Avarna Jain, the face of Au Bon Pain in India, at the Park Street flagship cafe

My childhood I had a fairly conservative upbringing. We had specific boundaries, we knew exactly what we could not do. But within that boundary we could do what we wanted. And then once you cross a certain age, you have your foundation set and then the horizons were limitless. We could do what we wanted. I have tons of precious childhood memories. Some of them are from school, where 10 of us fought over one ice cream!

My dad

Once he came home, he was just my dad. Both my brother Shashwat and I were good students. I was head girl at Loreto House and then a prefect at La Martiniere. Thankfully, there were no pressures of being Sanjiv Goenka’s daughter. Even if there was, we never felt it. In school people did say some stuff randomly but then you just listen from one ear and take it out from the other. It never bothered me.... The best business advice he gave me was to follow my instinct. He believes very strongly in his instinct and has a lot of confidence in both Shashwat’s and mine. Very rarely do things go wrong if you follow your instinct.

My brother

Growing up with my younger brother Shashwat was a blast. When I went to college, I missed him the most. And I’m pretty sure when I got married he also missed me a lot! We are very close. It’s a fun relationship with no hang-ups, a typical sister-brother relationship. Like most siblings, we do bully each other a lot and there’s never a winner! It’s a give-and-take depending on what the subject is!

Studies & stage

Wharton was a lot of hard work but also a lot of fun! I was not the nerdy nerd. I did a lot of theatre — acting and directing — and dancing. I did all kinds of things but I wouldn’t call myself talented. It’s just that I had only four years and I didn’t want to spend any time lazing or just not doing anything. I had a very active college life. I also did a study abroad theatre programme in London. It was a four-week course where I saw about 50 plays! I love black box theatre, a 20x20ft dark room where the play is in the middle surrounded by seats, it is like watching a real scene play out in the living room. It’s fantastic.

Flashback: Avarna with father Sanjiv Goenka at Stylefile 2010

Off to Delhi

I got married in 2010 and moved to Delhi. Our parents introduced us and it was an arranged marriage. Devansh is my biggest driving force. He is very encouraging and his energy keeps me driven. I am really enjoying living in Delhi. There are different sections and types of people in every city so it’s just about finding your niche and once you do that, it’s great. I will always have a soft spot for Calcutta because it’s home. I miss it a lot. I visit a couple of times a year, not often enough. But my family comes visiting too, so it’s not that bad!

I love cooking. My favourite dish is orange souffle and thankfully my husband loves my recipe. I bake breads at home. I did a few classes as a kid for fun. These days I look up recipes online, and once you have the basics you can always innovate.

Au Bon Pain Au Bon Pain is a result of me following my instinct. I fell in love with it while studying in Wharton, their soup and healthy breads made sure I didn’t need to cook often at home. That made me think about bringing the chain to India. There wasn’t any bakery that served healthy food and soups. Initially, I had to convince my dad of the plans, growth structure and profitability. He was quite a toughie. Au Bon Pain wasn’t handed to me on a silver platter. It took a lot of hard work and I worked out my numbers, I had every detail down before he approved it. After planning for a year and a half, to see Au Bon Pain materialise was a great sense of satisfaction. We opened the first cafe in Bangalore in September 2009. Entering a new country with a new business takes time to settle. Au Bon Pain wasn’t jumping to begin with but now they are very happy. Now the plan is to make Au Bon Pain self-sustainable and then explore other international chains to bring to india.

Style file

Anamika Khanna is my style icon. I love the way she dresses. She’s also my favourite designer! My international favourite is Gucci. My style sensibility is quite relaxed — it’s just about being comfortable. When in doubt, I love my tracks! Honestly, clothes aren’t my interest at all.

Motherhood & me

Life has changed a lot as a mother. My son Aryavardhan was born in December 2013 and suddenly everyone took a backseat. Your child becomes priority. It’s amazing! The initial stages were smooth because I have a very supportive family. If I would ever begin to feel overwhelmed, they would pitch in and then I would feel normal again. It’s not hard juggling motherhood with a career but having said that, it’s not easy either! I balance my time at work and home but then no amount of time is enough to spend with a baby. Having him around means I get my work done, but sometimes it just takes a little bit longer.

As told to Jyotica Ramchandani

Pictures: Rashbehari Das