In the run-up to Valentine’s Day, there is much talk of what to wear, where to eat and what to gift to your loved ones. At its essence though, this day should be about celebrating love, stripped of all the fineries and fripperies. To inspire you, The Daily Guardian rounds up five power couples from the Delhi food scene, who work together and navigate life together, with oodles of love.
GUNJAN AND VIKRANT BATRA
CO-FOUNDERS, CAFÉ DELHI HEIGHTS AND BAKEHOUSE COMFORT BY CAFÉ DELHI HEIGHTS
Fondly known as Nano and Shammi by their family members and friends, Gunjan and Vikrant have been together for 23 years. Family friends since childhood, they consider themselves two sides of the same coin. He doesn’t cook, but food is his first love, and she loves to cook but was never keen on the business aspect till she met him. It was only when Vikrant launched Café Delhi Heights in 2011, that Gunjan became an active part of operations.
“As a pastry chef, she takes care of the whole bakery production. She also handles the pan-Asian and European cuisines. While I’ve been busy setting up the operations of Café Delhi Heights in other places, Gunjan does the overall supervision of the outlets, and she recently also launched her own bakery brand Bakehouse Comfort,” says Vikrant.
DEVINA AND AKSHAY ANAND
CO-FOUNDERS, OPHELIA, TOY ROOM AND COZY BOX
Devina and Akshay Anand studied in the same school without knowing each other well and went on to pursue different paths in life. In time, Akshay quit his job to pursue his true passion—food, and that is how he crossed paths with the foodie Devina after 16 years. Before long, they were married.
Akshay builds the brands from conception to realisation along with handling day-to-day operations, and Devina is in charge of the PR and marketing and contributes to the design and presentation of the outlet.
“We discuss everything related to work with each other, including the R&D of food, conceptualisation, branding and positioning of outlets and even marketing strategies,” says Akshay.
POOJA AND DINESH ARORA
CO-FOUNDERS, UNPLUGGED COURTYARD, LA ROCA AND CHICA
Pooja and Dinesh Arora’s love story is straight out of a movie—it was love at first sight and the girl is the one who proposed! Dinesh has been in the hospitality business since 2009 when he opened his first restaurant Elf Cafe & Bar in Hauz Khas Village. In 2016, Pooja joined him by taking over the business’ marketing and social media.
Dinesh believes his wife’s support got him through tough times. Pooja adds, “We enjoy the same kind of food, the same genres of music, and travel together—so we have always complemented each other. It’s the same for our restaurants—Dinesh handles the restaurant design, operations, finance, set up, and team building, and I supervise the marketing and day to day operations for the outlets.”
CHRISTINE AND KAZEM SAMANDARI
CO-FOUNDERS, L’OPERA
It was love at first sight for Christine and Kazem Samandari, who met on a Baha’i winter camp in Switzerland. Christine lived and studied in Paris and Kazem in Zurich.
Six months of courtship and many overnight train trips later, Kazem proposed to Christine. The Samandari family opened L’Opéra in Delhi in 2011 as their son Laurent wanted to introduce authentic French baking to India.
When he decided to do this, the entire family moved lock, stock, and barrel to India to support his vision. “Christine is the custodian of the brand, and the protector of L’Opéra’s Frenchness,” explains Kazem, who operates as the Executive Chairman of the company. Their forte lies in handling their individual responsibilities while helping each other achieve their collective vision.
AAVIKA AND UTSAV CHHAWCHHARIA
CO-FOUNDERS, HONEY & DOUGH
Aavika and Utsav’s love story began in Hansraj College, Delhi University. They also pursued their Master’s degree in London together, before getting married. Aavika acutely felt the lack of a good bakery brand in Delhi that encompassed all kinds of baked goods under one roof. Hence, she took the plunge by launching Honey & Dough. “When we launch a new product, both of us are involved in the tasting and feedback. I share my suggestions on all aspects of the business with him and he implements them. But we are still in the process of learning,” says Aavika.
Their strategy for staying efficient is to operate from separate offices. “We make sure to have a healthy discussion about work and not enter each other’s space. And it’s a rule to not talk about work post-dinner,” she adds. With nine outlets across Delhi-NCR and expansion in the pipeline, this couple is certainly on the right track.
The writer pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be reached on nooranand@gmail.com.