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Her dreams
of college education never materialised but that didn't deter Reena
Pushkarna from making it big. Today, she runs seven Indian
restaurants in Israel and is the face of India in that country, the
Deccan Herald reported
recently
In 1978, Delhi
borne Reena was studying in a Mumbai school. Like all other
teenagers, she too had colourful dreams for her future. But at the
age of 16, she got married and could not attend college. Her husband
Vinod was a captain at the Merchant Navy.
In September
2003, Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited India. Among his
entourage, there was a 42-year-old sprightly lady- the only woman in
the delegation. Yes, it was the same Reena Pushkarna who had let go
of her college dreams but had ended up as Israel's most successful
Indian. Today, she runs seven Indian restaurants in Israel and has
popularised several Indian dishes and is popularly known as the
'Curry Queen'.
Reena was born
to a Sikh father and a Jewish mother. She later converted to Judaism
when she immigrated to Israel in 1983. While travelling with her
husband, she had come into contact with several chefs from around the
world and from them, she learnt the fine art of cooking.
In 1983, the
Pushkarnas opened a small Indian food joint named 'Ichakdana' in Tel
Aviv. At that time, Israelis knew little or nothing about Indian
cuisine. They knew only Raj Kapoor and his famous film 'Shri 420'.
This was the beginning of her journey. As most of the Israelis are
very religious, they were not willing to try Indian food and
vegetarian cuisine. They had not even heard of the word 'curry'.
As a result,
'Ichakdana' did not do well and Vinod was ready to go back to Sea.
But Reena persuaded him to give it another chance. So they opened a
Restaurant called 'Tandoori' where they offered authentic North
Indian food. She hit the jackpot when she started Israel's only
'Kosher' Indian restaurant. Dietary laws of Judaism prescribe
separation of milk and meat products. Both are never mixed and even
cooked together simultaneously in the same kitchen.
However Indian
cuisine often relies on blending yoghurt with chicken, which is a
religious taboo for the Jews. Therefore, Reena developed a substitute
for milk/yoghurt in Parev milk (made of soy bean powder). She even
replaced cheese by Parev milk retaining the original flavour of milk
cheese! Even to a Indian food expert, it is difficult to make out the
difference in taste.
This trend
spread to all seven branches across the country and she became the
first one to start the first Kosher Indian Restaurant in the world.
Her 'Tandoori'
in Tel Aviv was the first location of choice for the peace talks
between the Israelis, Palestinians and Norweigians. In 1992, when BBC
has telecasted the first handshake between Israeli Prime Minister
Robin and Palestinian leader Yaser Arafat on the lawns of White
House, they suddenly showed 'Tandoori' and divulged that the peace
talks did not commence in Jerusalem or in Oslo, but in 'Tandoori'-Tel Aviv.
In August
2001, Pushkarnas brought the concept of branded ethnic foods and
forged a joint venture with Israel's largest supermarket-Super Sol
(170 branches). Reena and her chefs successfully married tradition
with technology giving customers a welcome break from tasteless
tinned and dehydrated food packed with unsuitable ingredients.
Reena's food used cutting technology to prepare the classical ethnic
recipes. Her food is also served in the Israeli army and on board
International airlines such as Elal, Air India, Air Korea etc.
Prime
Ministers, presidents and diplomats are frequent visitors of
'Tandoori'. " I was really afraid when I got a invitation from
Georgetown University to give a talk to 900 MBA students," says
Pushkarna. But after her talk, everyone was very impressed about her
success story and no one was ready to accept that she has not entered
the college for education!
Even though
Reena is settled in Israel from the past 24 years, she has very high
respect and love for India and also for Indian traditions. She now
dreams of opening an Israeli restaurant in India and to introduce
Israeli culture among Indians.
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