From gourmet cuisine and experimental cuisine to Pan-Asian, cloud kitchens in the city are offering complex culinary experiences
How about a classic Italian risotto made from native sticky black rice or umami pasta with miso, served fresh in Coimbatore? “It’s a great fusion of Italian and Japanese flavors and tastes,” describes Siddhartha Sethi, one of the founders of The Cloud Kitchen Project (@cloudkitchenproject), a community’s first cloud kitchen located in RS Puram.
Three friends, Pavitra Priya, Dhiren Khaturia and Siddharth, who share a common passion for food, came together to start this venture and provide an intimate culinary experience for the patrons as well as themselves. The trio is part of a growing tribe that is thriving with new business ideas in the delivery and takeaway space.
(From left) Siddharth Sethi, Pavitra Priya, and Dhiren Khaturia of The Cloud Kitchen Project. photo Credit: Periyasamy Mo
According to a report by RedSeer Management Consulting, the domestic cloud kitchen market is expected to grow from $400 million in 2019 to $2 billion by 2024. Cloud kitchens, known as ghost or dark kitchens that only deliver food, are leading the way to bring about this change. Unlike brick-and-mortar restaurants, cloud kitchens do not offer dine-in facilities. They take orders through apps – in-house or Zomato or Swiggy – and operate single or multiple food brands.
Dee’s Cookhaus (@deescookhaus), located in Ram Nagar, offers delicious Thai, Indonesian, Italian and Sri Lankan food for lunch and dinner. Started by Deepika Kumaran in September last year, it has added a sub brand Crumble and Cookies for gourmet cookies. “Cloud kitchen was at its peak during the pandemic, with restrictions in food. I converted the roof of my house into a kitchen. During her MBA in London, Deepika worked part time in an Indo-Mexican restaurant there. “Exposure and research helped me design an international menu. The people here are game to try Thai, Chinese, sushi or anything new. We also plan to offer Turkish Chicken Kebabs, Falafel Wraps and African Jollof Rice are.
While Siddharth and Pavitra have graduated in hospitality from ITC School in Manipal, Dhiren is a passionate cook. They have jointly done a few projects on consultancy in the past. Pavitra adds, “People here always wanted something new, but they did not have access. We have never made a South Indian menu till now and we sell experimental food every week. ,
There’s a story behind every dish in the Cloud Kitchen project. The team has executed over 100 orders across 35 weekend menus so far.
“We draw inspiration from our travel experiences and extend it like umami pasta or something shared by our staff who are from all over India. One of our cooks is from a village near Kolkata where he cuts brinjals, coats them Gram FlourFry like bhajiyas. Later, they fry the onions directly over the fire, chop them, add mustard oil, lemon, coriander and add the brinjals. pakoras, You will soon see it on our menu,” explains Siddharth. They come up with a new menu every Wednesday on Instagram and deliver dinner orders on the weekends.
personal touch
Networking and community is a priority. “You cannot place an order without chatting with one of the founders. To enhance the experience, we have come up with a brunch menu where the QR code on the brunch box opens a list of music that they can enjoy while enjoying the meal. Can hear in the background. His Instagram page is buzzing with behind-the-scenes videos of what’s going on in the 2,000-square-foot kitchen. Siddharth says, “We want to build a community; restaurants, small businesses, vendors, farmers and A conducive place for organic players to grow and help each other.”
William Fann (in blue) and Wilson Fan who run China Valley and Ninha Chinese restaurants with the chef in their Wills Cloud kitchen. photo Credit: Periyasamy Mo
Along with new players, restaurant owners such as William Fann and Wilson Fann, who have run China Valley and Ninho Restaurants for more than two decades, aggressively ventured into the online delivery space during the pandemic. His Wills Cloud Kitchen serves Mancho Soup, Lippen Chicken, Chili Garlic Rice, Thai Basil Noodles, Seafood Platter,. “We wanted to keep the business running and keep the employees engaged. We cannot depend only on food aggregators. We have also roped in local delivery boys. People can set up a cloud kitchen with a budget between ₹2 lakh to ₹15 lakh. A neat, clean kitchen space is a pre-requisite. And passion.”
Agree Lalitha Gautam, founder and administrator of Kovai Foods, an online forum that tracks food trends around the world. It has more than 20,000 members. “While cloud kitchens have been around, players big and small like housewares are now seeing a booming business opportunity.”
big picture
Ranjana Singhal, who has been working in the industry for over two decades, says that food aggregators play a vital role, especially when you have to fulfill orders from multiple locations. It had to close its two cloud kitchens, while the existing one offers parathas, sandwiches, pizza and pasta. “Finger foods like tikkas, burgers, and perhaps biryani work well, especially among the youth. With the stringent FSSAI norms, there is also a reality check among chefs.”
The Cloud Kitchen Project has added a sub brand Van Dough Pizza (inspired by Van Gogh!) that makes artisan pizzas. Some of the unique flavors on offer include the Kerala Roast Vegetable Pizza with pickled onions and continental pizzas such as sherry wine, cream sauce with leeks and garlic tomato marinade used as the base and topped with baby potatoes and rosemary.
“One thing we really miss is serving people, watching them react to our food, and watching the hustle and bustle of a packed dining hall,” says Dhiren, “the dishes, the flavor profiles, the dishes that go well.” work from, become a different brand. Like Van Dough, there will be more. We also want to serve as a platform for restaurants to assess the market, experiment with menus and help them build a brand. Currently, a trial run for the Shawarma brand is going on in Chennai.
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