“Zero waste is not about perfection. It is about trying your best every day to reduce what you send back to the planet,” says Nishtha Chauhan, founder of Cafe Aarambh in Ahmedabad.

In many Indian homes, people practised sustainability long before the word became popular. Nishtha grew up in Ahmedabad in such a home. Her family treated food with respect, reused what they could, and avoided waste as part of everyday life. Her grandfather played a strong role in shaping her thinking, especially through his belief in traditional grains like millets. 

“We never thought we were doing something different,” she says. “It was very normal in our home.”

She watched her family compost kitchen waste and make considerate choices about what they used and how much they used. Those habits stayed with her as she began noticing how differently the world outside treated food, convenience, and waste. 

Start with a clear purpose 

As Nishtha grew older, she began to notice a contradiction in the way people approached food. Many spoke about eating healthy meals and making mindful choices. Yet, when they stepped into cafes or restaurants, convenience and indulgence often took over.

“People want to lead a healthy lifestyle. However, when they go outside, they choose unhealthy food,” she tells The Better India.

She also noticed that many healthy options rarely appealed to younger customers. Some felt too plain, while others leaned heavily on traditional formats that did not excite diners looking for something different.

That gap stayed with her. She began to ask herself a natural question. Could she create food options that felt familiar and enjoyable while still being healthy?

Make healthy food enjoyable

At 24, she decided to look into that question in the most direct way possible. In December 2021, she opened Cafe Aarambh in Thaltej, Ahmedabad. Today, at 28, she continues to run the cafe with the same intention that drove its beginning.

That intention showed up first in the food. She reworked dishes people already loved, using millets in familiar formats so that customers could enjoy their meals without feeling like they had given something up. 

“If people feel they are compromising on taste, they will not continue, but if they enjoy what they eat, they will come back again,” she explains.

She focused on........

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