Ruchika Asatkar is a successful food blogger from Nagpur. She has been featured in various newspapers and TV shows and is a frequent traveler, recording her journeys and experiences of food and place as an influencer. She is, without a doubt, a woman with a bright, foodie vision!
Interview
Questions and answers
Ruchika, you are a food blogger. How did your family react when you mentioned to them that you wanted to opt for food blogging as a full-time profession?
At first, my parents denied. They were skeptical of my profession. They always thought that this is not a respectable job; they were worried about societal judgments. They said, “all the other girls are opting for simple and conventional jobs like engineering or teaching. So why do you wish to become a full-time food blogger”. They clearly said that if you want to do this part-time, then do it for but not for full time. But the days passed, and they realized how serious I actually am for this, and they saw my hard work, I put in a lot of efforts into it. I eventually got recognition from newspaper features, TV channels, and won a lot of competitions too. My parents realized whatever I am pursuing is my passion, and it’s for the best. Now they fully support me.
Tell us about the tastiest recipe that you have come across until now?
Being a food blogger, I come across many easy recipes. But the tastiest and easy to make dish was an Oreo biscuit cake. It’s a two-ingredient recipe, making it viable for everyone. For that, you just need Oreo biscuits and milk. It takes only 5 minutes to bake and is my go-to recipe to satisfy my midnight sweet cravings.
What are the perks of food blogging?
Getting to taste new cuisines, coming across new food items and cultures is the best part of my work. It makes me feel excited to know that I have a job where I can eat and yet be working. Trying to out new food items is the best.
You have been featured in Lokmat Times and TOI. Can you narrate to us about how did it happen?
When I first started this, I was unaware that bloggers get free food, and we can earn money from it. I started this to pursue my passion and today, and my passion made me a full-time food blogger. So in the beginning, it was a little tough to manage expenses on food, but still, we used to manage that because not only me but all my friends are foodies, and we all went together to dine out, and we also shared our bills, so it was manageable. Now, I can pay my bills because of the money I make through my profession.
Which is your favourite all time cuisine and why?
My favourite cuisine has to be Indian, especially street food. I think the bond between Indians and Indian cuisine is very strong. Not just Indians, Indian food can make anyone a fan of it. The spices, herbs, flavors of Indian food manages to create a niche in everyone’s heart. Pet bhar jata hai par dil nahi bharta. I choose Indian food over everything.
You have been featured in Lokmat Times and TOI. Can
you narrate to us about how did it happen?
Yes. I got featured in Lokmat Times and Times of India, not only in these newspapers but I’ve got featured in many TV shows and almost all the newspapers and radio stations from Nagpur. It was awesome! The only reason I got this happening was because of my hard work. I was blogging continuously, and I was posting recipes, videos, and images on my feed without any break. I was consistent with my job, and one fine day they approached and told me that they think that I am doing great work, and people should know about my work. That’s how they featured my work.
What is your weakness, as a food blogger?
What, according to you, should be changed about the food industry?
There are many restaurants and cafes which are doing fake promotions just to get people’s attraction. In my view that should be changed (On forex they promote a 50% discount on the bill, and when people go there to eat and ask for the bill and ask for the discount they say we don’t have any discount), this is purely fake promotion.
Also, the wastage of food should completely stop. I feel we should have some strict rules against wastage of food.
Can you tell us about the recent collaborations you have made?
My recent collaboration was this app promotion. I had to post 12 videos on Instagram, which shows the Tiktok logo, so basically, it was Tiktok’s promotion on Instagram.
Which is the best travel experience you had while visiting a place and blogging?
What is your major inspiration behind food blogging?
My major inspiration behind food blogging are @dilsefoodie @zingyzest and @sanjeevkapoor.
What are your other interests apart from blogging?
I like to dance. I also enjoy sometimes acting, so that would be my hobby besides blogging, vlogging, and making recipes.
What suggestion would you like to give to the young food bloggers out there?
My message to all the budding bloggers is never to lose hope. Never stop doing working hard. Remember, content is the key, so keep creating content. Your content should be good and you should be consistent.