“Hebbar’s Kitchen is completely managed by my husband (Sudarshan) and I (Archana). And we both are vegetarian, and hence there is no chance for us exploring into non-vegetarian dishes. But yes, definitely we are and will be exploring other vegetarian dishes from different cuisine.”
TIMES OF YOUTH: For those who do not know about Hebbar’s Kitchen, could you describe it in brief?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: Hebbar’s Kitchen is a popular Indian vegetarian food blog showcasing recipes with short videos and step-by-step photos. The recipe videos are published on several social media handles like Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. Apart from these, the recipes are also posted in Hebbar’s Kitchen website and our iOS/android apps.
TIMES OF YOUTH: From where was the inspiration drawn to design this portal?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: Hebbar’s Kitchen started as a hobby, which later turned into passion cum profession. I was always interested in cooking but I never thought I would open a blog someday. After I got married and moved to Australia, I wanted to continue my Software testing profession here in Australia. But it wasn’t easy to get a job here in Australia without any local experience. Meanwhile, just to kill time I opened up a free wordpress account and started to post few basic recipes with step-by-step photos. Well, there wasn’t any great response initially. In between, Buzzfeed Tasty videos were creating lot of buzz and I was inspired by their videos. Also, there weren’t any Indian channels (or could be but not popular) showcasing the Indian recipes with shorter videos in Facebook. Hence I thought to give a try with shorter videos and the response was amazing.
TIMES OF YOUTH: The recipes on this site are so simple yet lucid, and are plated so perfectly always. Would you consider it an art or a passion well yeilded?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: I work to deliver not just delicious recipes, but also delicacies which look deliciously beautiful. It’s a first impression to attract any foodie to give it a try.
TIMES OF YOUTH: What has been most delicious recipe ever featured here?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: Each and every recipe before I share, I make sure it taste delicious. I keep improvising to make the recipe simple yet delicious. My personal favorite recipe is street style pav bhaji.
TIMES OF YOUTH: Do you think taste matters more or the presentation?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: Both are equally important.
TIMES OF YOUTH: Considering that this site is specifically for vegetarian Indian recipes, and despite the fact that there are endless possibilities yet to be explored in this arena, does it ever feel limiting to not include other cuisines or even non-vegetarian dishes? Will they be included in future as per the audience demands?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: Hebbar’s Kitchen is completely managed by my husband (Sudarshan) and I (Archana). And we both are vegetarian, and hence there is no chance for us exploring into non-vegetarian dishes. But yes, definitely we are and will be exploring other vegetarian dishes from different
TIMES OF YOUTH: Myriad of delectables have been showcased on Hebbar’s Kitchen since it’s advent. What horizons are yet to be achieved?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: I have a lot of plans for future, but currently with my schedule I am not able to focus on it. But certainly my next immediate plan would be multi lingual support.
TIMES OF YOUTH: Rapid fire- (One word answer)
Food: Vegetarian
Love: Cooking
Family: Healthy
Kitchen: Passion
Life: Explore
TIMES OF YOUTH: Which has been the most unforgettable moment/feedback in your scrumptious journey?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: The most unforgettable moment was to feature in BBC News. The title was ‘Hebbar’s Kitchen and the Indian couple behind a food video empire’ and I was on cloud nine when I saw this article.
TIMES OF YOUTH: Which three personalities would you want to invite to a recipe review session if given a chance?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: Sharukh Khan, Sanjeev Kapoor and Gordon Ramsay
TIMES OF YOUTH: What advice would you give to young aspiring chefs via TIMES OF YOUTH?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: Never give up in what you are doing, as dedication and consistency are very important.
TIMES OF YOUTH: Where do you see yourself in next 5 years?
HEBBAR’S KITCHEN: Well, certainly we want to diversify our channel and just not limit to food recipes category. There are numerous future plans for us, including merchandizing our brand, tie up with e-commerce to deliver the recipe ingredients, creating sister channels including review channels and baby rhymes animation. In addition, we do have plans for opening food outlets and creating food chains with franchise options, too.
For further details you can visit Hebbar’s Kitchen website: https://hebbarskitchen.com/
