At 47, Pranav Joshi has walked many walks in life. He is a chef, founder, producer, restaurant consultant, and farmer. But beyond it, he is an entrepreneur who has found a thrill in the restaurant business and building it for others. However, his journey as an entrepreneur only started after he moulded himself as a chef in Australia, where he followed his friend to pursue academic courses in hospitality. 

“I started my career (as a chef) in 1999. Because I didn’t wanted to study here I went to Australia. I was in 12th grade, and I wanted to get out of this country to have fun,” Joshi told Gujpreneur. 

“I thought I could party after getting out of this country and going away from my parents. And then I just wanted to get out and work. But hospitality was not something that I decided I wanted to do, only this. One of my friends was going to Australia to pursue a course in hospitality and management. So I thought I would also join. I did my hotel management in Australia for two years, and on weekends, my job was to help chefs in the kitchen,” he adds. 

Joshi made humble beginnings in the hospitality sector, where he assisted the chef in chopping, cutting, and cleaning vegetables and utensils. Nearly a year later, impressed by his culinary skills, he was offered the role of a lead chef with a heavy increment. He went on to earn diverse experience as a chef, working in various cafes, restaurants, resorts, and hotels. 

Although he never enjoyed working in hotels in Australia, as he thought they were larger spaces in comparison to the Indian hotels. Thus, he wanted to shift and stick to working in boutique cafes or award-winning restaurants where the operation size was not as big and the staff had better skills. His career has witnessed many turns since, after he returned to India in 2007, with one of the major highlights being his work for Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. 

After returning to India, he worked as the general manager in the Tomatoes and Mirch Masala restaurants. “I handled operations for them. Then I went to Mumbai to do shows for Zee TV, Living Foods. I did shows for Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. I did a lot of content for them. Then I handled projects like Dangee Dums and Qwiches too.

“I launched spinning tomatoes, but it didn’t work well because I was in Mumbai and the managers were running. Then, I launched my cooking academy for two to three years, but it was very expensive during those times. I was a little ahead of time. There was no master chef back then. It was huge. It is one of the state-of-the-art three-floor cooking academies. But people were not paid well here. So, I sold that and, since then, full-time, I have been a consultant. I opened restaurants and cafes for people.”

As a restaurant consultant, he brings a lot to the table with his diverse experience as an entrepreneur. He offers restaurateurs and cafe owners a base by handling their business in the initial period before finally handing them over the keys when they’re finally ready to look after their own startups. 

His efforts come not only as a value for money for the restaurant owners but also give them a giant leap of faith in the hospitality sector. 

Besides that, he also hosts luxury events. He is also the producer of Gujarati regional movies Lakiro and Keri.

“Everyone in India wants to work on two things: either they want to build a restaurant or make films. I have done both. I’ve invested my money in the two most dangerous businesses. But then after my last film, I made money, and then I said, I’m not doing it,” Joshi remarked. 

Launching Grilled Baked Boiled For The Love Of ‘Chulla-Food’ 

Joshi, the avid entrepreneur, launched Grilled Baked Boiled, a multi-cuisine restaurant in Rajpath Rangoli Road, Ambli, Ahmedabad, before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. The restaurant specialised in North Indian food and has a high 4.1 rating on Zomato for its dining experience. Those visiting the restaurant can choose to sit in their indoor or outdoor spaces. 

Their attractive menu has pastas, pizzas, a dessert section marked as ‘khavu j pade’ (you’ve to eat), sandwiches, a large variety of salads, soups, fries, combo meals, and accompaniments it. 

The pricing of the restaurant is moderate, with Jain food options available, catering to a large number of Amdavadis. 

“I wanted something like a home office. But then, I thought I would build a cafe, but it became a little too large (shaping into a restaurant). A lot of money went into it. Instead of INR 2.5 crore, the project reached INR 4.25 crore. I wanted to give ‘chulla-food’ to our audience, and people love it,” he said about the venture. 

Joshi further admits that restaurateurs might have their task cut out on trying to capitalise on the market in Ahmedabad, highlighting that the real estate prices are high. 

“People think there is a lot of money in the restaurant business. But they don’t understand that there are 1200 different restaurants in the same area,” Joshi said.

“You need to make sure you know how to market, how much capital you need, for the next two years. Do you have that money?” he added.

Farming In His Blood 

Interestingly, Joshi is adding a new feather to his cap these days. He has invested in farming to produce protein-rich seasonal vegetables for Ahmedabad. The farm is set up in Gandhinagar, nearly 25 km away from Ahmedabad.  

“My dad was in a bank, and my grandfather was a farmer. I’ve started non-pesticide farming without fertilizers. It is not organic because I’m going to put protein. As soon as I put protein in my plant, it gives a better yield. I don’t want to fool people by saying it’s organic, which a lot of people do,” Joshi said.  

Conclusion 

Overall, Joshi has a multi-layered career spanning nearly 25 years. Starting from a young age, he has worked in the media industry, hospitality, film, and the agriculture industry in India. These years have not only enriched his skills as an entrepreneur but also made him a go-to man for fellow entrepreneurs, who are just starting or want to further excel in their businesses. 

“He has motivated the youngsters to come forward and build their business, but after gaining some experience in their industry,” Joshi suggested.  

“My strong advice is don’t invest until you’ve worked in the restaurant industry for three years, or hire an authentic consultant who is more than happy to teach you while running other restaurants,” he added. 

In Ahmedabad, there are ample business personalities. They’re either starting, building their next businesses, or learning from fellow entrepreneurs. At Gujpreneur, we try to cover every type of business personality in order to educate our audience and guide them in their own venture, leveraging their dreams. 

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