Tea Break With Shaheen – Some Chit Chat Over A Cup Of Tea!

‘Tea Break with Shaheen’ is a whole new series where I shall be interviewing food bloggers from all around the world and their success stories that can inspire my readers to follow their foot prints and achieve their goals.

The sweetest victory is the one that’s most difficult. The one that requires you to reach down deep inside, to fight with everything you’ve got, to be willing to leave everything out there on the battlefield—without knowing, until that do-or-die moment, if your heroic effort will be enough. To achieve the greatest success, you have to embrace the prospect of failure. When the rewards of success are great, embracing possible failure is key to taking on a variety of challenges. My secret to success is: If we set our own standards for success, and follow them, then we are successful. It’s that plain and simple. We spend a lot of time observing the success of others, seeking inspiration into how we can achieve our own. Someone has a successful startup, so perhaps we should start our own. Sharing 5 wonderful stories of common people who thrived to success and are now established food bloggers.

Freda Sera Dias from Aromatic Essence

Freda Sera Dias from Mumbai is Master in Analytical Chemistry and is now settled in United States Of America. Freda is a pharmaceutical associate by profession and love to travel and explore places, a big time foodie and a passionate photographer. She is married and currently living in US with my husband and 2 children. Freda shares that her parents had a busy and tough work schedule and so her childhood was mostly with her grandparents for most part of her life and visited home during weekends. Though she has no complaints, as
being a parent herself she know the challenges that one has to deal with to raise a family. Freda is grateful and
thankful for being raised by strong individuals who have molded her into the person that she is today.

• On asking about her work/job before and when and why she decided to become a food blogger, Freda says – ” I was working for a pharmaceutical company in Mumbai. My husband’s job required him to relocate here, so I gave up my job. For a year I did practically nothing, was just busy raising up my son. But I’m the kinds who can’t sit idle. When you are away from family, with no help or support, life pretty much teaches you how to manage everything on your own. From cooking, to groceries to household chores, you name it! So yes, that is how I learnt! Then I also happened to join many food groups on Facebook, I came across so may bloggers and their fabulous work, that it inspired me to set my foot into the blogging world too! I started Aromatic essence in March 2015.” 
• Everyone has a vision to success, you must have had one, right? – “You’d laugh at me if I say, I had no vision! In fact I didn’t know anything about blogging. I just knew, I had to cook, click pics, write something and publish it! Pretty naive, I know! But I had no expert advice, neither did I have any blogger friend to guide me. I just went with the flow.” 
• Well you are truly gifted then but please tell our readers about your inspirational sources and what does cooking actually mean to you? – “Cooking initially was something that I needed to learn in order to feed my family. But I realized it was just like what I did at work, the only difference being flasks, test tubes and chemicals were replaced with utensils, ladles and kitchen gadgets 😀 Now I enjoy cooking and learning about new cuisines, new bakes! I find it interesting, especially baking, it is a science and I feel more inclined towards it. A lot of established bloggers inspired me to commence my blogging journey, Garima Sarolia Narera , Farrukh Shadab to name a few!” 
• Tell us something about your struggles/ high points in this journey ? – “I still think I need a long way to go before I think of myself as an established blogger. Most of it has been a struggle, because I did not know how it works in these 2 years. Once I began interacting with folks from the blogging world did I get an insight on how things work. The high point in this journey would have to be my post for Bourbon biscuits. It was loved my most people and it felt great as I least expected it, bonus being it was the first post I published after my daughter, Katelyn was born, so it will always be special �� ” 
• Oh! your Bourbon Biscuits were worth giving a try, even I tried it and they came out amazing, that was one of the most loved post on my blog as well. Freda, you’ve come a long way in these 2 years of blogging, i’m sure you must be having some real good media mentions in your kitty as well. Our readers would love to know about them too – ” Media mentions are always rewarding and i do have two of them. My recipes were featured in Huffpost and FeedFeed which i believe was very encouraging and satisfying.” 
• Are you a technical savvy or you have a help at home ? – ” I had a free wordpress blog for nearly a year when I decided it was time to take this to the next level. I have to thank my friend Soniya Saluja for motivating me to take this decision. Her husband pretty much set my the self hosted site for me, which was of immense help. Since then I have been managing everything myself.”
• I’ve seen you have an amazing number of audience, how do you build them, do you have any promotional strategies? – ” Social media is what most bloggers use to promote their blog, and so do I. I’ve not paid much attention to anything else besides Facebook all along, now I see some potential from other social media such as Pinterest, Instagram and the likes. So I’m trying to focus on those as well. Every day there is something new to learn about.”
• Are there any mistakes you did in your blogging journey and how did you rectify them? – “Like I’ve mentioned above, I focused too much on Facebook, and I ignored other social media platforms. It’s better late than never, and I’m focused on working towards other social media right now.”
• How do you find yourself different in this race ? – ” I find Goan cuisine is one such cuisine that has been least blogged about. I’d like to write more about that and make it my niche in this blogging world, which would also make me different.”
• We would love to know a little bit more about you, your daily routine when you aren’t blogging, you must be having couple of good friends too, how do they know you? – ” I have my hand’s full with my kids and household chores. My hubby is away from home for most part as his job demands it.  I’m pretty much occupied the entire day with never ending chores. Yes i’m blessed with some good friends and they know me as this person who is well organized, strong, a happy go lucky girl and one that can dish out some good food for them 😀 “
• What makes you feel rewarding ? Where do you wish to go from here ? “”A simple feedback that someone tried and loved the recipe is a big reward and gives me immense satisfaction. Honestly I’m still trying to figure this one out. I’m open to any such opportunities.”
• Would you like to give a piece of advise to the newbies and the seasoned bloggers in the fraternity ? – “To all the new comers I’d just have to say, be prepared for what you are getting into. It seems simple from outside, but once you get into it, you realize it’s not as pretty as a picture. It’s all the hard work that goes into one single post which may not even be appreciated at times and at other times you may find your work has been plagiarized openly. Start a blog whole heartedly without having any expectations in return and only then you will be happy. That’s the emotional part of it. For the technical part, do your homework, do you want to start off with a free blog with wordpress or blogger etc? Do you want to directly start off with a self hosted site? It’s all up to you, the vision you have for your blog. Is it just a hobby or are you looking to monetize it? List down all the pros and cons, why would you like to invest in a blog? Then make a decision and try to stick with it. Moving to a self hosted site requires you to stay committed, if you decide to stop blogging, you would simply have to shut the blog, so think clearly!”
• Any success Mantra you would like to share with our readers ? – “Once you get into blogging, just blog! Don’t think about what will work and what won’t! You never know what is going to be liked. So keep sharing and adding good content to your blog 😊” 
• Now that you are an achiever, whom would you like to owe your success? Do you have a mentor or an idol or you just want to give it to yourself ? – “I have to owe it to my Mom and Mom in law first, for teaching me the basics in cooking. They are my biggest mentors and I love them both.  I partly started the blog to document all my family recipes that I’ve learnt from them so I can pass it down to my kids. And last but not least many bloggers, whose work I’m in awe of. They are just exceptionally good at what they do! “
• We love your recipes, and we won’t let you go without sharing one of your favorite with our audience – “Since the bourbon biscuit recipe received so much love, I’d love to share it here too, http://aromaticessence.co/2017/03/15/bourbon-biscuits/ “

 Amrita Iyer from The Food Samaritan

Amrita Iyer is  young, married food blogger from Lucknow who is MBA in Human Resource and is now settled in the city of dreams, Mumbai.

We recently had a chit chat with Amrita over a cup of Tea, and this is what she has to tell our readers about her success story.

• Tell us more about yourself, your family, childhood and education ? – “I was born in Lucknow on July 4 1984. I lost my father at the age of
  3 months and was bought up by my mother and maternal grandparents.My
  mother is currently retired and was a trainer in entrepreneurship
  and an ex professor in Amity University.I am an only child so grew
  up with much much pampering as well as seeing the struggle my mother went through to educate me so that I was successfully established in life.She ensured I was a post graduate and well employed to be an empowered lady. My Grandpa passed away in 1998 and taught me how to live lift the fullest.He was a retired scientist in the prestigious Central Drug Research Institute(CDRI) in Lucknow.After retirement he used to assist my grandma by cutting veggies,going shopping and doing household chores. My grandma was a superb cook and my spare time was mostly spent in observing her work work in the kitchen which I would later emulate.After her demise in 2011 I was shattered but wanted to pay a fitting tribute to her. In answer I started a food blog!”
• You are a brave girl Amrita, a role model for many of us. So what were you doing before blogging? Let us know more about your job, when and why did you decide to step into food blogging? – “I had returned from Canada with my husband in 2011 after a brief stint of 1 year.Before marriage I was employed with Dell International Services in Gurgaon.I settled in Mumbai. My health deteriorated after coming to India and I was hospitalised as I could not tolerate the high pollution levels in Mumbai.I was advised against working professionally and I looked at other options I could pursue from home. I was deeply cut up after losing my grandmother and decided to start a food blog.At that time I used to
  post pics of the recipes I made which was appealing to everyone including renowned food bloggers.My friend and Chef Shiyam Nagarajan also motivated and encouraged me for the same.Once in a fit of determination I logged in to blogger and started a food blog. No looking back ever since.”
• What was your vision from your blog when you started ? – “I started my blog to dedicate it to my ancestors – my grandparents,their parents and all the ladies who were fab cooks and whose talents were never given any recognition.They would be remembered eternally through my blog as many of the traditional recipes are theirs.”
• Well you are truly gifted then but please tell our readers about your inspirational sources and what does cooking actually mean to you? -” For me cooking is a passion.It starts with me writing the recipe in a diary,reviewing it,trying to think if any additional ingredient can be added,revising it and sketching out the post shot. Cooking the recipe,laying out props,shooting the recipe,editing and posting..and that marks the end of another fabulous post!”
• Tell us something about your struggles/ high points in this journey ? – ” Nothing is easy when we start.I had a lot of trouble initially shooting pics,food styling and presentation and most of all – I was very apprehensive in posting the recipes as I was nervous about people’s reaction.It took me a good one year to be recognised and accepted into the blogger community as I fell ill again and was unable to post 4 months at a stretch. My mother as well as my husband were my firm support here when I was battling with my mental demons and encouraged and motivated me all along till I was completely positive and confident to blog and present my recipes. As regards photography I am in a learning phase with great photographers and bloggers guiding me namely Chef Shiyam Nagarajan and ace blogger Simi Jois.I also learn from bloggers like Shaheen Ali,Binjal Pandya and Farrukh Shadab.”
• You have come a long way today, would you like to share your accolades / recognition achieved that can inspire our readers as well ? – “My first award came my way when I was not even a blogger.I won an Italian Contest by Chef Ritu Dalmia and then got a certificate for cooking with Radikal Basmati Rice in my society.Then it was recipe sharing platforms like BetterButter and Plattershare which really recognized my recipes and I can never thank them enough for the awards they bestowed on me!”
• Are you a technical savvy or you have a help at home ? – “I mostly manage all the technical aspects of the blog but occasionally get help from my husband who is a techie himself.”
• I’ve seen you have an amazing number of audience, how do you build them, do you have any promotional strategies? – ” Effective SEO Settings for the blog. Recipe sharing platforms like BetterButter and Plattershare. My Facebook Page Sharing my recipes on other Facebook Recipe Pages. Participating in weekly and monthly recipe challenges.”
• Are there any mistakes you did in your blogging journey and how did you rectify them? –“My mistakes were :
  1.No HD Pics which resulted in less viewership during the initial
  days.
  2.Defective SEO Settings resulting in less and almost no pull ups on
  Google Search.
  3.Defective networking.
  However these have been resolved efficiently now!”
• How do you find yourself different in this race ? – “each recipe as a contribution to my family’s legacy rather than an addition to my blog!I know somewhere up there my ancestors would be proud of me!”
• We would love to know a little bit more about you, your daily routine when you aren’t blogging, you must be having couple of good friends too, how do they know you? – ” I am a trained Classical Music Artiste and practice the art whenever possible.I love writing my views and keep a diary for the same.I also love sewing,stitching and embroidery and love making tapestry. My friend knows me as a “fun loving,making others laugh and feeding everyone” kind of person.In my college days I used to bake cakes at home and take for my friends.They still remember those days and are of the opinion that I becoming a food blogger was imminent.”
• What makes you feel rewarding ? Where do you wish to go from here ? -“My improvements in photography,my husband’s view of my food as he is the food connoisseur and tells me the defects as he is a cook par excellent as well.When people tell me “Thank you for the recipe” my day is made and objective achieved! I want to start my You Tube Channel for videos and want to cook in front of the whole world”
• Would you like to give a piece of advise to the newbies and the seasoned bloggers in the fraternity ? – “Do an efficient R&D for the same and invest in a DSLR as it is very efficient for food photography. You need to look for a great host for your blog.Post queries on Facebook pages and ask questions regarding any doubts you have. Do not be afraid to ask.You will surely get help.”
• Is there any success Mantra you would like to share with our readers ? – “Have patience and persistence.Do not expect a quick rise as we are not breads!We are human beings who grow through experience and hard work.”
• We love your recipes, and we won’t let you go without sharing one of your favorite with our audience – “ I would love to share my most favorite finger food Mushroom Lollipops here. Link to the recipe is http://thefoodsamaritan.com/?s=MUSHROOM+LOLLIPOPS 

Anshu Wadhwa Pande from The Secret Ingredient 

Anshu Wadhwa Pande is a popular food blogger that actually needs  no introduction. This young married and  mother of a young champ from Panipat, Haryana is an LLB in Hons and is now settled in Almora, Uttrakhand. Anhsu is not just another food blogger, but is also a compulsive baker and an entrepreneur. A gem of a person with a heart of gold, Anshu is now a name in Delhi, NCR and Faridabad and is well known for her Baking workshops and Master Classes. Her online bakeware and supply shop, ‘The Gourmet Shop‘ can be found on Facebook. While chatting with Anshu i took the opportunity to throw her few questions and make her answer them for our audience. Let’s see what Anshu has to tell us about her life and more …

• So firstly we would like to know more about you, your family, childhood and education? “I am a person who likes to live life to the fullest. I am the only child of my parents and since a little girl I have been taught to be strong, virtuous and kind to people and animals.I was always a tomboy which meant to do things which were a little offbeat for girls of my age. My parents play an important role in shaping me. I learnt Taekwondo, played Basketball, was into swimming at the same time learnt music and also reiki. I studied law and worked with Tata Power for about 5 years. Got married to the love of my life and today I am a mother of a lil sunshine , my son Vedant.”
• What were you doing before blogging? When and Why did you start blogging? – “Before I became a food blogger I was in Mexico working in a Hollywood Studio as a production coordinator. It was only after my son was born that I was home full time and started baking for fun. Gradually started trying out cuisines from different countries. People started asking for recipes and that’s when my husband suggested that I should start blogging and document my recipes. That’s how my second baby which is my blog was born on 1st January 2013 which coincides with my birthday 🙂 “
• What was your vision from your blog when you started ? – “I started blogging just for fun and it was to keep myself busy and as I said earlier to document my recipes. Gradually that fun became passion and now it is my profession.”
• What does cooking really mean to you and who was your inspirational source ? – “Cooking and Baking is religion to me. At times  I cant sleep at night in the anticipation what I am going to cook in the morning. This is pure obsession. I love to play around with ingredients and that gives me a kick. My mother is the person who has inspired me. She is a wonderful cook her self and I have learnt the basics from her which gives me a confidence to try new recipes with ground footing.”
• Tell us something about your struggles/ high points in this journey ? –“Since the objective of my blogging was fun and passion it was never a serious affair. I enjoyed my work and learnt many things on the journey. I became matured at photography, I became proficient at baking specially breads and there came a time I started conducting workshops and sharing my knowledge with others. I even train chefs at various resorts and hotels. This really makes me feel that I have come a long way. “
• You have come a long way today, would you like to share your accolades / recognitions achieved that can inspire our readers as well ?- “I have evolved from a mere recipe developer to a food consultant, a baker, a trainer, a R&D Chef, Food Stylist and Food Photographer. All these roles I am performing at a professional level despite the fact I have no degree as such in F&B industry. I have been featured in Times of India, Vanita Magazine , Mums and Stories and various other online magazines . I have also received award for best in baking at Uttrakhand Food Festival 2015.”
• Who manages the technical part of your blogging? Is it a single women army or you have some help? – “Ever since the thought of blogging came into picture my husband who is technically quite strong sent me a link to a youtube video tutorial and told me to create website on my own. I thank him for this independence because I was able to make my own website from scratch without having any prior knowledge in website development. “
• What strategies do you use to promote your blog? How do you get audience for your blog? –” I think in today’s world its very important to have a social media presence. All social media channels are constructive way to pull traffic to your blog. One needs to have a constant virtual presence and a strong following. The trust of viewers when they try out your recipes is the biggest treasure. If they got one of your recipe right they will always come back for more. So be honest and descriptive when you write. “
• What were you mistakes in your blogging journey and what did you do to rectify them? – “There are never mistakes but there are learnings. I would say I did not pay attention to the power of SEO I realised it quite later and worked really hard to make things right. Also I learnt how important it is to make your food not only taste delicious but look tempting.  Your reader eats with eyes first and then tries your recipe therefore, your goal should be to feed his eyes by beautifully styling your food in your images. “
• How are “You” different from other bloggers?  – “I like to try out ingredients which are regional and relatively lesser known. I take the risk to do unconventional recipes or rather lost recipes.I stride to bring recipes with a healthy twist and strongly believe that our holistic wellness is directly connected to good nutritious food. Therefore all my recipes have some health element to it. For example, I like to bake rather than to fry.”
• I am sure you think blogging most of the time, but when don’t, what do you do? – “If I am not blogging I am baking something or the other for my family. I like to grow herbs, flowers and have maintained a small garden.. I like to chase sunsets and capture them through my lense. I follow an exercise regime and go for long runs. I am a huge movie buff and love to watch different tv series but all english.”
• A little bit more about “You”, beyond blogging. How does your friend know you? – “I am a wild person. My friends know me as someone who is informal but warm and caring. If I make friends I make them mine for life. I am picky about people and highly allergic to people who are fake and boisterous . I like simplicity and affection. Fun and humour defines me. I like to be surrounded with giggles and laughter.”
• What makes you feel rewarding? – “A simple thank you note from a reader is enough to brighten my day. When someone tries my recipes and sends me pictures, its like a trophy and nothing is a greater feeling than that.”
• What advise you have for people who wants to start a food blog? Do’s and Don’t’s for them. – “Lately, food Blogging has become a very popular hobby and there is no harm in pursuing it if it is triggered by passion. I would like to say a few things to my fellow food blogger friends : Be original and never try to ape anyone. It’s a tough competition out there so originality is something which will make you stand out. Be proud of your traditional recipes, they are the ones which need to be treasured and passed on to the next generation. Never ever try to copy anyone’s work, by copy I mean indulge in Plagiarism.  Try to capture your food with good photography. If the food looks tempting people are lured to try it.”
• Where do you wish to go from here? What would you further like to involve yourself with in the food world ? –” Now that I have stepped in the world of culinary arts, there is no looking back. I breathe, eat and see food everywhere I go. I would love to go deeper and study more about different cuisines and explore which is hidden from me. “
• Any success Mantra you would like to share with our readers ? – “Be original and always have a positive intention in all your actions and thoughts. Success might come late but then it will surely come to you. “
• We love your recipes, would you like to share any of your favorite recipe with us here ? – “I thrive on breads and there is nothing more dear to me than this Cherry Rosemary and Sea Salt Foccacia Bread http://www.thesecretingredient.in/cherry-rosemary-sea-salt-focaccia-bread/ “
• Now that you are an achiever, whom would you like to owe your success? Do you have a mentor or an idol or you just want to give it to yourself? – “I am still on the journey so I wouldn’t say I am an achiever but I am a learner. I owe all this to my husband and my parents. My husband because he is the biggest motivator and tastes my food before it reaches my blog. His open mindedness to try every weird thing I have created deserves a huge applause. Secondly, my parents who have believed in me and supported me with their love and care.”

Avin Kohli from The Yellow Daal

Avin Kohli is an aspiring food blogger from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, completed her Masters In Business Administration-HR and is now married and settled in Mumbai. Avin has a lot to tell about herself, her journey from her job to food blogging. I had a complete set of questions for her as well through which our audience will surely connect with Avin and get inspired by her story. Let’s see what she has to share with us …

• Avin, we would love to know more about you, your family, childhood and education ? – “Born and brought up in a middle class family of 4 kids, I am the eldest. I am a big time foodie. My mother is a good cook but we lived in a small town so had no access to exotic ingredients or even a supermarket to buy stuff that you’d get these days. But still we always have wholesome meal from whatever local ingredients available. Very early in my childhood I started helping out my mother in the kitchen and developed interest in cooking. Following instruction, stirring sabji’s, making tadka, swiching gas on or off were the odd jobs I started with. I could make a whole meal when I was 13. When I look back now standing with my mom in kitchen was my most priced time with her. Very soon I completing my Graduation and went off to Hostel in Lucknow to complete my MBA after which was a series of jobs for 4 long years before getting married. In the latter years I lost touch with food & cooking.”
•  Were you working somewhere before blogging? When and Why did you start blogging? – “I was very much working with a MNC before getting happily married. I started Blogging right after my son’s first bday, about 2 years back. The major reason I started blogging was to keep track of recipes that I had tried, and it was a great way of sharing if someone asked for recipe.”
• You are a visionary, so what was your vision from your blog when you started ? – “When I first started blogging I just wanted to cook food that I wanted; that fascinated me not what was on trend.It was very pure at that time, wink”
• What does cooking really mean to you and who inspired you the most ? – “Cooking for me is therapeutic, especially baking. My inspiration is Nigella Lawson(The celebraty Chef). I have watched a lot of TLC, how she cooks up a meal with so much ease, her hands gestures and her effortless style when it comes to baking.”
• Tell us something about your struggles/ high points in this journey ? – My high points would definitely be the amount of love and appreciation I have recipes from friends, family and my readers. Its just a validation of my work. Struggles- Had to learn how to style, click a decent pic, technical aspect of having a website, lots of promotion.”
•  You have come a long way today, would you like to share your accolades / recognitions achieved that can inspire our readers as well ? – I have been nominated For One Lovely Blog Award(Its for new bee bloggers), worked with brands like FBCI, General Motors.”
• Who manages the technical part of your blogging? Is it a single women army or you have some help? – “It is all me. I have built Theyellowdaal from scratch. But I have had help from my Sisters and Husband for feedback.”
• What strategies do you use to promote your blog? How do you get audience for your blog? – “My major source of traffic is from Facebook Groups, Google Search. I have a Facebook page you can search by “theyellowdaalonline” where you can find all my recent/archive posts.”
•  What were you mistakes in your blogging journey and what did you do to
  rectify them? – “My biggest mistake was not realizing early on to shift to my own website. I was actually nagged/forced to do so by my sis and I am glad she did. I started My own website on dec-2016.”
• How are “You” different from other bloggers? – “I cant say how but I can say I want to create food/recipes that anyone can cook.”
• I am sure you think blogging most of the time, but when don’t, what do you do? –“That is actually true, I live, breathe and dream about food blogging, but if not that you would see me sipping coffee and watching my fav shows(Greys’s Anatomy, The Orignals, Game Of Thrones); I usually binge on them when I take little break from blogging. Or catching up with friends.I don’t have ant more time than that.”
• A little bit more about “You”, beyond blogging. How does your friend know you? – I am a fun filled person, love to socialize and never fail to appreciate good food. And I am a loyal friend; I make friends for a lifetime.”
• What makes you feel rewarding? – “Appreciation for my work and reaching more people via blogging. After all food connects people.”
• What advise you have for people who wants to start a food blog? Do’s and
  Don’t’s for them ?
  “Dos :
  Only blog if you are serious about it, creating good content is a must, recipes in your post should be tested thoroughly, it creates trust in your readers.
  Dont’s :Don’t post whenever you want;create a calendar, don’t start with a free site(if you are serious about it)”
• Where do you wish to go from here? What would you further like to
  involve yourself with in the food world ? – “I wish to work with brands and create awareness about eating healthy. There are a lot of ingredients and recipes that a lot of us don’t bother to explore(including me), will be working on that.”
•  Any success Mantra you would like to share with our readers ? – “Hard work is most important. Once you have reached a place where blogging does not seem like a mammoth task, start smart work.”
• We love your recipes, would you like to share any of your favorite recipe
  with us here ? – “One of my all time favorite recipe is Restaurant Style Chilli Chicken which was a winning recipe in an online contest and ia also one of the most searched recipe via Google search. Here’s the link.
  http://theyellowdaal.com/chilli-chicken/ “
•  Now that you are an achiever, whom would you like to owe your success?
  Do you have a mentor or an idol or you just want to give it to yourself ? – “I am just the creator of Theyellowdaal but my Sisters & My husband have always been the greatest driving force behind me. And my mother whose “hatho ka swad” I have.”

  Hetal Kamdar from HetalKamdar.com

Hetal Kamdar is a Commerce graduate who did her Diploma in Business Management from Mumbai, and is now married and happily settled with two beautiful daughters and a handsome husband in Mumbai. In conversation with Hetal, we came to know about her hardwork and dedication she had put in her blog to achieve what she is today. Hetal Kamdar is n artist as well who skills in various art and craft subjects and engages herself in activities like teaching baking to children and adults as well and also take food styling and photography workshops. So let us proceed to check out what Hetal has to share with us …

• Hetal please tell our audience about yourself, your family, childhood and education ? –“I hail from Mumbai city-the city of dreams. Being born in a Guajarati family, with an inheritance of sweet tooth and serious food addiction, my love for cooking is simply justified. Also, married to a foodie, staying in 3 culturally and gastronomically different parts of the world and being mom of 2 extremely picky eaters has just added diversity in my lifestyle and cooking. I have had the best childhood and that says it all. Regarding my education-Bachelors in Commerce from R.A.Podar College ,Diploma in Business Management from Wellingkars Institute and Diploma in Fashion Designing from VNF Institute.

• So blogging happened a few years ago, what were you doing before blogging? When and Why did you decide to open a food/travel blog ? – “Before blogging I was busy bringing up my 2 adorable girls who kept me on my toes 24/7. One fine day I started posting my food pics on Facebook 4 years ago and got wonderful response from my friends, who suggested me to start with my food blog. I came up with my own website in 2015 as a food, art and travel blogger. “

• What was your aim or vision from your blog when you started? – ” To be very honest, I never had any vision when my blog started.  It was purely out of my passion for cooking and my skills for presenting food in an artistic way. But things changed eventually and in a great way!!

• You love for cooking is well defined but what does cooking really mean to you and who was your inspirational source ? – “Cooking is my way of expressing creativity and showering love on my dear ones.. My mom has been my inspirational source all my life.”

• Tell us something about your struggles/ high points in this journey? – “Blogging has actually been a roller coaster ride for me. What started off as a passion has eventually become a profession. The biggest struggle that I have faced during this journey was to be consistent because of my very hectic schedules and active social life. The high points in this journey has been the credibility, trust and fame that I have earned from my readers who love my work.”

• You have come a long way today, would you like to share your accolades / recognitions achieved that can inspire our readers as well ?  – “God has been kind towards me. I have won few cooking and food styling contests and have few of my recipes published in magazines. Above all I got to live my dream of meeting Chef Vikas Khanna and Chef Ranveer Brar at Master Chef Promotional Event and was one of the top 5 contestants amongst 100 participants. “

• Are you a technical savvy ? Who manages the technical part of your blogging? – “The technical aspects of my blogging is looked over by my husband.”

• How do you promote your blog? Is there any strategy you apply to get audience for your blog? – “I do not have any strategy as such, I promote my blog through social media, food groups on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.”

• What were you mistakes in your blogging journey and what did you do to rectify them? – “In the initial years of blogging I never thought about being a full time blogger. But as time passed and with those little achievements and feathers on my cap, I thought of pursuing blogging as a career option. So I genuinely felt I wasted my time and talent.  Finally, I decided to have my own website and work towards achieving my goals.”

• How is ‘Hetal Kamdar’ different from other bloggers? – “I strongly believe in one thing. Always be competitive- Not with others, but with your own self. Well I am true to my own self and may be that is what makes me different!!”

• I am sure that blogging is the first thing that comes to your mind, but what do you do when you are not blogging ? –  “If I am not blogging I am partying with my friends or spending quality time with my family. “

• A little bit more about “You”, beyond blogging. How does your friend know you? – “All my friends know me as “Hostess at heart”.

• What makes you feel rewarding? – ” I love to see smile on my girls faces when they try out yummy desserts. Also when friends try out my recipes and discuss about it on their dinner tables and sends me heartwarming messages. “

• What advise you have for people who wants to start a food blog? Do’s and Don’t’s for the novice or the newbies in the industry ? – Dos–Be passionate, determined and focused. A lot of effort and time goes towards one single post. Be real, authentic, consistent and candid with your readers and everything else will just follow. Don’t- Don’t jump into blogging only with the aim of earning. Food blogging can be a career option for some but it demands lot of hard work and patience. Results will be seen but not in the initial years. 

• Where do you wish to go from here?  – ” I wish to travel the world for the love of food and want to start working professionally as a food stylist.”

•  Any success Mantra you would like to share with our readers ? – “Aim big, follow your heart and chase your dreams.”

• We love your recipes, would you like to share any of your favorite recipe with us here? – “I am so elated to know that you love my recipes. One of my favourite recipe is Bell pepper and cotta cheese Brushcetta. Here is the link to it HYPERLINK “http://hetalkamdar.com/recipe/bell-pepper-and-cottage-cheese-bruschetta/” 

• Now that you are an achiever, whom would you like to owe your success? – “Well success is a relative term for me, but I really want to take the credit for this as I have worked very hard to achieve all of it. “

• Do you have a mentor or an idol or you just want to give it to yourself ? –” I do not have any mentor or idol. But there are 2 fellow blogger friends who have been a great source of inspiration for me in this journey. Neha Mathur and Ambika Selvam are two such names whom I shall always be grateful.  Last but not the least my huge thanks to this dynamic, sensible and tremendous hard-working friend and an amazing food blogger Shaheen Ali whom I have seen growing heaps and bounds. I adore you and your work in many ways. Hugs and love to all. “