Susmitha Subbaraju
Meet Susmitha Subbaraju who runs Carrots, Bangalore's first vegan restaurant. She's been doing some pretty amazing things at her space in Koramangala, from creating funny videos featuring easy vegan recipes to giving back to the community. She's lit the path forward and inspired many others to start their own vegan adventures in the city. The bottom line is that Susmitha's enthusiasm is infectious and it makes you automatically want to do your part in changing our sucky-ass world.
I've always thought running a restaurant is an epically difficult life-gig. Now add a vegan restaurant to the mix, in a city that's just beginning to become familiar with the term. It's no easy work.
So, what is it like to run this ship full time? I asked Susmitha a bunch of questions about running Carrots. And yes, the woman had a bunch of answers.
Running a restaurant is no joke, Sus. So we're here to figure out the behind the scene drama. How many people does it take to run to carrots everyday?
Susmita: We usually have anywhere from 12 to 15 team members, including management. Everyone is trained in multiple areas so people can act as back-ups when someone is on holiday.
What are the 'main' stock ingredients you have to have at all times? Any sauces/pastes that are always ready?
Susmitha: Since we have a really huge variety on our menu and we make pretty much everything in house, there are many base sauces and such we need to prep and always have on hand. I'd say our dips/spreads are the most important of the lot because we use them in most things - hummus, cashew mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, fermented herbed cheese, mint chutney, peri peri sauce. We also always have a stock of our soy curds. We use it in all our smoothies, buttlermylk, raitas and curd rice. Plus people often walk in and buy the curds to take home.
What does morning prep look like?
Susmitha: The first prep work to begin is in our bakery. We freshly bake our breads everyday, and our cookies and cakes every alternate day. Bakery work starts early so the oven is free for pizzas once the restaurant opens.
A couple of the kitchen guys busy themselves with accepting fresh delivery of veggies each morning and arranging them neatly in the fridge, or they're washed and kept on the kitchen counter as required. Onion, garlic, ginger and other herbs, are chopped finely and placed accessibly for stir frying/garnishing through the day.
The prepped sauces, pastes, etc., (which these guys refer to as "mizampla" and which after many many months of head scratching and research, I figured out was supposed to be "mise en place" hehe) are all made in small quantities and finished within a day or two. These need to be checked every morning for freshness and replaced in small portions, as required.
The chef at the pick up counter ensures there are a lot of clean tasting spoons and garnish sauces on one side and various plates and bowls are on the nearby shelf.
The kitchen counters and floors are given a second round of quick cleaning so any mess from the prep work is cleared and the day begins! :)
What's been the most dramatic food crisis you've had and how did you smoothen it out?
Susmitha: This isn't a food related crisis exactly, but it was the most dramatic one in the history of Carrots.
A couple of years ago, one of our very key team members went home for what was supposed to be a month and then disappeared into thin air for 2 more months! It was drama in the team when he was missing - worry, anger, tears, sense of betrayal... and a BIGGER drama when he turned up again - anger, tears, joy, hugs... the works! Hehehe.
During that time, the rest of the team rallied together and worked twice as hard to keep the restaurant running well and every person's capacity and sense of responsibility shone through. That's how we weathered the storm.
We now try our very best not to allow things go to the dramatic level. :P
Do you believe that 'good energy' comes back full circle? You've been so invested in the community. From videos, live demonstrations, supporting other vegan entrepreneurs and even now having a rotary fridge outside where any person who needs a bite to eat can take out a meal from your fridge and eat for free. How do these little things add up to your personal experience as a citizen and as entrepreneurs?
Susmitha: Absolutely! Apart from the law of giving, good karma and all that, there's also the fact that we simply want to do everything we can to push veganism forward.
All the live videos/demonstrations, giving away free food (whether as a reward to vegan activists or at orphanages or through the Rotary Fridge), buying stuff from and posting reviews about fellow vegan businesses, all this is actually a lot of fun to do! It's rewarding in its own right.
Over the years we've become somewhat of a hub for veganism in Bangalore and we've carved a place for ourselves in the restaurant industry. Now we want to use this platform we've worked so hard at creating to support more vegan organisations and businesses too. There are so many women vegan entrepreneurs now so collaborating with them is an extra joyful experience for me personally.
I strongly believe that building a tight network of likeminded people and collaborating is the best way to move forward, for the individual businesses, as well as for the movement in general.
Tell us how you guys come up with 'weekend specials'. What inspires your head chef the most? Favorite youtube channels?
Susmitha: Just like any other art, creating food gets inspired from various places. Sometimes there'll be a dish inspired by a video or photo that we've come across and sometimes the dishes get created because we really want to make superior versions of non vegan dishes. But most of the time, it's just our chefs experimenting, putting things together and coming up with creations straight out of their imaginations. As it turns out, these have been our most popular dishes.
How do you minimise food wastage? Are there any tricks that people like us at home could employ?
Susmitha: We make many things fresh each day in smaller quantities. Though the sauces and pastes are ready in the morning, the vegetables are cut and cooked only when the order is placed, to ensure complete freshness. These practices in and of themselves ensure minimum wastage.
With the Rotary Kindness Fridge now, our wastage has reduced even more. All breads and pastries which are good but not sellable go into the fridge for any passerby to help themselves to.
Unlike at restaurants, at homes we can eat something we've prepared over many days if we want to. Our chef's only tip to home cooks is to be creative with leftovers and turn them into something different so one doesn't get bored.
What in your opinion, are 2 challenges that all restaurateurs face but don't talk about enough?
Susmitha: The number one challenge in the restaurant industry is staff turnover. Restauranteurs do talk about it from their point of view and usually only when they're looking for new people. However, there's a need for discussions about increasing employee morale and motivation and how to maintain a good, strong team relationship, while maintaining discipline in the workplace.
Another challenge is getting consistent dine-in crowds. Knowing when people will come is generally an unpredictable thing. Perhaps discussing this more between restauranteurs will help everyone predict and even increase their footfalls.
Tell us one weird habit you have that almost no one knows?
Susmitha: What weird habit? I don't have any weird habits! Shoo!
*looks around surreptitiously and whispers*
When all the guys are asleep during break time, I sneak into the kitchen and eat up all the hummus. Muhuhahaha. :D
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*All pictures courtesy Sushmitha Subbaraju
*All pictures courtesy Sushmitha Subbaraju
