She Ditched Her Steady Job in Tech to Pursue Her Love of Food. Now She's a Food Network Champion and Celebrated Cookbook Author.

Trending 1 week ago
Source

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Breaking nan mold is modular for Chef Priyanka Naik, whose leap from a unafraid tech occupation to nan unpredictable culinary world showcases her look for turning passion into sustainable success.

A self-taught vegan cook from Staten Island, New York, pinch roots successful Indian culture, Priyanka didn't find her calling successful nan hallowed halls of culinary schools. Instead, a little apt mounting ignited her passion for cooking—a thriving tech career. But it was her committedness to sustainability and a plant-based manner that genuinely group her isolated successful nan competitory culinary landscape. Listen to nan Behind nan Review section beneath to perceive straight from Chef Priyanka Naik.

"Cooking was a shape of expression, a motion to my heritage, and a measurement to advocator for nan environment," Priyanka said, reflecting connected her early influences. "My parents immigrated present successful nan precocious '70s from India, so… nutrient was cardinal to staying successful touch pinch our roots and our family."

Priyanka's culinary accuracy is profoundly rooted successful sustainability, which she views not only arsenic a individual prime but arsenic a world imperative. "What we eat impacts not conscionable our wellness but our planet," she said, emphasizing nan value of choosing ingredients that beforehand biology health.

Whether cooking astatine location aliases unrecorded connected TV, Priyanka rejects single-use plastics, opts for locally originated ingredients to trim c footprints, and focuses connected whole, unprocessed foods to minimize waste. She crafts each crockery pinch nan extremity of showcasing that vegan nutrient tin beryllium some delicious and environmentally conscious.

Related: 'A Lobstrosity': Social Media Is Losing It Over Martha Stewart's Latest Meal Posting

Priyanka's committedness to sustainable cooking and her vibrant culinary style earned her a spot—and subsequently a win—on a Food Network cooking show successful 2017. This triumph served arsenic a launching pad for her broader ngo to advocator for sustainable surviving done food.

"Winning connected Food Network was a validation, a measurement to show a ample assemblage that sustainable cooking tin beryllium vibrant, diverse, and delicious," she said. It was nan opening of a larger speech astir nan intersection of cuisine and sustainability.

Priyanka's triumph catapulted her into nan culinary spotlight, allowing her to further her ngo of sustainable, vegan cooking and people a cookbook, The Modern Tiffin.

Parallel to her occurrence successful publishing, Priyanka has built a robust beingness connected social media, wherever she extends her culinary power beyond nan printed page. Her Instagram, YouTube, and blog are not conscionable showcases for her recipes but besides platforms for acquisition and engagement connected sustainability successful nan kitchen. She regularly shares tips connected reducing nutrient waste, choosing sustainable ingredients, and preparing meals that are some delicious and environmentally friendly.

"Social media has been an invaluable instrumentality for connecting pinch like-minded individuals and spreading nan connection astir sustainable living," Priyanka said.

Related: Jon Taffer's 10% Rule Is nan Productivity Hack That Could Change Your Life

Her posts, often accompanied by vibrant photos and engaging videos, pull a divers assemblage eager to study astir eco-friendly cooking practices. Through these interactions, Priyanka has cultivated a organization that is arsenic passionate astir sustainable surviving arsenic they are astir culinary arts.

Priyanka's attack to engagement extends beyond integer platforms. She participates successful nationalist speaking engagements and cooking demonstrations, wherever she shares her communicative and culinary accuracy successful person. These interactions heighten her organization connections, providing much opportunities to advocator for a sustainable lifestyle.

"It's astir much than conscionable food," Priyanka said. "It's astir making a quality successful nan world done nan choices we make successful our kitchens."

With each crockery and blog post, Chef Priyanka leverages her level to link pinch and amended her assemblage astir sustainable practices. Whether it's done Instagram stories, elaborate blog posts astir reducing room waste, aliases nationalist speaking engagements, she emphasizes nan effect of individual choices connected world sustainability. Her expertise to weave storytelling pinch applicable culinary proposal has launched her into a relatable and inspiring fig successful nan nutrient community.

For those looking to move their culinary passions into careers, Priyanka advises embracing their unsocial journey.

"Believe successful your unsocial path. The roadworthy little traveled tin beryllium daunting, but it is ripe pinch opportunities to carve retired a niche that is authentically yours," she said. Resilience, self-promotion, and authenticity are her cornerstones for building a marque that resonates pinch individual and master values.

Since her breakthrough connected Food Network, Chef Priyanka Naik has adhered to these powerful principles for success:

  • Embrace your unsocial inheritance to guidelines retired successful a crowded field. Chef Priyanka's way from tech to nan room underscores nan value of pursuing your passions, nary matter really unconventional they whitethorn seem.
  • Make your values a cornerstone of your business. Educate your assemblage astir nan effect of their purchasing choices, whether that beryllium for environmental, social, aliases ethical issues. This committedness tin toggle shape customers into advocates for your brand.
  • Leverage societal media. Use platforms for illustration Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn not conscionable to showcase products but besides to link pinch and educate your audience. A beardown online beingness tin move followers into a community.
  • Feedback is crucial, whether it comes done societal media aliases nonstop customer interactions. Use insights from your audience, specified arsenic successful online reviews, to refine your attack and offerings.

Related: The Top 15 Fast Food Franchises

Subscribe to Behind nan Review for much from caller business owners and reviewers each Thursday. Available on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora and Soundcloud.

Editorial contributions by Charlotte Che and Kristi Lindahl.

More