Latest news with #ShrutiMishra
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Why the popularity of vegan food skyrocketed in Bengaluru after the pandemic
We were in the teetering, tottering, terrible twos stage of running our vegan restaurant, Carrots, in 2015, when an experienced person in the F&B industry said, 'Vegan food will fail. Switch to vegetarian!' I might have crumbled under his smugness. But over a decade of being vegan in India had made it clear to me which direction vegan cuisine was heading. We were just ahead of the curve. Soon more vegan restaurants and home bakeries cropped up across the city. But the real snowballing began during the lockdown '2020 and 2021 skyrocketed vegan options in Bengaluru,' says Shruti Mishra, an entrepreneur and marketing consultant who jets between Bengaluru and the Silicon Valley. Due to the pandemic, many food businesses (including my own) succumbed to difficult market conditions. But underneath, a tectonic shift was happening. Concerns about health made people take a sharper look at their eating habits. When you look into where your food comes from, it is hard to ignore the practices in animal agriculture, and also its impact on global warming. In a Venn diagram of ethical food production, better health and environment, veganism sits squarely in the middle. Two significant things happened with the increase in awareness. First, people became plant-forward in their diet, and those who were ethically inclined turned vegan. We saw an influx of people in our 'Bengaluru Vegans' Telegram group which had about 80 members before the pandemic and is at 191 now. The Facebook group has 5600 members. Second, being stuck indoors, more vegans dabbled in entrepreneurship. Several plant-based home kitchens sprouted up across the city serving a range of foods from cupcakes to hummus dips. People who had been regular guests at our restaurant reached out to me for mentoring on starting their own vegan food businesses. My sadness at shutting down my own business was quickly overpowered by the joy of helping new small businesses start and grow in the quickly changing F&B ecosystem. ''Vegan' became a buzz word,' says Shruti. . Not wanting to be left behind, more restaurants started making an effort. Nikhil Gupta introduced vegan dishes at The Pizza Bakery and Paris Panini three years ago thanks to an increase in demand. These include pizzas, multi-grain wraps and sandwiches. 'It's a small part of our business, but it's a growing one,' he says. While many food businesses have become more inclusive of vegans in recent times, others who began years ago find it much easier now. Pallavii Gupta, partner at Santé Spa Cuisine, which has two outlets in Bengaluru, worked hard to train her team about vegan food in 2018. By 2023, when she founded The Kind Roastery, she says awareness about vegan cuisine had grown so drastically in the industry, it was easy to include loads of vegan options on their menu such as Corn Ribs, Lemon Poppyseed Cake, and Vegan Sourdough Beirut. . Vinay Chaitanya of The Digitale Chef started out his patisserie and café as mostly vegan with vegetarian options, but turned his entire menu vegan because alternatives like mylks (plant-based milks) and butters became easily available. His Chocolate Truffle Cake and Artisanal Breads are loved by vegans and non-vegans alike. It is not just the vegans that order vegan dishes nowadays. Curiosity is growing. Those who enjoy exploring new cuisines or have allergies to animal products, and people who dine out with vegans. Namu Kini, who curates the 'Namu Recommends Vegan Markets' in the city, talks about 'the vegan veto'. When a vegan dines out with friends or family, if a restaurant does not cater to their needs, their entire group will choose to dine somewhere else. 'If a restaurant does not offer good vegan food, it is not just that one vegan they miss out on. Once our entire family of 12 wanted to celebrate at a five-star restaurant. The chef refused to veganise anything, so we did not dine there. They lost business.' Shailaja Vishwanath, a Bengaluru-based holistic wellness coach, and Karthic Ashokan, a young entrepreneur who enjoys scouting for vegan food, take their non-vegan friends and family to fully vegan restaurants, like Café Graze. They say their loved ones are amazed by how amazing their Special Festival Thalis and Sunday Brunches taste. Upasana Bijoor and Mahalakshmi Raghunath, who run Cafe Graze, say two-thirds of their guests are vegan and whole foods plant-based. These guests bring non-vegans, who return because they enjoy the food, especially their range of dessert themed Healthy Smoothie Bowls. . Upasana adds, 'Our Cashew Mylk Masala Chai is a bestseller!' As demand for high quality plant-based cuisine grows globally, Bengaluru refuses to be left behind. More vegan options appear in the city each day. Vegan food is a cuisine in its own right. A quick warning, some restaurants may misunderstand or misuse the 'vegan' label. Be sure to check the ingredients before you order, especially if you have any allergies. Susmitha S is a vegan chef and lifestyle expert
South China Morning Post
02-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
US jobs growth likely slowed in April as economy braces for tariff impact, poll shows
US employment growth probably decelerated in April and the jobless rate held steady, illustrating healthy yet moderating labour demand entering a period when trade policy risks chilling hiring decisions. Advertisement Non-farm payroll growth probably decelerated to 138,000 last month after blowing away expectations in March, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The joblessness rate is seen unchanged at 4.2 per cent. The data due Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers the first look at the labour market since the Trump administration imposed expansive punitive tariffs. The surveys behind the report were conducted the second week of April, when Trump put some levies on hold and sharply raised those on Chinese goods, creating heightened uncertainty among businesses big and small. 'Immigration and trade restrictions are likely to weigh on payrolls in the coming months, but we do not think they'll have a substantial impact in April,' Shruti Mishra, an economist at Bank of America who anticipates a 165,000 payroll gain, said in a note. 'That said, risks are to the downside.' A waitress at an event in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photo: Corbis Leisure and hospitality
South China Morning Post
02-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
US jobs growth probably slowed in April as economy braces for tariff impact, poll shows
US employment growth probably decelerated in April and the jobless rate held steady, illustrating healthy yet moderating labour demand entering a period when trade policy risks chilling hiring decisions. Advertisement Non-farm payroll growth probably decelerated to 138,000 last month after blowing away expectations in March, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The joblessness rate is seen unchanged at 4.2 per cent. The data due Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers the first look at the labour market since the Trump administration imposed expansive punitive tariffs. The surveys behind the report were conducted the second week of April, when Trump put some levies on hold and sharply raised those on Chinese goods, creating heightened uncertainty among businesses big and small. 'Immigration and trade restrictions are likely to weigh on payrolls in the coming months, but we do not think they'll have a substantial impact in April,' Shruti Mishra, an economist at Bank of America who anticipates a 165,000 payroll gain, said in a note. 'That said, risks are to the downside.' A waitress at an event in New Orleans, Louisiana on 24 November 2011. Photo: Corbis Leisure and hospitality
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First Post
27-04-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Sudirman Cup 2025: India suffer 1-4 defeat against Denmark despite Tanisha and Shruti's impressive win
Tanisha Crasto and Shruti Mishra's 21-13, 21-18 victory over Natasja Anthonisen and Alexandra Boje in the women's doubles tie was the only bright spot in what was otherwise a disappointing performance by Indian shuttlers in their Group D meeting with Denmark. read more Tanisha Crasto and Shruti Mishra in action during the women's doubles tie in India's Group D clash against Denmark at the Sudirman Cup. Image credit: Badmintonphoto Women's doubles combination of Tanisha Crasto and Shruti Mishra came up with an impressive win, but injury-hit Team India could not avoid a 1-4 loss against the formidable Denmark in their Group D opener in the BWF Sudirman Cup Finals 2025 in Xiamen, China on Sunday. With India missing the services of their first-choice men's and women's doubles combinations, they needed the bench strength to step up. Up stepped Tanisha and Shruti, showing what they are capable of with a 21-13, 21-18 win over Natasja Anthonisen and Alexandra Boje in the last rubber. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Earlier, former world champion PV Sindhu came closest to bagging another point for India against Line Kjaersfeldt. The 29-year-old showed glimpses of her old self as she took the lead in both games, but could not maintain the momentum and lost narrowly 20-22, 21-23. The tie began with mixed doubles, where India's Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crato faced opponents Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund. Dhruv and Tanisha started strong but went down 13-21, 14-21 in straight games, giving Denmark the early advantage. Asian Games bronze medallist HS Prannoy, then, took the fight to Anders Antonsen in the men's singles rubber, but ended up on the wrong end of the 15-21, 16-21 score line. India will now look to bounce back in their next Sudirman Cup tie against Asian heavyweights Indonesia, which will be played on Court 1 of the Fenghuang Gymnasium on Tuesday. Results: India 1-4 Denmark: Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto lost to Jesper Toft/Amalie Magelund 13-21, 14-21; HS Prannoy lost to Anders Antonsen 15-21, 16-21; Hariharan Amsakarunan/R Ruban Kumar lost to Kim Astrup/Anders Rasmussen 7-21, 4-21; PV Sindhu lost to Line Kjaersfeldt 20-22, 21-23; Tanisha Crasto/Shruti Mishra bt Natasia Anthonisen/Alexandra Boje 21-13, 21-18
India Today
27-04-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Sudirman Cup 2025: PV Sindhu loses, India go down 1-4 to Denmark in opening tie
India's hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the Sudirman Cup, the prestigious biennial team badminton tournament, took a major hit after they lost their opening tie to powerhouses Denmark 1-4 on Sunday, April 27. Only the women's doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Shruti Mishra managed to win their match, as the big guns, including PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy, failed to missing their best doubles pairs - Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and Gayatri Gopichand and Tanisha Crasto - due to injuries, needed their singles stars to step up. However, that did not happen on the opening day of the competition in Xiamen, have been drawn in a tough Group C, which also features former champions Indonesia and England. The tie began with India fielding Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto in the mixed doubles, but they were comfortably outclassed 13-21, 14-21 in just 33 minutes by the World No. 7 pairing of Jesper Toft and Amalie then looked to HS Prannoy to level the tie in the men's singles. However, he was outplayed 15-21, 16-21 in 49 minutes by Anders Antonsen. The former Asian Games bronze medallist has had a tough start to the year, losing eight of the ten singles matches he has featured had opted to field Prannoy ahead of Lakshya Sen, but the move did not pay fallen 0-2 behind, young pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar were tasked with keeping India alive by upsetting Kevin Astrup and Anders Rasmussen. However, the Indian duo were soundly beaten by the World No. 1 team 7-21, 4-21 in just 21 dearly missed their star pairing of Satwik and Chirag, who would have been strong contenders against Kevin and SINDHU LOSES IN TOUGH BATTLEBy the time PV Sindhu took the court for the women's singles, India were already 0-3 down. The two-time Olympic medallist, who has struggled for form and consistency in 2025, lost to World No. 16 Line Kjaersfeldt in straight currently ranked 18th, looked sharper and more aggressive but was unable to close out either game, losing 20-22, avoided a whitewash as Tanisha Crasto and Shruti Mishra produced a solid effort in the women's doubles, beating Natasja Anthonisen and Alexandra Bje in straight will next face Indonesia on Tuesday, 29 April, and they will need nothing less than a win to remain in contention for a semi-final the Sudirman Cup, a total of eight teams have been split into four groups with top two teams qualifying for the semi-finals.
