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We caught up with Stephen Rothe, Co-Owner of Paul Rothe and Son. WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO TELL OUR READERS ABOUT PAUL ROTHE AND SON? “Paul Rothe and Son is a family run business that was established in 1900, now in its fourth generation. We were once purely a grocers where people would shop for their daily needs. We now focus on freshly made sandwiches, soups, salads and host of other delicious products. Our shelves are lined with jars of jams, marmalades, honeys, pickles, chutneys and other condiments. We try and specialise in products that can’t easily be found in other shops. WE HEAR YOU CAN MAKE UP ANY SANDWICH ON REQUEST, CARE TO TELL US YOUR MOST UNUSUAL REQUEST? Making sandwiches to order is our specialty. The customer decides what bread, whether they want butter, salad, sauce or mayo. We have a large range of fillings to choose from which can often lead to some rather unusual combinations! We’ve made many strange ones. Tuna fish and peanut butter. Mackerel pate with bacon. Coronation chicken with a scotch egg chopped inside of the sandwich. I suppose the most unusual was a sardine sandwich mixed with pork stuffing, pickled cucumber, onion and farmhouse pickle. After hearing the customer ask for this, I asked them to repeat what they wanted in case I had misheard, but they said the same thing. In fact they came back the next day for the same sandwich!! WE HEAR YOU’VE HAD MORE THAN A FEW CELEBRITIES DINE IN, WHAT’S THAT BEEN LIKE? We’ve had our fair share of celebrities in the shop. Being in Marylebone, many live in the area. And we have the Marylebone Music studios down the road from us which attracts many a celeb! IS THERE ANYTHING NEW WE SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR? Most of our products remain the same as people come for repeat purchases. We stock the whole range of Tiptree products which are our best sellers. The best selling new product we stock are the Black Bee Honeys. British honey from a single source, unpasteurised and completely natural. The Heather and Autumn are the top sellers!!! BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN? Working with the public all day is a real treat. Everyday day is different!! Always being given lots of advice, some good, some not so good, but it’s up to the individual to interpret how to use it. IF YOU HAD A FREE DAY IN MARYLEBONE VILLAGE TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, NO LIMITS, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? Marylebone is full of lots of wonderful architecture and history. I love reading about the history of the area. How the River Tyburn used to meander its way through the village. I spend a lot of my spare time trying to research the history of our shop as it dates back to 1780. But it’s difficult to find out things without knowing the right places to look!! I’d love to have the time to trawl through the Westminster archives to see what I could find out about the shop. To find out more information on Paul Roth and Son visit: www.marylebonevillage.com Photography by Nyla Sammons #marylebone #marylebonevillage #PaulRotheandSon

We caught up with Yoga teacher Jordan Crowley. CONGRATS ON QUALIFYING AS A YOGA TEACHER IN 2020, HOW DID YOU FIND STUDYING IN 2020 DURING THE PANDEMIC? It was strange! We started in January 2020 so had a few months of normality before everything completely turned on its head. I did my training with Yoga London who were great at adapting the syllabus to allow us to do modules such as anatomy and philosophy online, which helped keep the momentum up. When classes returned to in person it did mean we had longer weekends which mainly involved practical (practice and teaching) so it was hella tiring. There was such a great sense of camaraderie though, we kept each other going even when it felt like we were running on empty. ZOOM HAS BECOME A GO-TO FOR YOGA SESSIONS RIGHT NOW, HOW ARE YOU FINDING TEACHING YOGA ON ZOOM? There are upsides and downsides to it. On the positive side of things, the fact that it’s remote allows me to connect with people who usually wouldn’t be able to attend a session in person. My sister is in France and my mum is up in the Peak District but they both regularly come to my classes which brings me so much joy. My main struggle is assisting students on an individual basis, it’s so hard to properly see them to give tailored instructions when they are on a tiny screen. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS IN TEACHING IN PERSON ONCE LOCKDOWN IS OVER AND PEOPLE CAN ATTEND YOGA SESSIONS? Absolutely, I can’t wait! Zoom serves a purpose but there really is nothing like in person yoga sessions. I’m an Event Manager by profession so keen to start hosting my own yoga infused events once the dust has settled… Watch this space! WHO ARE YOUR GREATEST YOGA INSPIRATIONS? I’m a big Cat Meffan fan. I really enjoy her creative flows and she has such a feeling of authenticity about her. Closer to home I draw inspiration from most of my teachers, past and present. Every time I do a class I find something new that inspires my own practice, it’s hard to keep up sometimes! WHATS THE BEST ADVICE YOU WERE GIVEN WHEN QUALIFYING AS A YOGA TEACHER? Take it day by day and don’t think too much about the end goal as it will likely freak you out. There is so so much to learn, it can be a little overwhelming for a student at first, you just have to take it a step at a time and trust the process. FOR THOSE WANTING TO JOIN YOUR YOGA CLASSES, WHERE DO THEY GO TO SIGN UP? You can find me on Instagram @yogijords. Drop me a DM, I’d love to connect! DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT SUNDAY IN LONDON (IMAGINE A DAY WHEN EVERYTHING IS OPEN AND WE ARE FREE FROM THE FEAR OF CATCHING COVID-19) Hahah hard to remember such a time! It would start with a yoga class at my local More Yoga studio in Stoke Newington for sure, then I would meet my girlfriend for a drag brunch at Dalston Superstore. Vegan food, bloody Marys and queens, It’s the first place we are going when things open up again! Then I’ll probably find a spot in Hackney Downs with our Chinese Crested puppy Fabio, that’s my lovely chilled Sunday. Photography by Nyla Sammons #wellness #wellbeing #yoga #yogateacher #fitness

We caught up with Artist and Founder of ArtistAnd China Jordan to talk about bringing back art and creativity into the workplace, virtual drawing classes and the commission from Dominos pizza to paint the Mona Lisa eating pizza. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT ARTISTAND? ArtistAnd is a creative company with the goal of making art accessible and engaging to the everyday person who feels they are not entitled to enjoy Art. We bring art and creativity into the workplace, using traditional techniques and methods to create a happier, and healthier environment. Whether that is through a practical approach of the team getting stuck into a drawing class, or whether we are creating a bespoke original oil painting for the launch of a new product. Our services are all about community, inspiring one another and the shared experience and joy of artistic appreciation without any fear of judgement or exclusivity. We want to make art engaging to the viewer and accessible to the user so everyone can feel entitled to the benefits of enjoying art and creativity. WE ARE LOVING YOUR VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS, CAN YOU TELL US HOW THEY CAME ABOUT? Sure! When we started ArtistAnd nearly a year and a half ago, the focus was to bring art into the workplace and offer drawing workshops as team building opportunities. No more building bridges out of spaghetti, we want the teams to feel and have a taste of being interactive with their hands again. Many industries don’t have room for creativity but we knew that so many people needed a creative outlet and to feel the benefits of this amazing and accessible practise. This was even before the pandemic. When we were all homebound in March 2020, we felt that our journey was on pause, but it turned out it was just the beginning. A friend of mine encouraged me to host a drawing class and at first, I was stubborn and didn’t feel it would work. How can you show anyone how to draw online? It turns out, you can! And most importantly, it was a lot of fun. This is what people needed during that period. They needed to connect with others, try new things, and have something they could be proud of. We were able to offer all of these skills whilst staying safe and sharing our own knowledge into an approachable and enjoyable way. We were able to adapt the classes for corporate events and socials and bring teams together through an activity they have not done before. Since the pandemic hit, and up to this date (March 2021) We have hosted 180+ online workshops and reached just over 2000 people. Coming from an audience of only close friends and loved ones, this has been the most moving journey and we are so grateful for each individual that gives it a go. WHAT DRAWING WORKSHOPS DO YOU HAVE COMING UP THIS MONTH? We have quite a few collaborative workshops coming up with other companies so we are always looking forward to these! For our general public, we have our regular drawing classes, which we host every Tuesday at 7:30 pm. They have became so popular we had to add an additional class at 6pm to make sure everyone could get involved! We are looking at adding another life drawing class and a Gin & Draw where you get sent lovely artisanal gins, treats and craft kits to your homes! Dates are TBC but we have lots to look forward to. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE PROJECT TO DATE? Oooo that is a tough one. I love every aspect of my job (except the admin of course) so it’s really hard to narrow it down! I guess I will tell you my proudest project and one that I didn’t fully appreciate the gravitas of at the time. I was commissioned by Dominos in 2015 to paint the Mona Lisa eating pizza for their new Master Pizza range. There were another 4 paintings that were adapted in the same style and I created these in the corner of my bedroom, with terrible equipment and lighting and I had to go down to a pizza branch and have my photo taken! I didn’t think I would be in them and my eyes were all blood shot from staying up painting all night but when I saw my face in the newspaper that’s when I realised how big this was. Years later, I didn’t realise but my Mona Lisa was auctioned off (for free) and a woman contacted me on Facebook to say she won the painting and it is in her dining room! I couldn’t believe that someone wanted to hang this in their home. She was fixated on what it was ‘worth’ which I found so bizarre because it is a replica, and she won it for free but she valued this piece in two ways. One for they visual joy it brought her and she could see it every day, and one for the idea that it has monetary value which I had stopped seeing it as. This project was a lot of fun because it reached so many people, I was trusted as an artist to get their vision across, and I was able to paint in my favourite style. I love painting replica’s and having others enjoy that experience too because of the modern twist, so combing the old and the new was really, the pinocle moment for ArtistAnd to begin. BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN? I think one that has stuck to me for years, and is a simple reminder to try and remain positive when you are feeling down – ‘happiness attracts happiness.’ You can really see and feel this from others and your relationships can depend on your interactions. People want to be around happy people, they want to work with happy people and so making sure that you put your happiness first, is the most vital thing. Making sure to look after yourself and do all the self-care that you need to continue on your journey is number one. Once you are happy, you can help others, and infect them with positivity, love and joy. I may not be happy all the time, and when I’m feeling down, like all of us do from time to time, I try to allow myself the space to feel and reflect, and I will seek happiness from those around so their positivity can help me get back on track. In general, I am a happy person and life offers you so much more if you can try to focus on the positive train. It’s not always easy, and I have had long stints in my life on the wrong train and I attracted the wrong people. I’m responsible for my own happiness and once you put that in the centre of everything, you are kinder to one another, you are more productive, and you get so much more from life. ARE YOU WORKING ON ANYTHING THAT WE SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR? Yes! We have several things coming up in the pipeline. We are working on a drawing book, primarily on the fundamentals of pencil drawings. Just like a colouring book for adults, but a very casual book for shading with a pencil. These are exercises you can do in front of the TV, or on a Sunday morning in the garden. On top of that, we are launching a membership area for classes, tutorial videos for learning how to draw. Again, we are trying to make drawing as accessible as possible and hopefully getting some great content out there. Lastly, we are going back to painting traditional oil paintings! With lockdown lifting, we going to be teaming up with more brands and businesses to produce unique oil paintings for them to get their followers engaging, appreciating, and benefiting from creativity in their environment. IF YOU HAD A FREE DAY IN LONDON TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, NO LIMITS, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? Hmmmm, good question. I would always start with a quick hour around my favourite gallery, the National Portrait Gallery. I just love all of the styles and artworks in here and I love portraiture. After that, I have always wanted to nosey around Buckingham palace with no limits as to where you could visit. I did pop in once to deliver some books when I worked at a gallery and I was so impressed. It just wasn’t enough to only see 2 rooms! I think after a nice lunch at a fancy restaurant and a glass of wine, I’d love to walk around Kew gardens with no one around and look at all the amazing plants. Like most people, gardening has been a key feature in my lockdown adventure so this would be dreamy. At the end of the day, I’d love to be wined and dined in Mildreds, the vegetarian restaurant in Soho. They always have the most amazing food! One day China … one day. To join a virtual drawing class visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tuesday-evening-virtual-drawing-class-with-artistand-tickets-105079361198 Website: www.artistand.co.uk Photography by Nyla Sammons #drawingclasses #virtualdrawingclasses #Art #artist #chinajordan

We caught up with Nicola Nolan, Founder of Black Book Comms, to find out her journey in becoming the founder of Black Book Comms, what her advice would be to anyone looking to start a career in PR and why she’s a huge fan of guided facial massages. We would love to know more about Black Book Comms and how it started? It was a total accident, but I can’t imagine my life without it! When I left my amazing job at Neal’s Yard Remedies, I stayed on as a consultant to steady the transition over to the new Marketing and PR Director. Once my work there was done, the lovely team at the Soil Association got in touch and wanted some help to build and grow their Organic Beauty Week Campaign and then, as they say, everything else went from there and before I knew it, I was a year into consulting and had never been so happy. I work in the natural and organic space, specialising in niche and luxury beauty and wellbeing, with some lifestyle too. Tell us about the services you provide? I mostly work with Founder brands who are looking to make the step up to grow their brand awareness and I work across all marketing disciplines from NPD and campaign strategy and calendar creation, to PR, social media, events and anything else in between. No one day is the same and having a small mix of clients keeps it exciting and busy too which I love. What would you say is key to getting your clients to stand out? It’s hard to stand out in a busy market place and as a small brand, budgets aren’t always there to do the big showstopper events so I think the key is to take a personal approach always. I’ve been working in PR for over 12 years now and it’s all about who you know and how much time you invest in the relationships you have. Knowing people and knowing what they like and more importantly what they don’t like is absolutely critical. Imagine pitching a new luxury bath oil to a journalist that hates baths and doesn’t even have one in her house! Simple, but it can make the difference between coverage and a total fail. Covid-19 has of course created a lot of challenges for PR companies, have you learnt a new way of working during the pandemic? I think we’ve all learned a lot this year – about ourselves, about one another and about what’s important. Taking the time to invest in relationships and learning to be flexible as things change have been key. Lots of projects moved around last year and press were all working from home and were suddenly dealing with huge volumes of packaging so taking time to consider new elements and being conscious of that was key. Luckily, working with natural and organic brands, excess packaging wasn’t an issue but I saw it cause a lot of issues for other not so conscious brands. We’ve all had to adjust and we can all just do our best really. While being in lockdown, have you adopted any new self-care routines or started any new hobbies? Beauty has always been something I’ve loved and I’ve worked with skincare brands for a long time now but being locked down and being forced into a slower pace made me re-look at my routine. While the products I use have not changed, I’ve become a huge fan of guided facial massages that so many incredible facialists have been doing on social media and I’ve developed a bit of a hobby for buying new skincare tools – gua shas, facial rollers, ice balls, you name it, I’ve got it! And I’ve loved building them into my routine and found they’ve helped on the days when things have felt a little overwhelming. What advice would you give someone who wants to break into the PR industry? It’s a long time ago since I started but I think the principle is the same – go in and be prepared to get involved in everything. I got my start via an amazing lady, Jen Burner who offered me a job at Halpern PR after I interned there for a month. I worked on launching bareMinerals into the UK and worked on Avon, Molten Brown and a good number of other brands and that agency experience and beauty grounding set me on my path and gave me something to love! Use your network, get in touch with people from brands you love and ask if you could get involved. PR is as much about who you know, as it is about how hard you work so I’d say go out there and go for it. Do you miss London life? After 3 years of running Black Book, I realised I didn’t need to be in London anymore as most of the work was remote and when I did need to be there, I could travel so on a total whim. I upped and moved home to Scotland to be closer to family and I’ve not really looked back since. When restrictions begin to lift, I’m going to be heading back for a few days of catch ups and I can’t wait. If you had a free day in Glasgow to do whatever you want to, where would you go? Such a good question! I love this city and I love the people who live here – there’s a reason it’s voted as one of the friendliest in the world! My perfect day would start with breakfast at home with my husband and dog – usually tea and toast on the sofa while we watch the news. We’re lucky enough to live by the Botanic Gardens so we usually head out late morning for a big walk, no matter what the weather – and we get it all up here! If we’re doing a perfect day, I’d walk us all the way to Kelvingrove Park – walking along the river and taking in all the sights and sounds as we went. I love Kelvingrove Museum so that would be on the cards then it would be lunch in Finneston. There’s so many great places to eat round here but I do love Crabshakk so that would probably be top of the list. After lunch, I’d walk back towards the West End via my favourite plant and flower shop, Blooms and pick something lovely up. I absolutely don’t need any more plants or pots but their shop is too nice not to buy something. I would then stop in at 33 Dowanhill and see Founder Jo for one of her signature facials. She is one of the things I have missed most about lockdown. No one knows skin better than this woman and I leave her studio looking and feeling years younger! After that, I’d float home, have some more tea and then make a start on some evening plans which, on a perfect day would involve some drinks at The Chip on Ashton Lane and then dinner at No 16, just a short walk away. Staying local and living well! Website: https://www.blackbookcommunications.co.uk Photography by Nyla Sammons #blackbookcomms #glasgow #nicolanolan #pr

We caught up with Choreographer, Movement Director and Dancer Maxy Razor to find out how he became a professional dancer and why he’s the go to Choreographer for learning to dance in heels. At what age did you start dancing and when did you realise you wanted to dive into the world of dancing professionally? I started dancing at 14 years old at school in a contemporary company. I continued to dance throughout my school years and decided to pursue this further at college. After 3 years at college I then went to a school for musical theatre in Manchester and I think this decision was the one that really made me feel like this was going to be the rest of my life! Moving to a big city and doing something that I loved and I haven’t looked back since. We are obsessed with you Instagram videos of you dancing in heels, such sass! Tell us more about your dance classes with heels? Well thank you firstly, we sure do have a good time getting sexy and sassy. I have to say it was by chance I ended up teaching in heels, I was being mentored by a choreographer (Christina Andrea) who at that time had her own heels class which she suggested I take over as the femme style was something I was good at as well as wanting to push my teaching and choreography. This was a little over 4 years ago now and I’ve never looked back. I hope to create a safe, fun place where girls, guys and everyone in-between can come and have a great time dancing and get their training in heels. If we wanted to join a class, how would we sign up? Are you currently teaching dance lessons on zoom? In the current climate I am teaching my classes online via the Pineapple Dance Studios Live system which can be booked through their website or app. They take place on Tuesday evenings 7-8pm and Wednesday afternoons 4:30-5:30pm. When things go back to normal you can find me on a Tuesday night @ Pineapple Dance Studios from 8:30-9:30pm and @ Base Dance Studios from 2:30-4pm. Are you working on any projects at the moment? I’ve actually just come off the back of hosting my first dance intensive weekend where I had about 30 students join me and a host of other teachers/dance professionals and agents over 2 days for classes, talks and a chance to be signed by an agent. It was a great success and I will be looking to do another for when we can get back in the studio. I have a few things on the back burner that might be getting off the ground soon too. Best piece of advice you would give someone trying to break into the industry? My best advice is to work hard and be patient! The same in any industry, it is unlikely to go into the top position without some experience so, educate yourself and work as much as you can. Oh and always be nice, people will always want to work with you if you are nice. If you had a free day in London to do whatever you want, no limits, where would you go?? Wow what a question, I think considering the last year (The announcement of a pandemic) I would love to go for a nice meal somewhere, go and see a show and then head to a bar Ha! what was so normal is now what I’d dream to do, crazy! For more information on Maxy or to book a class with him visit: https://www.maxyrazor.com Photography by Nyla Sammons #danceteacher #dancing #maxrazor #Maxyrazor

We caught up with Krisztina Tardos, Founder of The Merit Club, an incredible online female members club, to talk about what inspired her to start up The Merit Club and why she’s so passionate about bringing women together. Tell us more about The Merit Club and how it came about? It was something I was missing actually while I was still working in the corporate world and had very little free time, a place or a brand I can trust to always offer me interesting and quality things to do, but not only that, somewhere where I could meet awesome people and know it won’t be the last time I see them. I really hated networking, so that wasn’t an option, but I struggled to find other ways to grow my social circle outside of expensive, male dominated members clubs. In 2016 when I came up with the idea to create a club for women, there really wasn’t anything similar I could find, so it took me 14 months from that moment to launch it and honestly it’s been such a journey! Tell us about the perks you get as a Merit Club member? Ah there are so many! Of course I would say that, but I truly think that if you take the time to explore the membership, there is so much value in it for women with different interests and priorities. I really took the time to design it in a way that reflects our multifaceted personalities, but if you would like me to be specific, there are really three main pillars: Events, which we have 10-15+ every month, from wellbeing discussions, art classes, finance circles, theatre visits and more, Access, to members clubs and co-working spaces (free trials and visits) and the Perks, where members not only get to be introduced to amazing brands to widen their horizon, but get fantastic little added benefits too, such as upgrades, a glass of champagne with their dinners and so on. The membership is really there to bring that sparkle back into your week, so you can treat yourself and fill up your own cup – it helps me have a better work life balance, and I know it helps my members do too! Since the pandemic started, how has The Merit Club adapted? Well it was a bit of rollercoaster for me emotionally in the beginning, with the club being so heavily focused on experiences and in person connections, I really thought it was the beginning of the end. I now know that my members are so much more loyal to the club than that and they stuck with us in these really difficult times, which I’m eternally grateful for. We very quickly brought all of our events online and even before the official lockdown was announced we had a comprehensive events schedule planned to keep the community engaged and supported. I’m quite proud that we were able to act so quickly and be there for our community when they all needed some kind of direction. We also created a virtual workspace on Slack, which was so helpful to have in those initial months. It is safe to say that online events will continue to be part of our offering and the event replay library has been one that we keep hearing our members rave about, because they never miss out on anything anymore! What exciting things have you got coming up? With London re-opening up, everything seems just so exciting! If I have to pick a couple of things though, I’m really looking forward to launching our partnership with an amazing charity tackling female homelessness and we have been planning some incredible discussions for this, but I’m also excited to finally be able to launch some initiatives and collaborations that we’ve been working on in the background. All I can say is that there will be lots of exciting experiences for women to take part as a collective and in their own time too. Best piece of advice you were given when starting the Merit Club? I pretty much followed my own intuition as the concept was so different, I found it hard to look up to any one person. I’ve put in the hours for sure, and that is something that really served me because I was able to build the company on solid grounds. One thing that was so incredibly useful to read about around the time I was deciding whether I should get a custom made website or simply start on Squarespace was something like ‘test the idea first before you spend the big bucks because you will want to change things in the early stages when people start using your product or services’. I now know how costly it would have been if I didn’t design the website myself and thank God I did! So it is really just about letting go of the need to put something perfect out there and just launch it! Learn, observe, change things and you will soon have a much better thing you created than what you started with. If you had a free day in London to do whatever you want, no limits, where would you go? I would LOVE to go to a spa, and it would probably be in the one in the BVLGARI hotel near Knightsbridge. I had the best ever massage there and just the most relaxing and tranquil experience so that would definitely be on the list. After that I’d go for a beautiful afternoon tea in the Kensington hotel, they always have such interesting themes. Last year it was all about London landmarks and I can’t wait to see what they do this year. I would then probably finish off the day going to the Arts Club in Mayfair if I was still a member. I always loved their music nights showcasing some incredible artists and the food there is just amazing too! To find out more information on the Merit Club or to join visit: https://www.themeritclub.com Photography by Nyla Sammons #meritclub #women #womensbusinessclub

We caught up with Indian Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, to talk about his journey in becoming a chef and why The Yellow Chilli in Wembley is the place to dine in for good Indian food. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, you have been described as a culinary innovator, can you tell us your journey of becoming a chef? My journey in the f&b industry has seen its fair share of ups and downs which have shaped me into the person I am today. I have always had faith in my capabilities and never confined myself to the defined parameters of what a chef does. When most of my friends chose to become engineers and doctors I decided to be in the kitchen. I started my career with the iconic Ashok Hotel. As part of my initial learning, I worked in multiple kitchens in big cities as well as small towns from Wellington in New Zealand to the oldest Hindu city Varanasi. I went on to become one of the youngest Executive Chefs for a large five-star hotel in Varanasi at the age of 28. Looking ahead and looking beyond, helped me explore amazing new avenues and go off the beaten path. At the peak of my career as an Executive Chef, I gave up the comfort of my job and started my dream of being independent and started my company Khana Khazana. Over the years God has been kind and I have been able to do justice to opportunities coming my way be it Television, Content Publishing, Products, Restaurants, and so on. Some would say it’s a chef’s dream to have their own cookery show, how did that come about? While working as a chef I had reached my professional peak fairly early in life, while I was happy with my success, it bothered me at the same time. I did not want to stagnate and continue to do the same things. There was this constant craving again to do something different. Around that time Zee television had just launched and they approached me for a cookery show titled ‘Shriman Bawarchi, a name I wasn’t particularly fond of. There were other Chef’s also doing the show who were just keen to be featured on TV. I suggested the name “Khana Khazana” which the channel liked. What was initially meant to be a one-episode affair then turned out to be the most successful food show of all times on Indian Television. Starting off as a host and food consultant for the show I eventually started producing the show. ‘Khana Khazana’ went on to become the longest-running show of its kind in Asia which was broadcasted on Zee TV with a channel viewership of over 500 million in over 120 countries. For those who haven’t eaten your incredible food at The Yellow Chilli, how would you describe it, and what dishes can guests find on the menu? My extensive experience and travel across India in search of unique tastes and flavours from various regions is the inspiration behind the menu at ‘The Yellow Chilli’. With this as a base, my menu philosophy is to work on the principle of re-inventing cult Indian dishes and make them relevant. As a result, The Yellow Chilli provides its guests with a feel of travelling across India with all five senses and a plate. The skew is definitely towards the tastes from Northern part of India as that is where I spent most of my initial years growing up. Some of the signature dishes on the menu are Lalla Mussa Dal (kali dal simmered for 36 hours), Lawrence Road Tandoori Murgh (tandoori chicken – Amritsar style), Puran Singh da Tariwala Murgh (chicken curry from the famous dhaba). The menu is a mix of familiar flavours and tastes from different parts of India with a delectable difference. What is the winning dish on the Yellow Chilli menu, that every guest should try? Shaam Savera (spinach koftas stuffed with homemade cottage cheese on a bed of luscious honey tomato gravy) What is the best piece of advice you would give to an aspiring Chef? There is no alternative to hard work, it always pays off in the long run and if you can develop talents that are unique then it becomes a lethal combination. I also firmly believe that one should always keep learning whether it’s cooking techniques or new technologies. Focus both on skills as well as knowledge. Being a good human being shows what you put out on the plate. If you had a free day in London to do what you want, where would you go? I love to walk and love to shop, mostly window shopping. I can start with a quiet walk from Hype Park while enjoying the stillness of the water with ducks ambling, kids running around, young and old couples moving around hand in hand and just enjoy the vastness of the open area in the heart of the city. I do not have the luxury to do that in Mumbai without getting stopped for selfies (That’s what fans ask for now – started with autographs, then photographs, then photos, then pics and now selfies). From there I would walk to Oxford street and enjoy the hustle and bustle, window shop and buy a few things here and there, whilst enjoying the varied architectures of buildings, ranging from Romanesque to Gothic to modern. I’d then move aimlessly towards Regent street, go to Trafalgar Square, get recognised, here and there and take a few selfies to feel at home. The Yellow Chilli – https://theyellowchilli.co.uk #ChefSanjeevKapoor #indian #indianfood #theyellowchilli #chef

We caught up with Holly Wren, Commercial Portrait and Lifestyle Photographer, based in Brighton. Tell us a little bit about yourself? I’m a commercial portrait and lifestyle photographer working out of Brighton, fresh to the seaside from 10 years in London! I work photographing a range of people, from travel portraits to celebrity magazine covers, and everything in-between! I like to say I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I obsess over straight lines, and am particularly interested in using light (and shadows) in my work to help tell the story. When did you realise you wanted to be a photographer? About 10 years ago when I was working for a property developer, I realised I wasn’t getting the warm fuzzy feeling I’d got from jobs in the past. I wanted to do something everyday that I felt passionate about, even if that meant a reduce in income. I’d dappled with photography when I was younger as my grandad used a SLR and was interested in the theory of it, but it was around the age of 28 that I started to reassess what I was doing with my life and what was important to me. What has been the best photography job you have done to date? Ohhhh, hard one. I love different jobs for different reasons. One of my favourite projects in the last few years has been photographing celebrities for The Princes Trust for a project looking at celebrating Young People in the Trust. The reason I loved it was the pressure! I was shooting them at an event and often only had 2 minutes or less with someone, which adds a whole dimension of pressure. I was also allowed to take it in my own art direction, so I got to use some gels and make some super lovely portraits, it really pushed me out my comfort zone and I’m really proud of the results. We love your personal work, are you working on anything at the moment? I’m hoping to have some more travel projects on the go soon, but Covid has put the breaks on that one for a while! I’m really interested in visiting other places that are culturally diverse and different from life here for me, so watch out for more of that work coming as soon as I can get on a plane! Best piece of advice you would give someone working towards becoming a photographer? Make sure you do it for the love. There are ideas that the job is glamorous and pays well but that’s not the reality. And you need to love it to commit the time and energy to be in market where you can live off being a photographer. It takes perseverance, sacrifice and dedication – so just make sure you’re doing it because it sets your soul on fire, then if you don’t make a fortune it won’t matter because you’ll spend your days being happy. What would be your ideal photography job? Working on a large advertising campaign with a celebrity. So Beyonce selling a Dyson hairdryer?! Or something similar!! I’d also love to have the opportunity to be paid to do travel portraits – that would combine my two favourite things! If you had a free day in London to do whatever you want, no limits, where would you go? I’d hire a helicopter and view it from the sky, I’ve never seen London that way and I imagine it would be an amazing way to see a city that I’ve explored on my feet for many years! To view Holly Wren’s photography visit: https://www.hollywren.com #hollywren #photographer

We caught up with Rajvi Vora, Jewellery Designer and Founder of Kastur Jewels, to talk about her love for jewellery design and where she gets her inspiration from. We would love to know how your love of jewellery design came about? I grew up seeing stunning heritage jewels that the women in my family wore and owned, from my mum to my grandmother’s and aunties and it always fascinated me. I am also obsessed with design and craft from ancient India and the Victorian era. Where do you get inspiration for your designs? From old ideas, old design, old art, old stories, old architecture, old palace, old temples. Combining that with modern fashion takes and ideas. We love to hear that your materials and gemstones are ethically sourced, can you tell us more about how closely you work with you suppliers and artisans and how important it is to Kastur Jewels? This is definitely an important part of my business but it’s not always possible to be a 100% certain as the chain is extremely long and full of discrepancy. But we do our best to make sure stones are ethically sourced, mainly gem-field certified and audited. Same with the sourcing of gold. We ask a million questions, ask for reports and audit checks. I work very closely with them and am in touch with them almost every day via What’s app, video calls, and when it was possible I used to travel 4-5 times a year to their workshops. What has been your biggest highlight for Kastur Jewels to date? Having a presence at the V&A and the BBC world service series that I will be presenting on the ‘new age of gold’, exploring the past present and future of gold. Which has a big focus on ethical mining of gold. Is there anything new you are working on, which you can spill the beans on? An amazing collection of 22kt gold pieces using very old techniques and some fabulous stones. All one of a kind pieces. What is the best piece of advice you have been given? As important as design and creative drive is to a business, keeping in check with your finances and audits is probably more important if you want to be sustainable. You have to have patience and work hard, real hard. It will pay off one day. If you had a free day in London to do whatever you want, no limits, where would you go? Go to my local temple and just sit there in silence, pray and meditate. Then grab a coffee and go for a long walk through Regents Park connecting to other Royal parks of London. Go for some yummy ‘kitchari’ (traditional lentil and rice Indian dish) breakfast at Jean – George’s the Connaught hotel. Explore the antique shops of Burlington Arcade and grays antique jewellery shops on bond street. Meet friends for a long lazy lunch at the Dior pop up restaurant at Selfridges roof top ‘San Alto’ or go to Roka. Grab a drink /coffee at the brasserie of light at Selfridges. Then pick up my little girl earlier than normal from school so I can spend the rest of the day with her. Website: https://kasturjewels.com Visit Kastur Jewels at 14 Bulstrode Street, Marylebone, London W1U 2JG Photography courtesy of Kastur Jewels #jewellerydesigner #KasturJewels #marylebone #RajviVora

For those who have never been to EggRun, can you tell us a little bit about EggRun and what it was like to launch the business during the pandemic? EggRun started when we, the co-founders Laurent Manuel and Asher Grant first got into a long discussion over who makes a better egg sandwich, New York or London? As each one of us is from either city to this day we still can’t agree. Luckily, it sparked a desire to bring something new to the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) industry with the humble egg at the forefront of every dish. Favouring organic, premium ingredients, we wanted to bring a low-priced offering to the market that could be made fresh in front of the consumers’ eyes (no more egg rolls that had been made two days before). More than anything, we wanted to create a brand that was for everyone (vegans, vegetarians and meat lovers)! Launched in the middle of a pandemic, the company first trialed its menus through a network of dark kitchens and soon opened the first store in Monument in May of this year. There are a growing number of egg focused restaurants on the scene at the moment, what sets you apart from them? Very true! There is an egg revolution happening at the moment similar to the Poké revolution which started five years ago. The main differences between us and the other egg revolutionaries are: 1) The ingredients we use. Only organic produce with the highest quality products (Clarence Court eggs for example). 2) Transparency. Everything is cooked fresh in front of the customer so you can see your food from the second we crack the egg to the moment it’s handed to you. 3) The mission. We work hard to keep the brand single-use plastic-free and we consider the planet with every decision we make. 4) For Everyone. The menu, the food and the brand has been curated with “everyone” in mind. Vegetarians, vegans and meat lovers. The real difference between EggRun and other egg restaurants is that: 1) our menu is “FOR EVERYONE” Vegan, Vegetarian & Meat Lovers – our range is more extensive with vegan, veggie, meat and carb-free options. 2) We are not a dark kitchen concept like many of our competitors. Whilst we started in a dark kitchen, this was purely due to the pandemic. Had Covid not come we would have launched with a bricks and mortar site and as soon as we could we opened our first restaurant in Monument. Transparency is key to the concept and it was paramount that our egg-loving community had brand visibility and could see we are a real company with a real story as well as see how we cook the food. Our new site has allowed us to really connect with our customers on a deeper level, realising the importance of in-person interaction. What’s your ultimate go-to dish on the menu? This is always a tough question because all the partners have their own favourites. Asher Grant (co-founder) is a health freak so he loves the TacoRun – a veggie dish of scrambled eggs, feta cheese, EggRun secret sauce, caramelised onions, chives and Romaine lettuce leaves. Laurent Manuel (co-founder) loves the EggRun – scrambled eggs, EggRun secret sauce, caramelised onions, cheddar cheese and chives in a warm brioche bun as it reminds him of New York City. Scott Chester (Operations Director) had the idea for the TruffleRun which is a best-seller – organic 100% beef patty, fried egg, lettuce, Cheddar cheese, tomato, EggRun secret truffle sauce on a warm flour bun. John Skotidas (Executive Chef), prefers Cup on the Run as it’s super quick and tasty and is working on new dishes on the same theme. Are there any plans to open up any more EggRun branches? EggRun’s community is growing and so are we as a company. We are expanding with plans to open more stores across London, the UK and internationally over the next few years. You might see a store hatch near you soon! Best piece of advice you have been given? Can we give you the best two pieces? 1. Rent! Focus on the rents of your QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) because that is the most important thing when you are dealing with tight food margins and huge footfall reductions because of the pandemic. 2. Build an amazing team around you. That’s the No.1 thing. If you have a hard-working, dedicated team, anything is possible. If you had a free day in London to do whatever you want, with no limits, where would you go? We can’t function without coffee. As such, any free day always starts with a slow walk to get a coffee from a local barista. This would need to be followed by brunch (which technically counts as work as it’s research). Then, if the weather’s good, a stroll down to the river is hard to beat. Lastly, gelato – we are suckers for good gelato and there are some incredible gelato parlours in London so we’d visit one. Check out EggRun here: www.theeggrun.com #eggrun #eggs #fastfood

This week we caught up with Laurie Nicoll – Founder of Lacquered + Stripped, to talk about how she came up with the idea of creating an eco-friendly and vegan salon in London and why it’s important to spread the message. For those who haven’t been to Lacquered + Stripped can you tell us more about it? Lacquered + Stripped is an eco-friendly and vegan salon. Focusing predominantly on beauty and nail services, although we do have a fabulous hair stylist who uses the space too. We would love to know where the idea of opening a sustainable salon came about? I’ve worked in the beauty industry for many years and realised how much waste salons produce. I wanted to open a salon that not only reduced its waste but actually contributed towards a better planet. It’s great you offer vegan and sustainable services to salons looking to become more sustainable salon, do tell us more? The best place to start is with the products used. Most big brands have not only a huge carbon footprint but also test on animals. Don’t just check the brand, check the umbrella company. It’s best to try and use local brands. Research is key! Do you have any plans to open any more salons? The dream is to have a few around the UK. We’ll be looking at doing pop ups around London soon. Is there anything new you’re working on that you can share? We are just about to launch our membership! We’re very excited as it’s been a long time coming. We’ll be offering lots of perks to our members as well as free bubbly. If you had a free day in London to do whatever you want, no limits, where would you go? Well I’m a massive foodie so it would start with Breakfast at The Gate in Marylebone Village for their amazing vegan pancakes, followed by lunch and drinks at Farmacy in Westbourne Grove and finishing off with dinner at Gauthier Soho. Food is the key to my happiness! For more information on Lacquered + Stripped, located in Connaught Village visit: https://www.lacqueredandstripped.com #LacqueredStripped #vegansalon

This week we caught up with Shelagh Ryan and Michael Homan – Founders of Lantana Cafe. We have been to Lantana and absolutely love the food, for those that haven’t been, can you tell us how Lantana started? (S): Neither Michael nor I started life as restaurateurs but we saw a great opportunity in London twelve years ago to transport Australian style cafés to London. Michael is married to my sister Caitlin and ever since they moved to London in the late 90s, they lamented the lack of good coffee and cafe culture in London which Australia is renowned for. I’m really close to my siblings and we are all passionate about food and hospitality, so had often spoken about opening a restaurant together. I was living in Melbourne, one of the food capitals of the world, and was constantly inspired by the amazing cafes and restaurants there. We decided that if we were going to open a restaurant, London was the place to do it, so I packed up my life in Melbourne and moved to London to open Lantana in 2008. Our aim was to transport a Melbourne café to London. The key ingredients of Lantana are excellent coffee, simple and delicious food with an Australian twist, and warm, friendly service. What are your favourite dishes? (S): Oh that is really difficult as I develop the menus so they are all my favourite dishes! It depends on my mood and the time of day; for brunch I love the courgette cheddar bread with sweet corn salsa, chipotle sour cream, harissa and grilled haloumi. For lunch I find it hard to go past the Nasi goreng with kimchi which is served with an incredibly addictive home-made sambal. For a snack, the cauliflower cheese croquettes with aioli are pretty damn tasty. Do you have anything exciting you can spill the beans on? (M): We have a few things in the pipeline for this year and early next year which will be revealed soon. I’m superstitious so don’t want to jinx anything by revealing too much! But I can reveal that we have two new things going on in Fitzrovia. Firstly, we are the in-house caterer for Boston Consulting Group in their new headquarters at 80 Charlotte St. When it is full there, will be up to 1,000 people on site. They wanted a creative, independent restaurant operator and we were up for the challenge of bringing restaurant hospitality to an office. Secondly, in the same building we are partnering with the landlord, Derwent London, to operate a new coffee shop at 78 Charlotte Street, which will also provide food to the people using Derwent’s fabulous new co-working facility. They are calling it DL78 and it is adjacent to the Lantana coffee shop. These two new projects complement our office catering proposition. Best piece of advice you have been given? (M): Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone as that means you are challenging yourself. Other than brunching at Lantana of course, where else do you go to tuck into good healthy food? (S): I grew up in Brisbane and whenever I go back for a visit, my first stop is to my favourite cafe https://www.morningafter.com.au which has really interesting and delicious breakfast bowls and fresh juices. There is also a bakery/ restaurant in a tiny town outside Byron Bay called Harvest www.harvest.com.au which would have to be my favourite place in the world to eat as it serves the most incredibly fresh, seasonal local produce and they bake their own wood fired sourdough. In London, I have lots of favourites but for healthy salads and a relaxing spot to sit, Jacob the Angel in Covent Garden is lovely. Sadly, they are closed at the moment but I hope it reopens soon! If you had a free day in London to do what you want, where would you go? (S): I always cycle around London so if the weather is good, I’d cycle over to the Tate Modern, stopping for a coffee at Monmouth in Borough market on the way and then I’d cycle back to Shoreditch for some lunch at Rochelle Canteen before taking a little stroll along Redchurch Street for some post lunch retail therapy. Website: https://lantanacafe.co.uk #australian #lantanacafe #shoreditch