Mexican, Italian & exotic grills right in your kitchen

PUNE: Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson says, “Cooking is in an honest profession where you cannot hide and let others do the work for you. You have to show up, work hard and prove you can do it faster and better. And find a mentor who will recognize your talent and push you in the right direction.”
That was then. Today, thanks to the many ready-to-assemble food options, everyone is a chef, and a pretty good one at that, in the confines of their own kitchen.
Ready-to-assemble is markedly different from read-to-eat. In the latter, not only is one wary of trans fat and preservatives, but sometimes the taste is not to one’s liking. Also, it is something you just heat and eat — nothing great about that.
But the moment you have a ready-to-assemble meal, you are at least partly fulfilling your desire to cook. This concept is largely for people who love to cook and eat healthy but unfortunately do not always have the luxury of finding the time to do so, feel these entrepreneurs.
Ajeet Kalbag, chef and owner, Ezkhaana, makes sure that patrons get marinated meats and veggies on order. All they have to do is barbecue it at home. “Doing something unique in the culinary field has always been my forte. Also, I wanted to do something more with the resources I already had because of the restaurants I operate,” he says.
Kalbag realised that that there is scope for marinated meats and cooking kits in Pune with its huge demographic of BPO professionals and working individuals as well as couples in the software industry who have a taste for fine food.
“So I thought what if these people got freshly marinated veggies, seafood and meats which can be cooked at their convenience. The consumers can barbeque, fry or just cook on a tawa. Basically I wanted to deliver a range of products offering unique taste from a variety of cuisines and simple cooking procedures that any novice cook could easily do,” says Kalbag.
Chef's Basket is another such online venture that promises to deliver ready-to-assemble meals at your doorstep. At the click of a mouse, you have Italian, Mexican or a Thai spread to impress your friends and family.
Says Shanti T Menon, “I was sick of hosting South Indian dinners at home so I thought of ordering from Chef's Basket. Now my burritos are the talk of the town! And it was so easy to put together. All you do is follow instructions and voila! Now, I am waiting to try out their Thai range.”
Greentokri is a known name across Pune. They were probably the first to get organic produce to Pune tables. From veggies to fruits to herbs and at times even farm-grown fish.
But one needs to evolve to stay afloat. And that’s what Greentokri has done. After coming up with pickles, dressings and preserves, they turned to making things easier for their patrons with their fast-selling salad bowls.
“These salad bowls have everything that you might need. The veggies and the dressing of your choice. And the portion is perfect for a meal for one. All you need to do is pick a bowl from any of the many departmental stores in the city and you can enjoy a healthy meal on the go,” says IT entrepreneur Anagha K Deshmukh.
Another new entrant in this ready-to-assemble section is Big Basket. Says marketing manager Pooja Ravishankar, “There is a need in the market for convenience related products. The market is projected to grow at 22% CAGR till 2019. We realised that such growth potential backed by our expertise in handling fresh produce can spur an entire segment of cut-and-ready-to-use fruits and veggies.”
Ravishankar feels Pune is a growing city and is an IT hub with busy professionals who want to do away with the drudgery of everyday routine chores. We believe that cut fruits and veggies is one of the convenience factors that will give more time to these time-strapped professionals.
Looking at the promising prospects ahead, Kalbag says, “We are all set to launch meal kits within this fortnight, which will deliver to consumers all the ingredients of their favorite Indian, Oriental and Western delicacies in their own kitchen with cooking and serving instructions.”