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Rukmini Vaish belongs to Delhi! She is a nature lover and is crazy about animals. She worked for 8 years with major companies in telecom and FMCG space after her MBA and then decided to take the entrepreneurial plunge. In 2016, she co-founded CollarFolk, a platform that helps families plan pet friendly holidays. In this interview, she talks about her travel experiences, her favourite food her love for the mountains. 

Tell us all about your furry friends! 

We have 3 babies at home – Kaiser, Thor and Kiki. The boys are black labs and Kiki is a golden retriever.

Kaiser is 9 years old, he’s my father-in-law’s best friend and gives me the in-law treatment from time to time! Thor is 3 years old and has decided to adopt me as his favourite person in the house. Kiki is going to be 2, she is a diva and the brat at home.

Which has been the most memorable holiday that you’ve had with your pets?

We recently went for a trek to Chopta and Tunganath (in Garhwal, Uttarakhand) with Kiki and Thor. We trekked for 3 days through jungles, meadows and scaled the Chandrashila peak at 13000 feet. The babies loved it! They were the pack leaders, literally guiding the group through the trail, jumped into every possible stream and were the first to reach the summit. In the evenings, we’d all enjoy the bon-fire and then cuddle up in one tent. It has to be the most fun and adventurous trips in recent times.

What’s your favorite way to unwind after a hard day at work?

I like to get into bed after an early dinner and read before calling it a day. Right now I am reading From Heaven Lake by Vikram Seth and am inspired to plan a trip to Tibet soon!

If not in India, where would you like to live and why?

I have been to Australia and love the outdoorsy lifestyle of the country. I often discuss with Vijay, my husband, that it would be great if we get an opportunity to move there for some years. The most amazing part about Australia is the beautiful shore line that runs across all major cities and the plethora of travel options within a couple of hours drive. Worth mentioning is the burgeoning food scene in the country, Master Chef Australia has me hooked.

What would be your advice to those who have never had a pet before but want to adopt one soon?

Bring home a pet if you have the time and energy of bringing home a baby who never grows up. Also, adopt, don’t shop.

What’s your favourite comfort food?

I love the Tamilian vegetable stews in the winter, I have been introduced to these wonderful recipes after getting married into a Tamil family.

If granted a wish, what would you ask for?

I wish to create an ecosystem where every pet lover is able to bring up a pet at home. There are so many families who love pets but are unable to have one due to their busy lifestyles and lack of organised service providers in the pet space. On the contrary, a country like the US has 2x number of pets as compared to babies, the pet services infrastructure there allows for this.

Which is your favourite travel destination in India?

Anywhere in the Himalayas – I am a mountain person.

Rohan Mirchandani is a Co-Founder and CEO at Drums Food International, makers of Epigamia Greek Yogurt, India’s first branded Greek yogurt, and Hokey Pokey ice cream. Epigamia was launched in 2015 and is currently available across major metros. Drums Food is one of the fastest growing FMCG companies in India.

Rohan moved to India from the United States, where he grew up, in 2013 to pursue Drums Food’s foray into the FMCG space. His passion for food is linked to his passion for travel and history. He considers himself an amateur gastronomist as he can never be satisfied with a meal without knowing its origins and the culture behind the cuisine.

He has traveled to over 40 countries and has a particular obsession with how certain cultures have influenced and contributed to some of the most interesting cuisines in the world. He says, “What I find fascinating is the Italian and Jewish influence on the food of New York City, Arabic influence on Spanish cuisine, and Portuguese influence on Indian Goan cuisine.” Rohan has a Bachelor’s degree in Finance & International Business from NYU’s Stern School of Business and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

What made you move to India from the US and start Hokey Pokey?

In December 2011, while I was studying at Wharton, I had a chance encounter with Shripad Nadkarni, former head of marketing for Coca Cola India and now my mentor/advisor/investor. The meeting made me realize the potential India has in the coming decade for consumer brands. This short period of ten years or so is a once in a lifetime opportunity when brands that will stand the test of time will be created.

Do you miss living in the US? What do you miss the most about it?

Yes, I do miss living in the US, but it’s the more simple things I miss like my friends and watching my favorite American sports. However, I have met some amazing people in India in the 3 years that I have been here and they have made me feel more than at home.

Which is your favorite Epigamia flavor?

Every flavour has a unique taste and making me choose one is so difficult but our Alphonso Mango is something that I just cannot do without! The wonderful all-natural taste of Ratnagiri mangos is something I can talk about all day.

Which has been your most memorable holiday experience?

My most memorable holiday was in the year 2011 when my wife and I went to a tiny town called Frascati in Italy, outside of Rome, for a friend’s wedding. Aside from the memorable wedding, this was one of the most special holidays as we decided to land in Frankfurt, Germany a week before and make our way down to Rome in a rented car with no hotel reservations and no plan of which city we would be in next. The only goal was to get to the wedding in time! I’ve never had so much fun since as we drove down through the German Black Forest region, through Baden Baden, Munich, Verona, Florence, and then eventually Frascati (near Rome). Each day was an adventure and we just let our imaginations carry us from one location to the next, deciding only towards the end of the day while we were driving as to which city (or country) we wanted to spend the night in.

Which is your most favorite regional Indian cuisine and why?

My most favorite regional Indian cuisine is Chettinad from Tamil Nadu. As a dominant non-vegetarian, I find the mix of spices, specifically tamarind and coconut, just a delight when cooked with roasted and marinated non-vegetarian meats and seafood. My favorite is Chettinad sea food with Appams. One of the reasons I fell in love with this cuisine so much is when I realized how diverse South Indian food is beyond the usual misnomers of only idli, dosas, and wadas! I discovered the variety in non-veg South Indian food is just amazing.

Tell us the five books that have inspired you.

Buyology- Martin Lindstrom
Freakonomics- Steven Levitt
Delivering Happiness- Tony Tsieh
Short & Tragic Life of Robert Peace- Jeff Hobbs
Band of Brothers- Stephen Ambrose

If you could pursue a hobby and get paid for it, what would it be and why?

If I could get paid for traveling the world, eating all types of cuisines, and learning new languages, I’d be up for it!

Do you cook at home? What do you like to make?

I love cooking at home and having studied in Italy for 6 months, I make a pretty mean gnocchi.

When you look back at last 4 years of Hokey Pokey, what comes to your mind?

This is an endless question and I could go on and on answering it! I think my favorite story was when I was on a flight from Delhi en route Mumbai in 2014 and sat next to this person who saw me in a Hokey Pokey shirt. She assumed I was a brand manager at Hokey Pokey and proceeded to engage me in an animated conversation for over 2 hours. She was a passionate fan of the brand and gave me all types of feedback- good, bad, and ugly. She really expressed her desire to see us make some changes as she considered herself a devout customer and proponent of Hokey Pokey.

My favorite part was the surprise on her face when I told her I was the founder and CEO! She totally lost it… (laughs)

Have you tried Holachef? How was your experience?

I have ordered RAW Pressery juices and Epigamia on Holachef! The experience has been wonderful so far with the delivery.

Anuj Rakyan is the founder and MD of RAW Pressery.  His interests in health and fitness got him to launch India’s first truly healthy, “All Good. No Bad” brand of cold-pressed juices. With RAW Pressery, he aims to address the scarcity of honest and transparent products in India. He is a graduate from Duke University, North Carolina and has worked as an investment banker in the past. He loves to travel and enjoys adventure sports.

Tell us about your most favourite food and who’s most favourite chef? 

Hands down my favourite food has to be Mum’s dal chawal. No guessing who my favorite chef is! Her food is made with love. It’s food for the soul.

Share with us an interesting anecdote from your travels. 

I had made a trip to Tuscany once, where I had the privilege of spending an entire week at a castle. The landscape was breath-taking. Our in-house chef at the castle was this old Italian mamma, called Agatha. It was beautiful to see how she would pick fresh local produce and combine it with herbs, spices and olive oil to make the best Italian food I had ever had. It was an incredible experience to taste the farm fresh food prepared with affection and care.

Do you consider yourself a foodie? What’s your most favourite cuisine of all times?

There’s no sincerer love than the love for food, said George Bernard Shaw. I can’t call myself a foodie but I love indulging and exploring new cuisines and preparations from around the world and they’ve got to be vegetarian!

My most favourite cuisine of all times is Italian. Balance of flavour and the choice of fresh ingredients are the core of real Italian food. It’s something that can make me go back for a second helping.

Tell us something about Raw Pressery. What inspired you to start it?

RAW Pressery is India’s first and largest cold pressed juice brand. We’ve been in business since January 2014 and haven’t looked back ever since. RAW was carved out of a personal need to create a beverage that is healthy and tasty. I wanted to create something that mothers would feel happy giving to their kids. It’s tough to eat all the veggies and fruits everyday consistently so juicing is the best alternative. I realized that good health could begin with a simple bottle of juice! I was once in my kitchen with a Norwalk cold-press juicer splattering carrots all over the ceiling. Enter RAW Pressery.

My inspiration was addressing some simple questions:

• Why does being healthy have to be so complicated?
• Do we believe the health claims marketed by the big food companies?
• Is there any beverage brand you can really trust to be honest and healthy?

Which is your most favourite Raw Pressery drink and why?

TRIM. Nothing tastes better than fresh greens that we might miss out consuming. FOMO! (fear of missing out)

How do you like to unwind after a hard day at work?

I start by consciously turning off the technology. It’s quite a stress buster. For me the best way to unwind after a stressful day at work is when I can jump right into my Calisthenics routine. Post which a dinner with my family and close friends would be amazing.

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What do you love the most about Mumbai?

(smiles) Its people.

What is your fondest food-related memory from your childhood days?

My fondest memory is synonymous with food; revolving around my sister and Maggi. My friends and I would come back home after a night of partying and wake my sister up to make us her signature preparation of Maggie with baked beans and cheese. I think Maggi has been a part of all our childhood stories, bar none.

Do you cook? Share with us a recipe that you cook and take pride in! 

I don’t cook. But whenever I do, it’s usually breakfast. My friends love my preparation of Eggs Florentine. More than anything, I take a lot of pride in my abilities to make deliciously healthy juice mixes. Try this one, tell me if you like it:

1 juicy orange (peeled, with the pith on)

1 apple

½ banana

1 kiwi fruit

Ice (if you’d like)

Blend well and don’t add any sugar or water.

That’s how it should taste #allgoodnobad minus all the icky stuff!

Have you tried Holachef? How was your experience? 

I have tried Holachef. I love the fact that Holachef has diversity in the cuisines it has to offer. There are so many options to choose from. It’s the only portal online that has a separate set of meals catering to our breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack-time needs.

Jagruti Saxena is a Corporate Communications professional with over a decade long work experience along with triple masters in Communications Management from ARU, Cambridge (UK), MICA (Ahmedabad) and SIMC (Pune). She loves to teach and is a guest faculty at some of the leading communication institutes. She is an explorer at heart and wants to travel the world with her daughter. She is married to Saurabh Saxena, Founder – CEO, Holachef.  

Tell us something about Saurabh that we don’t already know!

Saurabh is an unassuming, simple, loving husband and a doting father with no airs or hang-ups, and that’s what I adore the most about him.

Does Saurabh cook? Who is a better cook between the two of you?

(laughs) Holachef has spoiled us for choice as far as food is concerned! But when we do cook we put our heart and soul into it. We are usually the weekend cooks.

Which has been your most memorable holiday and why?

I recently did a backpacking Spanish spree. I was awestruck with its friendly culture, art, history and cuisine. Walking through the narrow, cobbled streets and dainty houses in Spain is an experience in itself. One can’t forget the chocolate churros in a cup of thick, hot, chocolate dip!

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How often do you and Saurabh order-in from Holachef?

We call it our second kitchen!

How do you both like to unwind?

We love to go on long drives and try to take short holidays to some serene destinations as often as possible. While at home, spending quality time with our daughter (who is 4 years old) is the most rewarding experience for both of us! Being around her helps us to keep our work at bay (at least for a while!).

Being a communications professional, what do you think is the best and worst thing about it?

Warren Buffett said it best, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently”.

As communications professionals, we are always on our toes with a sword hanging on the head. At the same time, we never have a dull moment as we are always challenged to do new things or to do them differently.

If not India, where would you like to live and why?

Knowing me, I can’t be grounded to one place. Given the opportunity, I would like to work in different countries and experience the varied cultures. What a wishful thinking!

Since you are from Pune, tell us what you miss about the city.

I miss Pune for infinite reasons; top 3 being friends, weather and food! Pune is at its best in monsoons. Except for the summer time, Pune undoubtedly has one of the better climates in the country. The lovely drizzles, trekking in those rains, the road side chaat and old-school Puneri food joints, a hearty breakfast at Vaishali – a popular south Indian restaurant which is ever bustling with its fans – and many more such memories paint a nostalgic picture of this beautiful city.

What’s your favorite drink?

I love cocktails made by Saurabh. We should ask him for a name