Founder Rekha Narula Arora, of a sprouting home kitchen brand called Spicy Rika, shares some insights into her journey, the thought and way forward in this competitive but excitingindustry. The authentic Thai cuisine delivery started out during the pandemic and is a sumptuous and inspiring story already. Read on..

Tell us about your journey, turning into a home chef.

The home chef in me has been around for a long while! I would have remained a home chef had I been intimidated by one particular bully blogger… In week-2 of my Spicy Rika journey, a foodie tried a few of my dishes and what followed was a tirade of lacerating feedback and rather bewildering suggestions. I’m so glad my friends and family didn’t let it shatter my confidence. Constructive criticism is always welcome from those in the know. The other kind – maybe not!

Many women take to baking, desserts, patisseries and cafes, but Spicy Thai Food must have it’s own story?

I was surprised at how difficult it was to find authentic Thai food outside of Thailand. My story commenced with the frustration of not finding the perfect Pad Thai in Delhi and taking matters into my own hands and pans. Once I got it right, other dishes followed.. And then one locked-down day, after a lot of deliberation, hesitation and apprehension, my first dish was cooked, packed and delivered.

How did you use the pandemic as a business opportunity?

Cooking is a true melting pot of creativity, art, taste, therapy and joy – it’s been a passion for years! Friends and family have been coaxing me for years to turn my hobby into a business. It happened to take shape during the lockdown – putting the “pan” in the pandemic, so to speak! The extended restrictions on restaurants and going out compelled folks to order in, creating a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity for home chefs everywhere.

How is Spicy Rika different from other Thai take out or delivery stations?

Born & brought up in Bangkok, the flavours of Thailand are deeply entrenched in my soul… Spicy Rika is about streetstyle inspired Thai dishes; of zest and of freshness and authentic Thai cuisine. Not Thai and some Chinese and a couple of sushi rolls. Just Thai and it will remain this way.

With so many people taking to cooking and running cloud kitchens, how do you differentiate yourself in the food space?

There’s a lot of great cooking out there! Fuelled by new ideas, YouTube, the popularity of Master Chef (the Aussie one) and extended lockdowns, many talented chefs have emerged from the obscurity of their private kitchens. Every single one of them serves you their favourite dishes with love, passion and commitment. I am no different.

What plans do you have for Spicy Rika in the near future. How do you intend to grow the brand?

Drawing confidence from consistently positive feedback, a widening client base and repeat customers, the Spicy Rika menu has grown – as has our team. The next step is  to go live with an app-driven food ordering model within the Delhi/NCR area followed by a rollout to other cities. An effort in hiring and training dedicated young managers is underway.

What learnings have you picked up from the food and home catering model?

I’ve learnt that it takes a lot to run a business! Beyond the obvious challenges of sourcing fresh produce, untiring quality control and relentlessly striving to meet customer expectation, a lot goes on behind the scenes. Every sunrise and each dish packed, provides new learning.

How are you using social media to your business advantage, yet differently from others?

Obsessive mobile phone use guarantees millions of glued eyeballs spending billions of hours scrolling through content in an era where a 6-second clip can be too long. To stand out in the infinite scroll of social media, one needs a combination of food that looks mouth-watering, clever wit, not being repetitive or boring, and certainly not overdoing it.  The Spicy Rika Insta handle is slowly gaining more traction – every week we add a few more followers. Hopefully we can add a few zeroes to the numbers in the years ahead….

Where is the home kitchen industry going? How do you see it to be profitable, given it is largely word of mouth advertising?

Now that restaurants and hotels are back in business, it will take a special effort for home kitchens to remain relevant and anywhere near top-of-mind. To find sunshine under the canopy of corporate muscle will need some truly outstanding food backed by a relentless marketing effort and clever use of social media. Some chefs will choose to remain home kitchens, some will try and corporatize their ventures and some will get bored. Either ways, there’s some great talent out there and everyone must go explore

What advice would you like to share as part of your learning curve, with readers and budding food entrepreneurs.

Everyone has dreams, but gets distracted the next morning by life as they know it. I’d advise any budding food entrepreneur to trust their talent and make a focused and concise menu showcasing what they do best. Not two dozen mediocre dishes, not even a dozen good dishes, but six outstanding ones. The toughest bit is to get started…post the menu online, forward it to friends and family … and the first order WILL come! Once the ball is rolling, things start to fall into place. This sounds clichéd, but is true.