Payal Thakurani, Commune Kitchen Director, Owner and incredible Hustler.

M: Hi Payal, first of all thank you so much for taking the time and share your story with me. I am so honored to have the opportunity to share your story. An incredible successful Chef and business owner. For those that don’t know you yet, what would you respond if asked: Who is Payal Thakurani?

P: I am a mother and house maker before anything else and food is an integral part of these roles. Both my children come first and are my inspiration. I take pride in tending to my family and their needs, which are as diverse as one can imagine. My husband is gluten free, my daughter is vegan and my mother in law is pescatarian. It not just about raising kids and having a wonderful family as it is about enjoying every moment we have together. I love that food brings a family together and when I make someone I love happy with food, that is all I need to know that I am the best mother and wife that I can be. Complete foodies I couldn’t do what I do without the love and unconditional support of my family. My oldest child graduated out of Dulwich College Shanghai in 2017 and now studies in the UK. My younger one is in year 13 at Dulwich Singapore and is getting ready to leave the nest soon. My life is changing and I am ready for the next chapter, or recipe if you will.

M: Thank you, I want to know it all! When has your passion for food, cooking has started? And how your passion turned into a successful business? How did it all start? Drive us through that moment when it you told yourself “Ok, I’m going to do this!”

P: I have always been a foodie and started cooking with my parents at a young age. Obviously my father was only joking but he would say to me, “Young lady, you are not going to college until you get those chapatis perfectly circular!” I think I might have taken his words a bit too seriously but this is where I started my love of cooking and food. By the time I was fifteen I was cooking feasts for our guests and totally addicted to the science and the magic behind that perfect bite. I spent several years in education due to not finding my cooking Niche while living in Hong Kong in the 90’s. When I moved to Shanghai, I was able to marry my love of cooking and love of education and started a cooking school for the expat community in Shanghai. Today, I bring this passion and my experience to a wide variety of clients in Singapore whether they want to take a class, book a private event or host a team building session with me.

M: You are currently the Culinary Director and Personal Chef at Commune Kitchen. Tell us about your journey of starting off your own business from nothing and how it all came together.

P: It wasn’t easy at all. I spent the first three months in China depressed and very unhappy because I was not doing something that I loved. They say that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. It’s humbling to live not loving what you do each and every day. China is beautiful and a very exciting part of the world, however it is quite hard to overcome the language barrier and not deal with people even for daily needs. Being unemployed and not being able to communicate with others only made things worse. I was overwhelmed with two teenage children trying to adapt, a husband who did not get an “expat package” when we moved there and trying to just make ends meet and get through day to day. First step was to break the language barrier; I started attending Chinese lessons 6 hours a week at the community center nearby. A few of my expat classmates at the Chinese school convinced me to start teaching cooking classes from home. I started teaching from my little kitchen at home with 2-3 students each time. With no Facebook or online marketing by my side, my business relied completely on word of mouth. It took almost two years to take off during which I also started working for an online supermarket producing my own brand of cooked foods. There was no looking back. During my five years in Shanghai, I managed to successfully run cooking classes, work in brand development and publish my first cookbook in 2017.

M: The biggest successes have never an easy journey, what challenges you had to face and how have you overcome them?

P: Moving to Singapore wasn’t easy either. I struggled with putting 5 years of my heart, sweat and tears into a business only to shut it down. I had to decide whether I wanted to start from scratch again. Starting a business in Singapore is hard. Starting a business as an expat, terribly frustrating and lots of challenges but I eventually endeavored. I had a few friends I turned to for help in this process who turned me down and that was discouraging. Eventually a lovely woman who barely knew me but believed in me stepped in to help put the last piece I needed in place to start my business. For her, I am so thankful. Things are picking up now after about two years of setting up our cooking school in Downtown Gallery. I am still coming to terms with the high cost of rental and overheads in Singapore, however I do believe that perseverance is key in any business. I get my eight hours of sleep each night and am excited and happy to keep going the next day. My business runs from a strong word of mouth and so I strive every day to make my business.

M: I am sure that there are many women out there that are struggling to reach their goals, what are the key advices you think are worth to share to other Hustlers out there?

P: Don’t stop, don’t give up, don’t take no! There are many people out there who will nourish you during your journey but there are also those who will not. Don’t let the ones that do not bring you down. Just remember, your critics are also your best teachers - listening to them and learning from your mistakes is key. I very strongly feel that everything happens for the best. When things don’t quite work out, it’s because you have something better in store for you. Be positive and keep going.

M: What are your personal and professional goals in this phase of your life?

P: To raise two kind and caring souls which I am trying to do at the moment and hopefully doing it well. Professionally, I set myself small targets every 6 months and give my best to achieve them. My aim has always been to help people realize the love of cooking for and with their families. It has never been about building a huge name or dominating the industry. I love what I do so this this not work. I get to meet people from all over the world and cook and eat with. As long as my customers and their families enjoy the recipes I share with them I call myself successful at what I do.

M: We are almost at the end of our interview and I’d like to ask you about your business: Commune Kitchen. If you were to describe what your customers should expect at Commune Kitchen, what would you say?

P: At Commune Kitchen, we encourage people of all ages and abilities to attend our classes. We are here to not just provide affordable, hands-on cooking but make you fall in love with cooking. We constantly encourage our clients to bring their children to our cookery classes or make them part of their kitchen at home. We also often host weekend classes so husbands and dads can get involved too. Our weekend dumpling sessions are especially popular with families. One of the things we do at Commune Kitchen is to have some staple classes that we repeat but to also introduce new classes and cuisines so that our clients have a variety of options each month.

M: We definitely need to know more more about your classes, I want to have a team building experience with my coworkers.

Our classes typically last for 2-3 hours of hands-on cooking in small groups, followed by sit-down meal in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. We also offer private cooking classes and corporate team building in our studio in Downtown Singapore.

For more information about upcoming cooking classes and corporate team-building sessions, please visit COMMUNE KITCHEN on www.communekitchen.com

M: I promise, very last question, I have heard you wrote a new book, “Curries for the Soul”, I love the title! It sounds the perfect gift for the holiday season, where can we purchase it?

My cookbook “Curries for the Soul” and our holiday gift certificates are also available for purchase on our website.

Thank you Payal, it was great to get to know you and your transparency, your words will encourage many out there!

If you wish to know more about Payal and Commune Kitchen in Singapore, just click on the below links!

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Who is behind Commune Kitchen's success? Meet Payal Thakurani, in this walls down interview.