Saransh Goila – The Chef to CovidMealsForIndia for the Rescue

Saransh Goila, the winner of the Food Food Maha Challenge, which was judged by Sanjeev Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit, is an Indian chef who not only made his Masterchef Australia debut, but is also the author of the travelogue ‘India on my Platter’. He uploads a variety of reels, IGTVs, and posts either for recipes or to highlight his travel adventures to his million-plus followers on Social Media (Instagram and Twitter). He also ownsGoila Butter Chicken, a Mumbai-based food and beverage establishment with five locations in Mumbai, two in Pune, and one each in Bengaluru and London, UK.

In one of the interviews, Saransh Goila said that he received a plea from a child’s extended family for food because she was in quarantine and had lost her family to the virus. That’s when he realised that, in these days, the nation already has enough to deal with in terms of Covid resources and mourning deaths; the last thing they need to be concerned with is food to keep their stomachs full. That’s why he created a Google Sheet for volunteers who are willing to provide and prepare meals for those in need, using digital platforms. Influencers and celebrities such as Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Sonam Kapoor, and others have supported the project on social media to help it gain traction. They hope that by taking this small step, they will be able to assist India in recovering and becoming stronger. He got a flood of responses on the first day, and by the second day, he realised the Sheet wouldn’t be enough because the people in need won’t have the bandwidth to go through such an extensive sheet to contact a volunteer within the same city they reside in.

Saransh Goila then worked with Fastor, a retail-tech firm, who promised the chef a user-friendly platform for those in need in 48 hours. That is how the Covid Meals for India (@covidmealsforindia.com) website was created, with the process consisting of entering required information such as the location, finding a home chef/kitchen/volunteer, connecting on WhatsApp, and continuing the conversation. Similarly, if anyone wishes to register as a service provider, they must first register, then fill out the requisite information such as contact information, location, and whether they are willing to care for Covid patients.

This is how Saransh Goila became the chef to Covid Meals For India (@covidmealsforindia.com) for the rescue.