Other Women's Jobs // Vidisha Bathwal

NAME: Vidisha Bathwal

AGE: 39

INSTAGRAM HANDLE: PAPRIKA.DUBAI

JOB TITLE: Founder of Paprika Gourmet

MOVED TO THE UAE IN: 2020

A passionate foodie by nature and a fitness enthusiast who is driven towards perfection, Vidisha Bathwal is the Founder of Paprika Gourmet, an exotic artisan catering service that is Kolkata's premium gourmet destination.

Vidisha believes that cooking can be a vital instrument in one’s life, as it often acts as a stress buster or simple bearings in the joy that comes with creating something completely exotic with the very basic ingredients. It is this pursuit for happiness, which inspired her to start Paprika Gourmet in 2011. Her relentless quest to live her passion by infusing a part of her dream in every dish that she creates was one of the factors that drove her to take up this role.

In the span of her decade long journey with Paprika, she has won many accolades under her belt, Aparajita Award in the field of Gourmet in 2012, Go Getter YFLO Kolkata Gourmand in 2018, Just Dial Paprika Take Away in 2018, and Sanjeev Kapoor Cooking Competition in 2019 by FICCI Ladies. She was also featured in top 100 inspirational women 2023.

Paprika Dubai started in 2021 in the midst of COVID in Dubai is spearheaded by Vidisha Bathwal and who is driven by her love of global flavours and commitment to service; while the extraordinary culinary team of Paprika Dubai is the force behind the indulgent experience which takes patrons on an unparalleled gastronomic journey.

Let's look a typical day in her life and career:

6.20am : I wake up fairly early at 6.20 am and promptly after having 1 spoon of coconut oil, I leave for my morning workout which lasts for 1-1.5 hr.

9.15am I come to work by 9,15am. After having a quick shower and hearty breakfast of fruits, yogurt and granola I leave for my kitchen in Al Quoz by around 10am. I have my daily meetings with the team, check my emails and catching up on my meetings.

12noon: I have my 1st cup of coffee and carry on with my day.

2pm: I head home and wait for my youngest one to come home. I like to stay at home and spend time with him and we play games and do puzzles together.

4pm: My eldest son comes home after finishing all his classes and then me and both my boys go to the park in our community and the kids cycle and play football.

6PM: We come back home and the kids go in for their showers. In the interim, I rustle up something for dinner. I usually love to make dinner for my family – sometimes I make Asian, sometimes a Mexican rice bowl – some days it could be a wrap with a kabab or a healthy version of falafel.

7.30pm: I tuck the kids into bed by 7.30pm and usually sing to them prayers so they drift off into their dream world.

9pm: I retire after the kids around 9 pm. I'm in bed hoping to sleep, but I do catch on to the occasional Netflix.

10 pm: I close everything and try to go in my own dreamland of food, kitchen and catering.