practicality,” she says. A first-time entrepreneur, she does not have any formal training in culinary skills.

“I feel that my brand brings together two passions — cooking and art. I like to curate visually appealing food for my clients as I feel that food is therapeutic, both for eyes as well as body. That’s the idea behind the Food Zen’s foundation.”