‘Maggi Kitchen Journeys’ unravels inspiring stories of 12 women

Dreams that once began in the kitchen are all set to take off! This July, Nestle and ZEE pay an ode to women who have emerged from bread makers to bread earners, leveraging their passion for food on the show ‘Maggi Kitchen Journeys’, a show that will soon premiere on Zee TV at 6:30 PM on Saturday, 14^th July and on Living Foodz at 1:30 PM on Monday, 16^thJuly. It all started with Nestle’s insight that cooking is an inherent but undervalued talent in our country. But, there are women who are using their cooking skills to make a difference. With its finger on the pulse of the great Indian middle class, content sensibilities that reflect their hopes and aspirations and its expertise in food and lifestyle as a genre, the ZEE Network arrived at a unique creative solution that establishes how through cooking, women  have been taking charge of their destinies and realizing their dreams, bagging Nestle’s competitive, multi-channel pitch for the show.

Maggi Kitchen Journeys brings forth 12 heart-warming, motivating chronicles of women who have established their own unique identity, empowered themselves and their families, using food as a medium. These women have all applied their cooking skills creatively in various ways, right from starting their own tiffin service to being a ‘foodpreneur’ to using their talent for rewarding causes such as social upliftment. The guests share their awe-inspiring success stories in a free-wheeling conversation with the show's host, actress Renuka Shahane, who with her warmth and maturity will get them to open up and share it all candidly. ‘Maggi Kitchen Journeys’ aims to to fuel the ambition of women across the country and motivate them to carve an identity for themselves in society. 

Ashish Sehgal, Chief Operating Officer, Zee Unimedia Ltd says, “ZEE shares great thought synergies with Nestle, who has been a cherished client over the years. Our brand philosophies intersect beautifully when it comes to igniting a spark amongst the Indian masses to achieve the extraordinary. Through this collaboration with Nestle and their media agency Zenith India Ltd, we as broadcasters, are happy to help amplify this message across and ensure that it reaches the largest denominator in the form of engaging television content. ”

Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Marketing Officer, ZEEL says, “We are very excited to bring alive Nestle’s brand vision through a show that salutes women who have combined their culinary expertise with gumption and industriousness to re-write their destinies and emerge as successful entrepreneurs. The content fits beautifully with the two channels we plan to showcase it on - Zee TV, where our brand philosophy Aaj Likhenge Kal is all about inspiring the masses to draw from their inner strength, seize the right opportunities and reach out to an  extraordinary future and Living Foodz, our lifestyle channel, which elevates food from just something cooked within the confines of a kitchen to an emotion that bonds people together and paves a way of life.  With content & shows like these, we hope to help brands tell engaging stories to their customers and become part of their life and conversations that drive brand love”

Maarten  Geraets, General Manager, Foods, Nestlé India says, “At MAGGI, we believe that home-cooking deserves its rightful due. Home-cooking provides us everyday meals and has a huge impact on oneself, the family and consequently on the society. We will be narrating the stories of the 12  inspiring women who have carved their own destiny by using the power of cooking. We are extremely excited about our partnership with ZEE TV and Living Foodz in taking our message of ‘Kuch Acha Pak Raha Hai’ forward.”

Tanmay Mohanty, Group CEO, Zenith India said, “Our effort has always been to create enriching brand experiences that seamlessly tie into business objectives and ROI. The Maggi portfolio focus is on how it can be part of daily cooking through its superior nutritional and product spread in India. It was  apt that we launch into Maggi Kitchen Journeys, a show which brings out their success stories, aspirations and entrepreneurial skills . We have crafted this as a multi-channel initiative across digital, TV and on-ground to drive women empowerment and focused on building content pegs to inspire, empower and recognise the home cooks.

Creatively conceptualized by Living Foodz, the show’s every episode focuses on how  each guest has taken challenging circumstances in their stride and overcome difficult situations to set up something they were passionate about. One such story is about Padma Srinivasan, an 80-year old resident of Bangalore, who started Pizza Haven from a garage and is using the money to build an old age home, an orphanage and a vocational training centre for rural women. The show introduces you to women like Kainaz Messman, who quit her job due to a severe back injury and decided to channel her love for desserts by setting up her own brand. Just when she was told that it would be impossible for her to become a Chef, the idea of ‘Theobroma’ struck her and as they say, the rest was history! Today, Theobroma is a giant success and has turned into everyone’s favourite dessert joint.  

Renuka Shahane said, “Maggi Kitchen Journeys’ presents motivational stories of women who have braved difficult situations and are a role model to other women today. It’s heartening to interact with them and get a first-hand account of their journey. We hope that our viewers take a leaf out of their book and pursue their dreams”.

The guests on the show will present their signature recipes alongside Renuka and will be included in the Maggi Diaries Community.   Tune in to Maggi Kitchen Journeys on Zee TV every Saturday at 6:30 PM, starting July 14 and watch it on Living Foodz every Monday at 1:30 PM, starting July 16.