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The spice is right for Priya (From Asian Image)
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The spice is right for Priya
5:54pm Wednesday 15th April 2009
A lawyer is causing a a stir in the food industry after leaving her career to set-up her own food business.
Priya Lakhani, 27, left her job as an editorial lawyer at Newsquest in 2008 to begin her journey to becoming a prosperous young entrepreneur by setting-up her new company Masala Masala.
Her idea saw her pick-up the Entrepreneur of the Year award a fortnight ago from the Chancellor, Alistair Darling.
Priya was brought up on fresh, authentic, home cooked Indian cuisine and learnt to cook from her parents Praful and Dipa.
She spotted a gap in the market when she could not find a fresh and truly authentic, non-anglicised, Indian sauce on the supermarket shelf.
The rate of growth for Masala Masala has been incredible, with Waitrose and Ocado.com joining Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Budgens, Nisa and many more as stockists of the fresh Indian sauces.
Waitrose introduces the exciting new brand, Masala Masala, with a nationwide tasting day.
The range of 3 sauces, Shahi, Karahi and Daal will be available to taste for free in 100 Waitrose stores nationwide, between 11am and 7pm on Saturday 18 April.
The sauces are gluten and wheat free and vegetarian.
In addition to being ambitious and successful, Priya created the charitable arm of her business, The Masala Masala Project. Her care and generosity means that for every pot of Masala Masala sauce that she sells, a homeless person in India is fed a hot meal.
“I dream of building hospital clinics in India in areas where underprivileged people do not currently have access to healthcare. I also want to educate street children there.
"This dream isn’t far away. We have already served approximately 6,000 hot meals and plans for the first hospital clinic are only 15 months away. If the business continues to grow the way it has this could be a lot sooner.”
Priya and her Mother, Dipa, will also be publishing a cookbook this year and launching an exclusive cookery series.
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The spice is right for Priya
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