At 14, Divya Nichani Knew She Wanted To Be A Chef

She is a chef, a full-time mom and a yoga enthusiast. Divya Nichani, founder of PurawVida, runs Bangalore’s first vegan catering initiative. She is a proud self-proclaimed chef who introduced plant-based foods in the country.

Born and brought up in Bangalore. Divya says: "I started cooking at the age of 14. I fell in love with it instantly."

“Cooking plant-based meals as a passion came after I had already been a home chef for almost 7 years,” says Divya.

However, the passionate cook reveals: “My love for yoga came first. Some of my earliest memories are of me and my Mom practising yoga together.”

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Being Home Chef Is

“For me, both yoga and cooking are alchemy. Both -- preparing healthy food and maintaining a yoga practice -- involve steady discipline, wisdom and love. That’s how my company, “PURAWVIDA” which means Pure Life, came about.”

Divya Nichani, The Woman At Work

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Why did you choose to become a home chef rather than taking up a full-fledged job? 

In essence, I think women have different priorities. Women are more oriented towards taking care of their relationships than their career. I now have an 11-year-old son and my number one priority will always be my child before anything else in this world. I'm okay with that.

At the moment, I find solace being a home chef but at the same time I am working on opening my own plant-based cafe soon to share my passion for meaningful foods

How long did it take for you to convince people that this is serious business?

Chefs have this amazing ability to turn the most simple of ingredients into something spectacular, but it doesn’t come without hard work and training. It’s a beautiful struggle, I'm not going to lie. You have to be passionate about it, It has to come from your heart. I strive to make sure I do everything the right way. I continuously put pressure on myself to do bigger and better things and I never settle. It’s like an endless highway. So I know there is a lot more to come.

Also Read: All-Women Eatery In Udupi A Hit With Foodies

Expanding The Business 

I AM HAPPY WHERE I AM !! But plans for a cafe are in the works

Initial Struggle

As a mother, you are juggling everything. Initially, it was not so easy to convince my parents, in-laws and husband but they have become super-supportive in whatever I have wanted to take up in life. I am really grateful for that.

How did your interest in cooking start? Any anecdotes?

So, I started cooking at the age of 14. I fell in love with it. I wasn’t a vegan chef. I fell in love with the kitchen and I knew that’s what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It became my passion, my life, my everything. A few months later when I was 15 years and super chubby, I knew I needed to change in my life but didn’t know what that meant. I started working out but didn’t change my diet at all. I didn’t realise the correlation. I was actually shown a video of animals in a slaughterhouses (PETA video) and it just changed me. It was then and there, I thought, oh my god, what am I doing? It was that AHA moment that most people have. I stopped eating meat that night. Over the course of a few months, I lost weight, started feeling better, started to learn more about the environment and about health. Then five years later, I made the decision to go vegan.

Also Read: Catering to your sweet tooth: India’s Best Pastry Chefs

What aspect of your specific style of cooking do you want to popularise?

You don’t need a new set of cooking techniques or cuisines to create vegan cuisine. It’s everything that we already know. The searing, the roasting, all of those things work the exact same way. I admittedly was nervous at first. I didn’t know what quinoa was, what chia and flax seeds were etc. For me, it was learning what those ingredients were and how they react to each other.

I started researching schools in the US and found Living Light Culinary, the leading raw, vegan school. This gave me good direction

I definitely do see myself popularising plant-based foods. To emphasise their beautiful nutritional value. Using whole, minimally processed foods and quality ingredients from around the world.

READ: Ruchika Vyas Bakes it Up with Her House of Cookies

Cooking as a Liberated Profession for Women

I’m living in a different world. I create what’s good for me. I know plenty of chefs who play as hard as they work. My guess is that women are more organized. The downside is women aren't always as self-confident. It's the 'I can do it' attitude.

What are the chances for young girls to take up such a career?

They must have a lot of determination and desire and really focus on what they want. Dedication is important as well.

"It’s not about being a woman or a man; it’s about being who you want to be. Young women need to have the confidence to know who they are"

I have never felt hindered in my career because I’m a woman. I’ve never felt discriminated against and I’ve worked really hard as a yoga teacher and a chef all day in the kitchen. I didn’t have a chip on my shoulder. So I definitely encourage women to go ahead with full enthusiasm.

PurawVida Food

It is said that women belong to the kitchen. How close are you to breaking that absurd notion?

I think that there are a lot of different styles of running a kitchen. It’s harder to say if gender is the reason. We all have our styles. You could make a generalization that kitchens run by women are different. But I have a reputation as being a hard ass too !!!!

Health Regime

Cold pressed juices and breakfast. I really enjoy superfoods in almond milk to make it “supercharged”. I put healthforce naturals purity protein, vitamineral green and raw chocolate, which I love the most.

I teach and practice yoga the first half of the day

The Other Side Of The chef

Other than prepping menu for the Purawvida kitchen, I read and follow vegan cookbooks, write blogs, experiment with new recipes, innovate on food styling and photography. And, of course family time is preserved between all these.

Yoga Enthusiast Divya

How open are Indians to trying out new cuisines? Which are your most popular dishes?

Every one loves variety. Indians are travelling so much these days, They are also open to trying out new dishes and cuisines. Most specifically, they are becoming more aware of the harmful effects of meat and dairy so they are open to more plant-based food as long as it looks and tastes good.

My most popular dish is a dessert which is completely raw and vegan. It's the raw-cacao mudslide pie and the vegan chocolate mousse, which is heavenly

The Big Dream

My dream is creating a centre in India that educates people in plant-based nutrition, inspires and motivates them to upgrade their lives. Ideally, with a hospital where conventional and natural healing modalities are available along with top quality high-raw vegan food and juices for true long-term healing. I’d like to work there teaching, leading groups, sharing recipes and showing people how to implement what they learn.

Any struggles that stop you from pursuing your passion? 

Life is a struggle in many which ways but I take each day as it comes.

READ:How Being A Home Chef Can Transform A Woman’s World

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