An Interview with Priyasha Saluja, Founding father of Cinnamon Kitchen

An interview with Priyasha Saluja, founding father of Cinnamon Kitchen, India’s first PCOS pleasant bakery

On this enlightening interview, Priyasha Saluja, founding father of Cinnamon Kitchen, shares her journey of making India’s first PCOS-friendly bakery.

She discusses the significance of vitamin in managing PCOS and her mission to offer scrumptious, wholesome treats that empower girls to embrace their well being with out sacrificing taste.

What impressed you to start out The Cinnamon Kitchen, and the way did your private journey with PCOS affect your culinary creations?

Priyasha Saluja: It began very personally. I used to be identified with PCOS as an adolescent and confronted the same old storm — irregular cycles, insulin resistance, and a rising disconnect with meals.

Most “wholesome” choices have been filled with preservatives or refined sugar in disguise, and it left me feeling like I had to decide on between well being and pleasure.

So, I began baking at house. Slowly, my kitchen in Mumbai grew to become my lab—the place I started experimenting with substances that didn’t set off signs and nonetheless tasted good.

I used to be documenting these recipes on-line, and what I realised is that I wasn’t alone—there have been so many others searching for the identical factor.

The Cinnamon Kitchen wasn’t born out of a marketing strategy. It got here from the necessity to rebuild a greater relationship with meals—one the place you didn’t need to second guess what’s in your plate.

We began small, however the mission was at all times massive: to create desserts and snacks that really feel good, style higher, and are made for individuals navigating actual well being wants of their on a regular basis lives.

How do you develop your gluten-free, plant-based desserts and hormone-conscious snacks?

Priyasha Saluja: We’re an ingredient-first model. All the pieces begins with what goes in—and the way it helps the physique, particularly in relation to blood sugar and hormone well being. For us, style isn’t separate from perform.

Insulin resistance is on the core of many lifestyle-related points like PCOS and diabetes, so we give attention to minimizing spikes by layering sugars with good fat and proteins. We use substances which are naturally non-inflammatory—no gluten, no dairy, and completely no refined sugar.

We’re additionally very specific concerning the high quality. Our recipes are easy, however the substances are the heroes—very similar to conventional Italian cooking.

When the bottom substances are that good, you don’t must complicate the method. Whether or not it’s the way in which we use sea salt with chocolate or roast nuts for spreads, every component is there for each flavour and performance.

How do you supply your substances, and what position do they play within the well being advantages of your merchandise?

Priyasha Saluja: Components are on the coronary heart of all the pieces we do—and sourcing them is without doubt one of the most intentional elements of our course of.

We work with growers and companions who share our values round high quality. Our millets are regionally grown, licensed gluten-free, and natural. Our dates and sugars are minimally processed and of premium grade.

And our chocolate? We by no means use compounds. We’re identified for utilizing actual 70% Indian-origin darkish chocolate that’s utterly free from refined sugar.

Whereas many business manufacturers reduce corners through the use of compound chocolate, refined sweeteners, or bulk almond flours with anti-caking brokers, we select to go the longer route.

For instance, most store-bought almond flours include anti-caking starches that forestall clumping—however these are hardly ever talked about on the label.

We keep away from that by sourcing uncooked almonds ourselves, roasting them in-house, and grinding them contemporary into flour. We additionally make our personal nut butters and oat flour for a similar cause.

As a result of we don’t depend on emulsifiers or synthetic stabilisers, the one solution to make our merchandise style good is to start out with the very best substances—and we don’t shrink back from that. It’s extra effort, nevertheless it exhibits in each chunk.

How are you scaling The Cinnamon Kitchen whereas staying true to your ingredient-led strategy?

Priyasha Saluja: We’ve grown rigorously and consciously. Our focus has by no means been on rising quick—it’s at all times been about rising proper.

In India, the availability chain for clear, minimally processed substances nonetheless has gaps, so we’ve invested time in constructing sturdy native relationships to acquire sustainably and ethically.

All the pieces remains to be made in-house—from roasting nuts to grinding our personal flours. Most business almond flours are handled to remain shelf-stable with starches or anti-caking brokers.

We skip that utterly by sourcing uncooked almonds, roasting them, and making contemporary almond flour in small batches. The identical care goes into our oat flour and nut butters.

Is it laborious? Completely. However the finish result’s unmatched. The backend could also be intense, however the flavour and integrity of the product make it worthwhile each single time. This sort of consideration to element is troublesome to scale—however for us, it’s the one manner ahead.

What dessert tendencies are you seeing within the plant-based and gluten-free house?

Priyasha Saluja: There’s a transparent shift occurring. Folks aren’t simply searching for “vegan” or “sugar-free” as checkboxes anymore. They’re asking deeper questions: Will this make me really feel good? Can I give this to my youngsters? Will this assist my hormones?

There’s additionally rising curiosity in acquainted Indian substances like jaggery, millets, and seeds—reimagined in on a regular basis codecs like cookies, desserts, and spreads. The pattern is transferring towards purposeful indulgence: meals that’s scrumptious but in addition deeply supportive of your well being.

What are your bestsellers, and what makes them stand out?

• Flourless Almond Butter Cookies – These are made with freshly roasted almond butter, darkish vegan chocolate, and sea salt. They’re grain-free, refined sugar-free, and extremely satisfying in texture.
• Oh Fudge – A small however mighty sq. filled with dates, hazelnuts, almond butter, and darkish chocolate. It’s portioned to keep away from overdoing it however nonetheless looks like a deal with.
• Millet Apple Crumble Cake – This cake is earthy, heat, and nostalgic. Made with out maida or dairy, it nonetheless provides you the feel and luxury of one thing selfmade.

Every product is designed to ship on style first—however all the pieces beneath is constructed to nourish.

What’s subsequent for The Cinnamon Kitchen?

Priyasha Saluja: From day one, the imaginative and prescient for The Cinnamon Kitchen was greater than simply dessert. It was about altering the way in which individuals have interaction with on a regular basis meals—particularly these coping with way of life situations like PCOS, diabetes, or just desirous to eat higher with out giving up pleasure.

We began with nut butters and cookies, then grew into desserts and fudge. Now, we’re targeted on increasing into each candy and savoury codecs that assist hormone-conscious, anti-inflammatory consuming—whereas nonetheless delivering on flavour.

We’re constructing out a bigger pantry of necessities: assume grain-free crackers, flavour-packed spreads, and nutrient-dense snacks you’ll be able to seize on the go.

These are merchandise that also carry the Cinnamon Kitchen promise—no gluten, no dairy, no refined sugar—however made to suit into your on a regular basis routines, not simply the moments you “deal with” your self.

We’re increasing with care, ensuring scale doesn’t come at the price of integrity. As shopper behaviour shifts towards comfort and immediacy, our focus is on being current wherever our clients are—particularly by way of fast commerce and retail.

Who’s your core buyer immediately—and the way has that modified because you first began?

Priyasha Saluja: Our earliest clients have been individuals who discovered us on-line whereas trying to find alternate options that weren’t simply “wholesome” on paper. Lots of them had PCOS, diabetes, or intestine points—and have been actively searching for manufacturers that didn’t depend on synthetic sweeteners, dairy, or refined flour.

At the moment, that viewers has broadened. We now serve younger professionals, dad and mom searching for cleaner snacks for his or her youngsters, fitness-first customers, and even the aged. The widespread thread? All of them need meals that feels good and tastes good—with out having to learn between the strains on a label.

What are some challenges you’ve confronted constructing a meals model on this area of interest?

Priyasha Saluja: One of many largest challenges has been creating constant, scalable programs with out compromising ingredient high quality. The meals we make doesn’t depend on stabilizers or pre-mixes, so replicating small-batch style at scale is troublesome.

There’s additionally an schooling hole. Numerous customers nonetheless affiliate “sugar-free” with stevia aftertaste or “wholesome” with blandness. So it’s been our job to shift that notion—by way of style, packaging, and storytelling.

How do you steadiness innovation together with your core product philosophy?

We innovate solely when it aligns with our rules. Which means no synthetic shortcuts, no meals tendencies for the sake of tendencies. After we strive one thing new, like a fudge with native citrus or a savory cracker utilizing amaranth, we at all times begin with: Is that this one thing we’d serve at house?

Our artistic course of isn’t pushed by seasonal demand—it’s pushed by ingredient logic and real-life wants.

What position does group play in your model’s journey?

Priyasha Saluja: An enormous one. Our group—from early Instagram followers to long-time repeat patrons—has formed our development. They’ve given us suggestions, shared recipes utilizing our merchandise, and instructed their buddies about us.

We additionally consider in giving again to the group by educating round hormone well being, internet hosting pop-ups, and taking part in occasions that align with our values.

 What values outline The Cinnamon Kitchen—and the way do you guarantee these values present up in all the pieces you do?

Priyasha Saluja: Our three core values are: honesty, craftsmanship, and nourishment.

• Honesty in our ingredient labels and processes—what you see is what you get.
• Craftsmanship in the way in which we make issues—from slow-roasting nuts to mixing our personal flours.
• Nourishment not only for the physique, however for the expertise—our meals ought to convey pleasure with out second-guessing.

These values information all the pieces—from sourcing and recipes to the sort of partnerships we are saying sure to.

Priyasha Saluja’s imaginative and prescient for Cinnamon Kitchen not solely addresses the dietary wants of girls with PCOS but in addition promotes a broader dialog about well being and wellness.

Her revolutionary strategy to baking demonstrates that deliciousness and vitamin can coexist, inspiring many to make more healthy selections of their lives.

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