Our Story
Meet 'El' The Cook!
I am Elton, I am a Pharmacist and MBA, with a passion for tasty, healthy food.
Whats the inspiration behind El The Cook?
In 2015, I was 24 and started food blog, documenting the best restaurants in my city. I was invited to the best places in town and used to eat out almost 3 times a week.
After a year, I developed severe stomach issues and had to consult multiple doctors, who informed me I had developed Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease. After many medications I was able to improve my gut-health.
In 2017, I began to search for healthy food to eat. I was working and needed to find quick fixes, as I didn’t have time to cook. I searched super-market shelves, trying to pickup healthy-meals. But everywhere I looked, I found packaged food laced with preservatives and junk.
Going back to my roots
I decided to cook my own food at home and realized how much it influenced my health. My grand-aunt, founder at D'sliva Foods, in the UK, taught me how food was preserved when there were no fridges, and shared her cookbook, which was passed down 3 generations.
After a year of a lot of kitchen failures, I finally cooked some tasty food. Eating our own recipes for 6 months had a dramatic impact on my health; I lost 10kg and had improved stamina and a social life.
Taking inspiration from her recipes and her work & influence in the UK, I decided to leave my job. In 2018 founded a Vegetarian Indian Food startup, El The Cook from home.
Creating Convenient & Healthy Food at Home
It is home-cooked food that truly keeps us healthy and that inspired me to create ready-to-use tadkas line. My wife Aparna and I started from home and from the basics. Using our medical knowledge we developed a range of spice blends which could add flavour instantly to food without the junk.
Our family & close friends supported us immensely during this period. We sampled a lot and were happy when repeat orders came in.We knew it was time to go bigger..
The Next Step
Scale and maintaining quality was the next step, we moved to a bigger premises and got automated equipment for making our products. We concentrated on buying the best produce from the market. This quality is reflected from procurement to finished products.
Awarded for Effort & Innovation 2020 & 2021
As we innovated and introduced new products like our Vegetarian Indian Curry Pastes and Thai Curry Pastes, the Times of India awarded our brands founders as innovators of the year 2020.
In 2021, El The Cook was awarded the Economic Times Industry Leaders award for getting busy working professionals, for back in the kitchen. Our products helped many to cook delicious meals at home in minutes.
Growing Bigger, Sustainably.
Women Power
As we grow bigger, we were clear that we want to do so sustainably and empowering the local community around us. With over 50 women employed, our brand is one of the key leaders in the local community for empowerment of women.
Farm to Fork
We want to highlight local produce. To do that we are in constant touch with farmers who supply fresh local produce like galangal , thai basil, thai birds eye chilli, coriander, lemon and many ingredients we use daily.
Waste is Wealth
Recognitions & Awards 2022
