A chef par excellence and a loving, working mom, she has her raison d’ etre in little Kabir, whom she raises with her husband Karan. Meet celebrity chef, cookbook author and entrepreneur Rachel Goenka, founder and CEO of The Chocolate Spoon Company, as she fortifies her culinary empire through a bevy of lip smacking entities, such as The Sassy Spoon, House of Mandarin, Baraza Bars & Bites and more
Excerpts from a conversation
How old is Kabir now?
Kabir is a little over two years. Two years and two months to be precise.
What has been the best part about turning mum?
The best part is seeing my little human grow and develop his personality. He surprises me every single day, whether it is a new sentence or new dance moves, he is always making me laugh and I love that he has such a good sense of humour.
What is the best part about being a working mom, rather a chef-mum?
I love observing his reactions to new food all the time. I am proud that he does not hesitate to try something new and if he likes it then he will ask for more. I think my proudest moment as a chef mum was when he tasted Callebaut dark chocolate and loved it. Now he only wants the good stuff (laughs) and like me, he does not like milk chocolate!
You are a chef-restaurateur-mum. What is your me-time like?
I wish I had me-time! Between work and a toddler, me-time is more of a myth. But I do make it a point to work out for an hour every day: that is my me-time.
It is all about having fun: whether it is preparing dishes, or being with your little one. Do you guys spend time in the kitchen together?
Yes, we do. Not so much in Mumbai since I am usually at work but when we are in Goa (we have a home there too) on holiday then we do spend time in the kitchen together. We grow a lot of our own fruits and vegetables. I like to take Kabir for a walk in the garden and teach him the names and show him how the leaves are different and so on. We do not cook together yet since he is still little but when I do make pancakes, I have a little baby whisk for him that he loves to play with. I usually mix some flour and water and let him whisk that.
Shilpi Madan for Indian Express