What It Means to be a Woman Chef in India ? Vaswani shared that being a chef is never an easy job but yet there is so much that one can accomplish.

By Nidhi Singh

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Is becoming a chef a good career choice? This is a question many must have considered while deciding to be a women chef in India. Earlier, many young people who were looking to pursue a career in the restaurant industry wondered if it could qualify as a good career choice with long-term potential. But with young people taking more interest in food at an early age, becoming a chef is one of the most popular career options today.

Entrepreneur India caught up with Rakhee Vaswani, a Celebrity Chef, and Owner, Palate Culinary Studio, to know what it means to be a woman chef in India?

Certified by Le Cordon Bleu at Gordon Ramsay's Tante Marie in London, Rakhee began her culinary journey at the tender age of 11, keenly observing her aunts cook delicious food that caught her fancy (and her heart). Touted as the "the 'Desi Nigella' of India, Rakhee is a natural with flavours and textures. Her biggest asset is without a shadow of doubt her strong palate and a deep-rooted passion for the culinary arts and food the industry.

Live Your Dream of Becoming a Chef :

Vaswani shared that being a chef is never an easy job. It is one of the toughest industries but yet the best as there is so much that one can accomplish. So, if one has the dream to be a chef, he/she must go ahead and live it.

"Earlier, it used to be tough, but norms are changing nowadays. We use to not find so many women chefs in the industry but I guess, the new generation has changed all of the negative stereotypes. I am happy and proud that even though it was tough and there were ups and downs, I have still made it this far. We are now bringing more and more talents and chefs to come in this industry through our academy," she said.

Never Say "No'

There is no secret recipe for success but Vaswani emphasizes that if you want to go ahead in life then never say "No' without at least trying once.

"Your dictionary shouldn't have a "No' in it. You should never say "I might' or "I can' instead, you should always say "I will'. I think the positive attitude is something which will help you in every field whether you are a chef or an artist or someone who wants to be an entrepreneur. It is not that difficult but the "No', has to out of the window and you need to be more and more positive," she added.

Nidhi Singh

Former Correspondent, Entrepreneur Asia-Pacific

A self confessed Bollywood Lover, Travel junkie and Food Evangelist.I like travelling and I believe it is very important to take ones mind off the daily monotony .

Business News

Over 1,300 Google Employees Have Signed a New Petition Asking For Job Security

Google laid off thousands of employees in the past two years, which has left some employees feeling insecure about keeping their jobs.

Business News

OpenAI Says AI Industry Disruptor DeepSeek May Have Copied Its Work as Rivals Race to Catch Up

Competitor Alibaba, meanwhile, says it has developed a model that's even smarter than DeepSeek.

Business News

Barbara Corcoran Says She Doesn't Look at Resumes: 'Always Hire Attitude Over Experience'

If you think you need a strong resume to work with real estate pioneer Barbara Corcoran, think again.

News and Trends

MSME Ministry Unveils TEAM Initiative with INR 277.35 Cr Budget to Empower Small Businesses

The programme aims to onboard 5 lakh MSMEs onto the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), fostering greater inclusivity by targeting 50% women-led enterprises.

Employee Experience & Recruiting

Employees Only Meet Expectations When They Know What's Expected

Survey data reveals employees want managers to tell them how their work fits into company strategy but those conversations are the exception, not the norm.

News and Trends

Mankind Pharma, Gauri Khan, and Others Lead Innov8's INR 110 Cr Funding Round

The funding issue was oversubscribed by 2.7 times and facilitated by InCred, with the company being valued at INR 1,000 crore (around USD 120 million).