The enchanting pages of Manashi’s culinary story began to unfold in the year 2007 when armed with a The enchanting pages of Manashi’s culinary story began to unfold in the year 2007 when armed with a degree in English from India, she moved to the USA with her husband and two children. Mesmerized to see the country loaded with ingredients and spices from across the globe, her innate passion for culinary grew even stronger and it took her no time to identify her career path.
Navigating the challenges with a spouse-dependent Visa, work seemed to be a distant dream. Undeterred by the constraints, Manashi enrolled into the Culinary Arts Program at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, in 2012 to make productive use of the period that restricted her from working. Battling through adversities, in 2014 she emerged with an Associate degree in Culinary Arts, turning challenges into stepping stones toward her dreams.
As visa rules evolved in 2014, so did Manashi's ambitions with the formation of Ping-A-Meal, a lunch box catering service in the heart of Seattle. In three short months, her culinary venture earned the trust of companies such as Amazon, Big Fish, and Nordstrom and served hundreds of clients daily. Due to the pandemic, she closed the chapter on Ping-A-Meal and moved to sunny Austin to start Bar-B-Q Boutique, a brand that takes the painstaking part out of barbecue prep work.
The boutique is her atelier—her studio, and she is the marinade artist. Atelier is French for “An Artist’s Workshop,” and Manashi is the artist as she prepares her spices, marinades, and rubs from scratch, mindful of the ingredients used in preparing them to create a fine balance between taste, lighter yet flavorful and refreshingly bright recipes that cater to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian population.
Bar-B-Q boutique was conceived after identifying the challenges faced by working professionals, busy parents, bachelors, and long commuters who crave a healthy, home-cooked experience without the hassle. Restaurant food is an easy fix, but not a healthy choice unless you spend a fortune for that right pick every time. Purchasing raw uncooked products from meat and grocery stores still puts you in that same spot of having to choose between taste and time.
Bar-B-Q Boutique is formed to act as a connector between the two. Say goodbye to not only those frequent restaurant grubs and elaborate barbecue preparations but also to precooked, processed, ready-to-eat products loaded with unwanted ingredients. We take pride in saying that “We are an extension of your kitchen, minus, the fuss associated with it
Why wait for someone else to set the stage? Every successful business has a “secret sauce”, a unique formula that sets it apart. Manashi uncovered this secret in the US chain concept—the birthplace of countless successful franchises.
Culinary school taught her the fundamentals of the food business, and eventually how to establish a franchise model. Interning at 'Blazing Onion,' a local burger joint turned chain in Seattle, Washington, she learned how consistency in products and uncompromising quality for services are the keys to the formation of a successful chain model.
From grassroots production to understanding the intricacies, Manashi absorbed the essence. Applying these principles, she ventured into Bar-B-Q BOUTIQUE and has set goals for herself to keep working relentlessly unless it becomes a brand on its own.
Manashi dreams of taking her creation worldwide, building a “Texas-born” global brand. Her refusal to follow the job-seeking bandwagon and dedication to job creation exemplify her entrepreneurial spirit, evident not just in the USA but also in India with ventures like KidzCareHub, a Daycare cum Early Childhood Learning & Development Center curated under the guidelines and services rendered in some of the excellent daycare facilities of America.
Manashi's journey is a testament to resilience, creativity, and a refusal to settle for the ordinary. From Ping-A-Meal to Bar-B-Q Boutique, each venture reflects her determination to create opportunities not just for herself but for others. As she dreams of expanding globally, Bar-B-Q Boutique is poised to become a Texas-made legacy, leaving an indelible mark on the world of pre-marinated and ready-to-cook products.
