Avni Biyani 

Gourmet Girl

She could easily pass off as a tyrant, this young, attractive, intelligent, confident, slip of a girl, except it is not tyranny, but deep passion and even deeper commitment to succeed in her venture, which is to make Foodhall one of the best food stores of the world. This is what makes her seem the hard taskmaster, one who will suffer no fool and accept nothing short of the best from her staff, or from herself for that matter.
Meet Avni, the youngest daughter of Kishore Biyani, the man with the Midas touch, the razor sharp king of retail. Coming from where Avni does explains her go-getter-ness and the zeal for the fetching financial numbers coursing through her mind; runs in the blood, I guess.
A student of Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Avni graduated in Sociology and Politics from New York University. Apart from her interest in liberal arts and humanities, from early times food has been her mainstay. With a fair amount of exposure to the art of fine dining, internationally, being as extensive a traveller as she is, as well as the fact that she loves to cook, Foodhall probably was just waiting to happen.
Avni is only 30, which means she was all of 21 when Foodhall, the amazing gourmet store was launched by her dad in 2011.
Now barely nine years later, it is daddy’s lil’ girl who is single-handedly running the show, with a wee bit of help from him. “How does it feel to have achieved such success with your gourmet goodie store?” I enquire of Avni, as we amble through the aisles of Foodhall, the first in the series, located inside the upscale Palladium Mall in Bombay.
“To be honest I haven’t had a moment to step back and reflect on that thought. Because ever since we launched the store we have constantly been doing something new or the other. Perhaps it comes from the fact that my father told me earlier on that doing business is like riding a bicycle, you have to constantly be moving. So from the first day till now that’s what I have been doing. Ideating, innovating, I don’t stop. In fact since you ask me, I don’t even think we have been successful. Okay, so we have done some things well, but there is so much more to do!” declares Avni, well-spoken and reflective of the zest a person as young as her would have.
Avni says sometimes she feels surprised that it has already been seven years since the store opened. On the other hand, sometimes she feels like it was only yesterday.   
“The road has been paved with many challenges. But I also met many interesting people on this passionate food journey who helped me along and I am thankful for all the support I have received. Which includes my mother, who you know is a great cook, as well as my sister. They have been very encouraging and supportive,” acknowledges Avni, also giving credit to the many customers who she talks to and watches and learns from.
 It surely must have been a huge task to learn the ropes, understand the system, bring into India top-class food; ingredients, condiments, fruits, vegetables, juices, oils, sauces, mixes, tea and cheese from all parts of the world and lay it out for the discerning gourmet. There’s just too much laden on the shelves and stands and racks of Foodhall to mention here, but suffice it is to say this is a one-stop-shop for anyone who wants to cook anything in their own kitchen. From any global cuisine to anything Indian, Foodhall has it all.
And it doesn’t stop there, for when Avni says she hasn’t stopped to evaluate her success I know what she means. I have seen the store grow. From stocking fresh produce, to sourcing trending health foods, to equipping the store with live tasting stations, with chefs skillfully indulging in cookery demos. Then there has been the introduction of a wine section and kitchen merchandise and accessories. Like I said, a one-stop-shop.
And then Avni went ahead and started to open more of these super stores.
“With the store in Chanakyapuri, we went up many notches. We got a French company, Malherbe to design the store. The look and feel was very different, the finish, furnitures and fixtures were very different, the scale was higher and the goods, too, were more high-end. For example, we have cheese which is Rs 50,000 a kilo, we have a reserve tea collection, a clutch of eight, which we bought at an auction where the most expensive tea is about two or two and a half lakh a kilo. We have fresh truffles, exotic fruits and vegetables from south of Peru and Japan, we have a live lobster tank where you can take your pick.” Avni tells me all this in one surge, her excitement pretty apparent. And understandable. Food is an exciting subject.
And now she has also opened a grand store in Bandra. It’s 25,000 sq. ft, all of four floors at Linking Road. “My plate is full but I am hungry for more, I can’t stop!” she laughs. So where does all this leave her for personal pursuits, free time, marriage?
“Oh, I do it all. Make time for yoga, for my friends, for my leisure travels, for eating out. As for marriage, that will also happen. We are Marwaris and family life is just as important to us as business.
Avni Biyani is a spirited girl, clear in her head, clear about her goals.