With over 338 thousand followers, Surabhi Sehgal's love for art and food has made her an immensely popular influencer on the international gastronomic scene. Here, she tells us what it's like to do her job.
The Character
An eclectic character with an innate creative spirit, inherited from her painter mother and scientist father, who was also a poet; a master's degree in English literature and a life spent moving to six different countries and traveling the world, where she dabbled in the most diverse professions - from banker to PR executive to fashion designer; but what has never changed in Surabhi Sehgal's life is her great love for cooking. So, today, Sehgal is a highly followed influencer of what she loves to call "art food." Her colorful dishes, where vegetables take center stage, and her meticulous attention to aesthetics, have earned her 338 thousand followers enchanted by recipes that are true works of art.
Sehgal was only nine years old when she began to be intrigued by recipes, and since then, food has never left her. "I spent hours watching my grandmother cook in her kitchen. Her food was an act of love; she handled pots and pans with patience, and everything that came out of her kitchen was pure perfection," she tells the South China Morning Post. In her videos and posts, the Indian chef, who now lives in Gurgaon, creates captivating recipes where India, Italy, the Middle East, and Greece meet and merge into new creations. Sehgal always seeks to enhance seasonal vegetables through simple techniques, so they can be replicated at home by her vast following.
"I create my recipes with an intuitive process that evolves as I go along; I don't follow a predetermined pattern during styling," she says. Her talent and passion for art and food, and her commitment to perfecting her technique, even while engaged in other jobs, have led her to work in professional kitchens at hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton and the Westin. She also collaborates with recognized brands in the food world, both in terms of ingredients and utensils. "In the last ten years, I have worked with various renowned brands in the United Arab Emirates and India. I enjoyed developing recipes for them, preparing them, and photographing them for their websites and marketing campaigns. My global exposure allows me to work with various methods and ingredients. I also organize pop-ups for restaurants and cafes that offer modern cuisine incorporating local ingredients. I also train staff to be able to replicate my recipes," explains Sehgal.
Despite the undisputed success and earnings, however, the Indian chef confides that the work of an influencer is also a succession of ups and downs. "There are days when I am overwhelmed with work, but there are also periods when I am not so busy. As an Instagram content creator, I depend entirely on the app that decides the fate of my videos every day. The algorithm keeps changing, and I continuously try to understand how to keep up with the changes. Some days my content reaches a wide audience, and other days, instead, the reach is limited. Since I work alone, without a team, it is extremely difficult for me to sustain the 'slow' periods," she states. In these moments, what lifts and motivates Sehgal is her loyal audience, with whom she has cultivated a close relationship of affection for years.
"In the last nine years, I have built a large family that supports me and continues to inspire me. People send me messages saying that my reels are 'meditative' and 'touching.' Some tell me that my work has taught them to eat and plate better. This is very encouraging. Recently, I received a particularly touching message from a follower. It came from a lady whose mother was suffering from a terminal illness. She hadn't eaten for weeks, but after watching one of my videos, she asked to be fed. My eyes filled with tears when I heard it," she confides. Through her social media channels, Sehgal wants to convey the importance of nourishing oneself in a correct and balanced way and of carefully choosing seasonal and quality ingredients. "I don't make a distinction between paid and unpaid content. I put my heart and soul into my work regardless. I want everyone to cook my recipes and understand that good food cooked with fresh ingredients tastes exceptional and that we can prepare a healthier version of any of our favorite dishes by applying imagination."
