{"id":23591,"date":"2020-03-24T06:24:28","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T06:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.posist.com\/restaurant-times\/?p=23591"},"modified":"2023-09-21T17:19:31","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T11:49:31","slug":"rachel-goenka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.posist.com\/restaurant-times\/foodpreneurs\/rachel-goenka.html","title":{"rendered":"Chef and Celebrated Food Writer Rachel Goenka\u2019s Shares her Recipe for Restaurant Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

A woman who commands respect – from her charming smile to her professional demeanor \u2013 Chef Rachel Goenka acknowledges that her experiences growing up have absolutely carved the path she is currently on.<\/span> Known for her inventive take on traditional Indian sweets and desserts, Rachel Goenka is the<\/span> Founder and CEO of the hospitality firm, The Chocolate Spoon Company. <\/span>\u00a0After graduating <\/span>with a double degree in Journalism and English from Pennsylvania State University, she realized <\/span>there was always an eddy that ran alongside her love for food. She then completed her <\/span>chef’s training at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland in 2011 followed by a specialization in patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu in London in 2012.\u00a0 She launched her first restaurant, The Sassy Spoon, in December 2012.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Conversation With Rachel Goenka of The Chocolate Spoon Company<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In an exclusive conversation with The Restaurant Times,<\/a> Rachel Goenka talks of her journey in the industry, about her famous cookbook, operational challenges, and a lot more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rachel Goenka\u2019s Cookbook \u2018Adventures With Mithai\u2019\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Rachel Goenka\u2019s debut cookbook, Adventures with Mithai, talks about the versatility of Indian mithai and the evolution of traditional Indian mithai. The cookbook has 50 unique recipes carefully curated by Rachel in a period of two months. Her dedication and love for desserts finally paid off, as she won the award at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2020 in the Pastry & Desserts category.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rachel shares that her favorite recipes from the book are the Shahi Tukda Cinnamon Rolls with rabri cream, the Lemongrass and Semiya panna cotta and the Kaju katli Truffles. She loves how the cinnamon adds to the deep-fried bread and compliments the rabri perfectly! The lemongrass and the kheer sound like an odd combination but it\u2019s delicious. The kaju katli and dark chocolate truffles are a match made in dessert<\/a> heaven. She also really loves the Lavender and Darjeeling bundt cake and the Chai, Brown Butter and Rose Teacake. Rachel confesses that she can easily consume the entire confection herself!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rachel\u2019s Style of Cooking and Changing Consumer Tastes in India<\/b><\/h3>\n

Rachel describes herself as an emotional cook, so it all depends on her mood. There are days where she likes to get very technical and try more complex methods of cooking. On other days, she wants to keep it light and simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cCustomers in India are increasingly willing to experiment with cuisines and flavors. I love to experiment with different ingredients and techniques. I have done some quirky dishes in the past such as basil and dark chocolate fondant, gin and cucumber truffles, fenugreek risotto, etc. Most recently, I did a very interesting menu with ruby chocolate that featured dishes such as a Swisschard and mushroom tart with ruby chocolate curd, spinach and feta ravioli with ruby chocolate veloute, creamy mascarpone and ruby chocolate risotto, crabmeat stuffed chicken with a ruby chocolate and brandy cream sauce\u201d, she says\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Operational Challenges While Running The Business<\/b><\/h3>\n

Opening a restaurant is tough. There is so much to do and so little time to do it. Rachel shares some operational challenges while running her restaurant business:<\/span><\/p>\n