Rachel Goenka

Rachel Goenka
Rachel Goenka
Born	(1988-04-06) 6 April 1988 (age 36)
Nationality	Indian
Alma mater	Pennsylvania State University Ballymaloe Cookery School Le Cordon Bleu
Occupation(s)	Restaurateur, chef
Known for	The Sassy Spoon, Sassy Teaspoon, House of Mandarin
Notable work	Adventures with Mithai (2019)
Father	Viveck Goenka[1]
Relatives	Ramnath Goenka (great-grand father)
Awards	The Gourmand World Cookbook Award, 2020

Rachel Goenka is an Indian restaurateur, chef, author and the founder and CEO of Mumbai based The Chocolate Spoon Company.^[2] She runs a chain of restaurants such as The Sassy Spoon, a European restaurant, House of Mandarin, a Chinese restaurant, Baraza Bars and Bites, a beach shack themed pub, Wicked China, an Asian resto-bar, and Sassy Teaspoon, a chain of patisseries and bakeries.^[3][4][5]

The Times of India's Times Hospitality Icons chose her as the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018,^[6] and she was named one of The CEO Magazine's 30 Women Entrepreneurs to Watch For in 2018.^[7] She has featured on the cover of magazines such as Feelings,^[8] Dogs N More,^[9] and Mother & Baby.^[10] She was awarded the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in 2020 for her book, Adventures with Mithai.^[11]

Early life and education

Rachel Goenka graduated with degrees in Journalism and English from The Pennsylvania State University and then studied at The Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, where Goenka was trained under celebrity chef Rachel Allen. After completing her graduation, she attended Le Cordon Bleu in London to specialize in patisserie.^[4][3][12]

Career

She set up her first restaurant, The Sassy Spoon in Mumbai's Nariman Point in 2013, which was later chosen by French chef Alain Ducasse to be part of the Gout De France movement in 2014.^[3] Her second outlet of The Sassy Spoon was opened in Bandra, Mumbai in 2015.^[13][14]

In 2016, Goenka launched the Sassy Teaspoon, a chain of patisseries and bakeries across Mumbai and Pune. The Sassy Spoon, Mumbai won 'Best Independent Restaurant in India-Critics' Choice' within the first year of its operations.^[4][15] In 2017, she launched The House of Mandarin, an authentic Chinese diner.^[16]

Some of her other brands include Baraza Bars and Bites, a beach shack themed pub, and Wicked China, an Asian resto-bar. She owns seven restaurants across Mumbai and Pune, and 10 patisseries and two central kitchens.^[17]

Published works

In 2019, she authored a book, Rachel Goenka's Adventures with Mithai, which was published by HarperCollins.^[12] The book was launched on 14 October 2019, in Mumbai.^[18][19] In December 2019, she won The Gourmand World Cookbook Award 2020, in the category of pastry and desserts for her book, Adventures with Mithai.^[11][20]

Personal life

In February 2014, Goenka married her long-time boyfriend and Dubai based banker, Karan Khetarpal,^[1][10] with whom she has a son named Kabir.^[10] In April 2021, on her birthday, Rachel and Karan welcomed their daughter, Amalia.^[21][22] She is the daughter of Viveck Goenka, the chairman & MD of The Indian Express.^[1][23]

Accolades

Year	Award(s)	Awarding organisation	Result	Source
2021	Top 50 Women in Luxury	Luxebook	Won	[24]
2021	Best Pastry and Dessert book in the world	Gourmand World Cookbook Awards	Won	[25]
2020	99 Women Achievers of India 2020	The Indian Achievers Club	Won	[26]
2020	The Gourmand World Cookbook Award	Gourmand International	Won	[11]
2019	Woman Entrepreneur of the Year	Times Hospitality Icons	Won	[6]
2018	Young Restaurateur of the Year	Restaurant India Awards	Won	[27]
2018	30 Women Entrepreneurs to Watch For	The CEO Magazine	Won	[7]
2015	Best Restaurateur (Critic's Choice)	The Time Out Food Awards	Won	[28]

References

1. "Cooking up a match". Ahmedabad Mirror. 28 February 2014.
2. "FNB News – Wakao Foods, The Chocolate Spoon Company look back with year ender report | FNB News". www.fnbnews.com. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
3. "RACHEL GOENKA, 29 Restaurateur and chef, Sassy Spoon, Baraza Bars and Bites and Mandarin and Mirchi". India Today. 6 November 2017.
4. Halim, Moeena (17 June 2016). "Mumbai restaurant, The Sassy Spoon, wins Critics' Choice Award". India Today.
5. Jain, Aashika (8 March 2019). "#Shepreneurs: How These Women in Off-beat Roles Do Everything & Get Everything Done". Entrepreneur.
6. "Times Hospitality Icons 2019 awards". The Times of India.
7. "30 Women Entrepreneurs to watch in 2018 in India". The CEO Magazine. March 2018. p. 35.
8. "And all that sass..." Feelings Magazine: 16, 17, 18, 19. September 2018.
9. "Dogs and more Magazine". Indiamags. Dogs and more.
10. Chopra Vikamsey, Swati (December 2018). "Restaurateur Rachel Goenka gets teary-eyed as she revisits her pregnancy, labour and life after Kabir..." Mother and Baby India (81). Next Gen Publishing.
11. "Goenka's Adventures with Mithai bags Gourmand World Cookbook Award '20". FBN News. 31 December 2019.
12. "Sassy restaurateur and pastry chef Rachel Goenka ramps up the oomph factor of Indian sweets". The Indian Express. 3 November 2019.
13. "Verve Bites: The Sassy Spoon". Verve. 23 January 2015.
14. Chanda, Kathakali (27 December 2014). "How pastry chefs are cooking up a dessert storm". Forbes India.
15. Kasana, Archana (11 September 2017). "Sassy Teaspoon Soon Planning for PAN- India Expansion". BusinessWorld.
16. Shaikh, Sadaf (24 September 2017). "The Dim Sums At Bandra's Newly-Opened House Of Mandarin Are Truly Unmissable!". Verve.
17. Chowdary, Asha (21 September 2019). "Are you Instagram-worthy? How Sassy Spoon's Rachel Goenka spins magic with her culinary wizardry". Dailyhunt.
18. Borah, Jahnabee (25 October 2019). "Have your mithai and eat it too, says Rachel Goenka". Mint.
19. Dalal, Phorum (20 October 2019). "When Mithai Goes Mod". Mid-Day.
20. "Gourmand Awards". Gourmand International. 2020.
21. Chawla, Barkha (21 December 2021). "Preparing For Baby #2: Advice From Our Favourite Insta Moms". MissMalini.
22. Kamath, Akanksha (19 January 2021). "4 stylish mums-to-be share their pregnancy journeys and maternity style tips". Vogue.
23. "When in Goa..." Mumbai Mirror. 16 June 2014.
24. "Top 50 Women in Luxury 2021". Luxebook.in.
25. "Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2020" (PDF).
26. "99 Women Achievers of India 2020" (PDF). JTB Express.
27. "Sweet Success". The Indian Express. 15 October 2019.
28. "And Then There Was Food". The Indian Express. 24 March 2014.

External links

• Rachel Goenka has South America on her 2020 bucketlist at The Economic Times
• "New tech players’ discounts is not sustainable model" at FNB News
• Dna exclusive: Why Sassy Spoon rocks the culinary boat at DNA India