by Anmil Vijay
With the vision of expanding their current business verticals and
offering more valuable services to their clients, Arjun and
Tania Nijhawan of the Nijhawan Group have in the recent years
stepped into the culinary industry with their venture Fork n Spoon
which has won many awards already. Known for its delicious food and
outstanding presentation, Fork n Spoon has managed to carve a niche
for itself in the catering industry in Delhi-NCR. Their team has the ability
to transform the entire look of any event whether it be weddings,
engagements, corporate events, birthdays, baby showers or theme
parties. Having undertaken professional training programmes in
hygiene, food handling, customer service and soft skills, health and
safety and fire and emergency, Fork n Spoon is definitely much ahead
of most other catering organizations in the country.
We spoke to Arjun and Tania Nijhawan, the founders of Fork
n Spoon about their primary motivations, their experiences and what’s
trending in the food industry:
Tania & Arjun Nijhawan
1. What was your primary motivation for starting a premium catering
service company?
As a family we are very social and love hosting parties ourselves. For
the past many years, every single time we had an event we felt that
there was a sort of disconnect in the services being offered by the
catering company we had hired and what had been promised to us. We
felt either the food or the service or the presentation was not up to the
mark. The caterers that we hired had not understood the importance
and the emotional quotient of the event we were hosting. We wanted to fulfill this gap. So instead of getting into the hospitality industry by starting a restaurant, we decided to enter the catering space to work on these aspects.
2. What are your specialties in terms of cuisines?
We have a world-class team of trained chefs from all over the globe and
thus we deal in all kinds of cuisines. Our culinary artists specialize in all
major worldwide cuisines and are experts at curating their own dishes
which includes a lot of interesting combinations of fusion food.
3. Which dishes are usually the most popular in Indian weddings?
No matter how westernized we Indians become we still stay loyal to
our roots. The same thing is applicable with our palates. In most Indian
weddings the most popular food items include the basic Delhi, Punjabi
food – daals, biryani, butter chicken, jalebis, rabri, kulfis etc.
4. You guys do everything from birthdays, baby showers, weddings,
engagements, corporate meetings and theme parties. What has been
your favorite moment up until now in any of the events where your
company has catered?
We hold all our events and clients very close to our heart and every
single occasion is special for us. One instance stood out for us though, it
was when we had the opportunity to cater to a weeklong multicultural
wedding. Our primary challenge was to provide them with a different
menu for each meal, while catering to different palates. Further, we
had to cater to guests who prefer their food with less spices such as
Americans and Europeans while also keeping in mind that our guest list
had Asians who enjoy spicy food. The appreciation we received from
the guests was phenomenal and our client came and hugged us on the day of the wedding and said, “You guys made my son’s wedding so
memorable”. It was at that exact moment that we felt we had delivered
excellence as we had promised we would. It is instances like these that
keep us motivated and we strive to do better than before at each
event.
5. Many catering companies do not focus on the presentation. In your
opinion how important is presentation and how much attention do you
give to it?
We strongly believe that presentation is an integral part of the game.
The saying that ‘People eat from their eyes’; is something we truly
believe in and thus work with that in mind. The food has to have the
correct texture, shape and the right color. We have noticed that colors
play a vital role in food presentations.
6. What are some new and interesting themes that people are choosing
for smaller events like birthdays and baby showers?
For birthdays we have noticed that girls enjoy the Ice Age, Dora or
Princess Sofia themes. Boys on the other hand like cars or sports
related themes. Very recently, we catered for a birthday party where
our young client wanted a jungle theme. So we delivered that and it
included a cave and we served food on leaves etc. We always enjoy the
creative process of creating another world for our clients so that they
can enjoy their special day even more.
7. What goes into the process of customizing the menu and
presentation for each event?
This is what takes the maximum time and thought. Our team, including
the chef, meets with the family and discusses the menu and dishes with them. Everyone’s inputs are valuable for us. We like to understand each and every requirement and try to work around that.
8. A lot of your dishes are inspired by your travels. How do you
incorporate your experiences abroad into your work?
Both Arjun and I are big foodies and we love trying out different
cuisines when we travel. We meet chefs from various restaurants
including Michelin Star chefs. We always make sure we sit and interact
with them and get their views on our recipes as well as share our
recipes with them. I have undertaken a few cooking courses in the US
as well to refine my own skills.
9. As an organization even though you haven’t invested a lot in
marketing. How is that you have still managed to cater for so many
events?
It is all because of our hard work that is paying off I guess. We have
built our clientele through word of mouth. When one client likes our
work they tell their family and friends and also we get a lot of enquiries
from guests who have attended the events where we have catered.
10. You had mentioned in one of your other interviews that it is very
important for you to understand the emotional quotient for each
event. Do you think that is the reason all of your events are so
successful?
Yes I definitely feel that’s the case. Our clients love the personal touch
we give to each event. We understand that every single event whether
it’s a small birthday party or a huge wedding, it is important for our
guest. Each event has emotions attached to it and we value that above everything else. This is what ensures that we create a connection with our guests and make sure they enjoy their special day.
11. What are the latest food trends in the catering space?
We have seen that fusion food has picked up this season. People are
really enjoying Spanish cuisine these days. Also, molecular gastronomy
will be taking over in India in a big way as people enjoy the detail that
goes into it and its visual appeal is much higher.
12. Do you also have options for clients who only want to eat healthy?
Yes of course we offer healthy menu options too. Women are loving
those at their baby showers and afternoon and evening parties. We
know that a lot of our clients are very fitness oriented and we tweak
our recipes to fit those needs. We also ensure that if there are any
special dietary requirements, they are taken care of.
13. You are very lucky to be working with your spouse. How have you
both grown together in this process?
It’s absolutely great for us to have the chance to work together. We
both feel like we have lots of support. When you have a team, you need
someone trustworthy and that is where we are quite lucky. Also being a
mother of two young kids, I can depend on Arjun as he understands
when I need to give more time to the kids. We work together as
partners and help each other in every possible way.
14. What are your expansion plans?
Our goal is to enter the hospitality industry in a big way. We want to
have our restaurants, take away joints, and have a wedding venue for
catering. Our entire team is working towards that goal.
Contact:
Website – http://forknspoon.co.in
Mail – arjun@nijhawangroup.com
phone – 9871825252
