"Welcome to land of ghaas phoos..."

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">There’s a new paradigm that Czaee and Suketu Shah’s 15 year togetherness has brought forth. The Western India CII chief and his wife have just started Nosh, a vegetarian restaurant that Suketu insists is only Czaee’s baby. "I am the back end," he says. "It is my role to provide for her, and given her penchant for food, this was a brilliant opportunity for it to finally take shape." <br />Behind every successful woman is a man. And Suketu doesn’t mind taking that backseat. In fact, he revels in it. "For me, it is an interest that stems from Czaee’s passion that shows on our table everyday, and her indepth research on veg food. And now that we are in business it is growing." But Suketu insists that it isn’t the so-called easy money that pushed him into the food fare. "Food is a business like any other with its own risks. It is the initial hype that makes it seem lucrative. The true colours only show post a year."<br />But again the place is so full of warmth and sunshine, it isn’t there just as a money spinner. It is a passion that Czaee has nurtured for years, one that she conceptualised two years ago, and finally getting the property and seeing it to inception has been nothing short of "giving birth!"<br />And now that she is through with the labour -- "16 hour workdays" -- she is all set to play hostess. "You are going to see me here all day. It’s a place that will be friendly and personal. People will feel wanted, I love meeting new people and am looking forward to leisurely chats."<br />For Czaee it’s been a long way from collecting cuttings on restaurants to travelling far and wide in search of good restaurants. And today, finally having one of her own. Her tryst from arts to food, she says, is just an attribute of her sensory personality. But also food with a mission. "We are both vegetarians and are tired of being the bane. It’s always comments like, ‘o the ghaas phoos eaters are here, now what do we get for them?’ Unfortunately, in India, knowledge of vegan food is very limited and I want to introduce people to the joys of vegetarianism."<br />Not that Nosh invites just vegans. In fact, Suketu challenges the meat eaters to walk in and assures them of no complaint. "It is just that here veg food is not hip. It always implies the Udipi, but that’s not true. No more of the stepchild treatment to vegetarian food." And here, adds Czaee, "contrary to popular belief, vegans do not lead a half fulfiled life!" <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">nupur.mahajan@timesgroup.com</span> </div> </div>