For my second post, I thought I’d write about Paisley Experience, as a concept, as a business, or as a restaurant.
Before I start talking about the story of how Paisley Experience, as it is today, came into being, a little more about myself; and I’m talking about myself here because Paisley is a very personal project, and a little information about me, is a lot of information about the organization.
My love for food, I think, is hereditary. I haven’t come across a single family member who isn’t passionate about food, be it cooking or eating. When cooking for a family, as obsessed with food as ours, everyday food just doesn’t cut it. The process of cooking fascinated me. It’s like chemistry, but without the equations that I don’t understand to this day. I wanted to be a chef, until I completed my training at a hotel, and found myself pretty horrified by the lack of creativity and working conditions of the industry. Before I could graduate, an opportunity came knocking.
After a lot of brainstorming, multiple scrapped menus, several rejected ideas, came The Paisley Kitchen. A delivery kitchen, serving traditional food, native to the Pachkalshis of Mumbai and Alibaug. Food I associated with Alibaug, food I grew up eating, food that has been prepared in the family over so many generations. I simply cannot imagine coming to Alibaug and eating any other cuisine.
My vacations in Alibaug were made of playing out in the sun, climbing trees, and eating kalwan or fried fish prepared from the catch the kolin brought in that day, of course with a side of rice. And this is the nostalgia and experience our menu brings to you.
The delivery kitchen eventually moved out of the factory and resulted in The Paisley Kitchen growing into Paisley Experience.
Paisley Experience
The delivery kitchen left its nest and grew into a bigger, independent project that is now Paisley Experience. A holistic dining experience that encompasses the charm of the Alibaug I grew up with. It was like starting all over again, but this time, we knew what we were doing (a little more than the first time). Our kitchen staff, from The Paisley Kitchen, stuck with us, which I am forever grateful for, and Jyoti, Reshma, Siya, and Mandar now look after Paisley Experience like it’s their own. From being silent employees in a factory to valued assets with roles of responsibility, I have had the pleasure of learning from them and discovering their capabilities.
Today, food accounts for about 25% of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The food you eat also has an impact on the land and water system. 70% of the water taken from freshwater lakes and rivers is used for agriculture. The agricultural industry causes 60% of deforestation and clears farmland therefore, the problem is how you can have a sustainable diet. But what exactly is a sustainable diet? A sustainable diet is the selection of healthy foods for our body and {also the} atmosphere. This means foods that not only provide a diet for the body, actually also promote environmental conservation. This is food, sourced, and processed in a way that doesn’t damage the environment or endangers its ability to satisfy the wants of future generations.
I see Paisley Experience, in the future as an organization that gives back as much as it gets from its surroundings; a larger, sustainable business that employs more locals and supports and promotes the locals of Alibaug.
Today, we have grown into an ecosystem of sustainable food, with ingredients sourced from in and around Alibaug and prepared by us, we give back to the community by collaborating with local vendors to put their produce up for sale on our website, and at our dining experience.
We source locally and grow a majority of the vegetables we use on our farm. Our goal is to create an ecosystem of sustainability and inculcate it among other peers in and around Alibaug. Sustainable food and diet are central to promoting better human and ecosystem health. Eating sustainable foods helps encourage production and the entire supply chain to adopt sustainability.
Our message is simple, the battle cannot be fought alone, you need to seek sustainable choices to form the planet a more robust place for current and future generations.
Choose Paisley. Choose sustainable.
Author Bio: Dhani Goregaonkar is an entrepreneur with a degree in hotel management. Always fond of food and cooking, she is working towards reviving age-old recipes and keeping history alive through the food at her farm to table venture, Paisley Experience.
Follow their official Instagram handle: @paisleyexperience.
Visit – https://www.paisleyexperience.com/shop to see our sustainable, locally sourced products.