Chilies, garlic and lots of love
Rushina shares
a divine connection
with food, so much so, her love for food is extraordinary. She connects
everything with food. According to her, food is sustenance
while also being something that transports her back home. Rushina’s
story depicts a life of every other woman, however her story harbors a rather unique twist, that being that she found a passion that has led to so many
wonderful experiences and achievements.
Rushina began
her blogging journey in
2002 under the name “A Perfect Bite”. This became one of the most
popular blogs in India, which
led her to write 15
articles a month for different magazines. She contributed her work for Savvy Cookbook
too. She sure is hard working! In
2008 “A Perfect Bite” took on the
avatar of a food consulting firm.
Rushina played a food consultant role too. Through APB
Consulting Co., she started providing services to various prestigious brands
like Godrej Nature’s Basket and Amore Gelato.
Rushina loves creativity and this can be better explained when you learn that she used
to decorate the food her
husband, an avid baker used to come up with. In this manner you can liken
her husband to an architect
and Rushina to
an Interior Designer, a recipe
that's well set up to come up with something new.
Rushina loves to create special meals for her kids. She says she would rather spend
her weekends indoors and cook up some new delicacies
which her kids will adore.
This sparked an idea and eventually led her to
create her own space where cooking
can be fun as well as a
learning experience. This gave rise to APB Cook Studio.
The APB
Cook Studio is a place where you
can get your questions
related to food answered.
Here, you can enjoy
cooking while learning all about
food. This could extend from
the fruits, the masala ingredients, the continental dessert or even the "desi biryanis", as Rushina’s
cooking studio covers all
these. At APB, the
interiors are beautifully laid out with wood and decorated with manner of all colorful fruits and vegetables.
The studio is also filled with food appliances and gadgets. The Cook
Studio turned three years old
and by god’s grace, it is still
growing. Rushina says
that this wouldn’t have
been possible without
her husband's encouragement
and support. She told
me that the APB journey
was not an easy one as
she had kids to care for.
That said, she was grateful to her mom and
her mother-in law who
supported her morally and financially.
APB Cook Studio offers varied classes which can be enjoyed
by the beginners to the most experimental cooks. Tadka Workshops and Masala Trails are some of
her workshops. Rushina is a great teacher too. She teaches children with great
enthusiasm under the names Little Chefs and Spicecapades.
She went on to add that she considers eggs
as the most versatile
ingredient and that she
would love to have it at
her breakfast table. She is
a great fan of Chilies, Garlic and Citric items too.
Rushina had come up with a book in December
2012 entitled- A
Pinch of This, A Handful of That. This book describes platters straight inspired by the place she grew up in as well as her childhood. The book also contains fabulous recipes with a description of
the people and fascinating stories connected with them.
Rushina
states how food is emerging as a
career option in India, an idea which
truly inspired me. Given the current
situation, food is not just “Bawarchi”,
it's a whole lot more. "Until and
unless one goes through the pain of cleaning the utensils, one cannot shine."
Rushina is
very emotional, kind-hearted and loyal. She feels that if one has a positive outlook towards a pursuit, it will automatically reflect in you and is destined
for success. Rushina derives her greatest gratification when people come in the studio, learn
something new, and leave with a smile on their lips and satisfaction in their hearts.
This in turn make her happy and contented.
Rushina went on to tell me that she's inspired from various sources ranging from TV to the market. She added
that she never dreamt that her work would be recognized in such a big way. Her
hard work, positive attitude and firm determination readily usher this woman in to the hall
of fame and success.
Meeting this
lady is such an honor. She instills me with a new
belief, power and a new way of approaching life. I
wish I could have spent more time talking to her, but I am sure life will give
me more opportunities to learn of her cooking
secrets soon.