{"id":24378,"date":"2025-05-01T08:48:23","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T08:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yhangry.com\/?p=24378"},"modified":"2025-05-01T08:48:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T08:48:30","slug":"chef-rajika-journey-to-becoming-a-yhangry-private-chef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yhangry.com\/chef-rajika-journey-to-becoming-a-yhangry-private-chef\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Rajika’s Unique Journey To Becoming A Yhangry Private Chef"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From Flight School to the Home Kitchen<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Chef Rajika<\/a> first trained in aviation in the United States, earning her pilot\u2019s license just as India\u2019s airline industry began to shrink. With airlines like Kingfisher and Air Deccan shutting down, she returned home to Bhopal\u2014uncertain of her next step. That\u2019s when she started a small home bakery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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At the time, fondant cakes were virtually unheard of in her city. She crafted detailed, sculpted designs\u2014guitars, cars, seated figures\u2014capturing attention from local families. It was her first glimpse of how food could become a viable career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Still, like many children of practical Indian parents, she was encouraged to pursue a \u201creal\u201d job. Rajika completed an MBA in HR and began a decade-long career in insurance. But the desire to return to food stayed in the background.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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A Move to London and a New Beginning<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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In 2022, Rajika\u2019s husband accepted a job in London. The move gave her time\u2014and space\u2014to rethink her path. She was still working remotely with her Indian employer, but with most of her day free and a growing dissatisfaction with London\u2019s Indian food scene, she began experimenting again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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She launched a home <\/strong>meal prep<\/strong><\/a> business<\/strong> just two months after arriving. Thanks to her sister-in-law\u2019s network and word-of-mouth in the local South Asian community, orders came in steadily. She ran it for nearly eight months, preparing home-style Indian meals for weekly delivery. But the work quickly became repetitive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cPeople mostly wanted the usual\u2014roti, sabzi, chicken curry. There was no creative freedom.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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That need for fulfilment pushed her toward small-scale catering<\/strong>\u2014birthday parties, anniversaries, housewarmings. Initially, she cooked at home and delivered the food. But soon, she began offering full setups. The shift gave her confidence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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One early turning point came when a family friend offered her complete control over the menu for a Diwali party. It was the first time she designed the experience end-to-end. Around the same time, she began catering for her colleagues at Bank of Baroda, where she was also working full-time in London.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Gradually, she was doing less HR and more cooking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The Christmas That Changed Everything<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Rajika had seen Yhangry\u2019s emails before, but hadn\u2019t paid much attention. Between a full-time job and weekend catering gigs, she was already stretched. Then, on 24 December<\/strong>, while driving home, she received a last-minute SMS from the platform:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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A Christmas Day booking for 70 guests in Portsmouth<\/strong>. The chef had cancelled, and they needed someone urgently.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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It wasn\u2019t an Indian menu<\/a>\u2014it was a traditional Christmas dinner. Most shops were already shut for the holidays. She\u2019d have to build the menu around what she could find that evening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Still, she said yes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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She stayed up late prepping, and the next morning, she and her husband drove two hours to the venue. The event was more than just a meal\u2014it was a family reunion between a woman and her biological relatives, many of whom she hadn\u2019t seen in decades. The pressure to deliver was high.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Rajika came fully prepared. She had asked key questions about the kitchen, equipment, and layout. The family had already styled the table beautifully, so she focused entirely on service. The meal was served buffet-style. Despite the last-minute nature of the event, it went off without a hitch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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They took pictures, left her a heartfelt video review, and thanked her for helping make a deeply emotional day even more special.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s when I understood I loved doing what I did that evening.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Building Her Private Chef Identity<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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That Christmas event marked a turning point. Rajika began booking more private dining experiences\u2014many through Yhangry, others via Instagram, where she shares behind-the-scenes content, menus<\/a>, and event setups. Her online presence not only showcases her culinary range but also helps potential clients understand what private dining actually involves: a personalised, hosted experience that goes well beyond food.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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As she grew, Rajika also refined how she presented herself. She made deliberate changes to her brand and how it was perceived, making it more inclusive and easier for clients to connect with. That shift allowed her to showcase her versatility across cuisines and dining formats, without being boxed into assumptions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Behind the scenes, she brought structure to every part of the client journey:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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